WranglerDan

Our climate tends to make for slushy, icy snow rather than the dry, powdery stuff at colder climes. People here are very inexperienced in general at driving in severe winter conditions and thats part of the reason for making chains mandatory for 2WD vehicles. Its comically dangerous watching the scenes in snowy carparks here with punters fitting chains to the back wheels of front-drivers etc.
There was a bunfight a couple of years ago because chains are rarely required to be fitted to 4WDs (meaning high clearance, locked 4WD) but there are now so many crossover/ soft-roaders with partime "All wheel drive" that its difficult to enforce. Rice racers with WRXs on semi-slicks were getting shirty that their "4WD"s had to stop and get chains (they don't even fit on those wheels). So now we all have to carry them, and fitting is at the discretion of the authori-taaays. It's only a matter of time before this gets tested by a cashed up lawyer who stacks his X5 without chains, though.

Ryno

Carparks? Punters? Bunfight? Shirty?

Strine makes me chuckle.

jeep08ham

We have had two really icey winters in SW Missouri. Over 1 inch of pure ice on all of the trees, roads, etc. That is where I find chains to actually help IF, you have to get out and about. I have an old set that I put on my JK and then modified them to actually fit correctly so they do not come loose. Had to keep speeds below 35 mph, but I was one of the faster vehicles on the road. During our last ice storm, we only had about 1/2" of pure ice. I got to winch a Hummer out of the ditch. What I would have given to have had a camera along. Overall, this past winter I towed or winched over 25 vehicles out of the ditch because of ice on the roads. I only had the chains on for a days as the roads then got rough enough that they were not that slick.

My opinon is chains are for ice and not snow! Good open tread tires that are self cleaning are the best bet for snow. Almost any what we call snow tires do work well. The more agressive treads work better in mud and snow. The stock tires that come on the Rubicon JK work great on mud and snow. No complaints from me.

Best of succes downunder!

WranglerDan

Mate, you haven't lived until you've had a bunfight in the carpark with a shirty punter.

sixt7gt350

Spank ya, hell! That's the most fun driving on roads!
(I am envious of Dan's current situation.)

Gravel Gertie

We live at 6,100+ feet, high in the Rocky Mountains. The Rubi still has the stock tires. We carry chains all the time "just in case" and they have never been out of the box. The roads can get very bad here in a hurry, especially with the mountain passes collecting snow when it is raining in the valley. I am very pleased with these tires. When the roads get horrific they close the roads. So far so good with the Rubi.

WranglerDan

Thanks for the replies, everyone. What I am really interested in is whether or not there is enough clearance to actually fit and use chains with the stock Rubicon tyres (without a lift or spacers). If there isn't, I'll just get any old set to keep in the trunk to show Johnny Law that I am actually packing chains as required.

WRAITHYJEEP

owners manual states no chains
check out clearances from tire to suspension parts


but with a set of wheel spacers i'm sure it would work then

WranglerDan

Yeah, thats what I'd read and why I was posing the question. Wheel spacers are totally illegal here. So nobody has actually fitted chains to the stock Rubi at all?

w squared

Sounds like the voice of experience here.

You'll doubt the wisdom of carrying chains until the first time you have to use them. If you haven't taken the time to previsouly figure out how to put them on properly and made sure that they're not stored tangled, you'll spend at least an hour cursing when you try to put them on. Another good idea is carrying 4 bungee straps per tire that you intend to chain. These can be used across the outside of the tire (across the hub) to reduce slack while still allowing enough give to provide some cleaning.

The way I see it, chains are the "last line of defense" before you have to give up and walk home through conditions that have gone to ratsh!t. I carry chains in my 1-ton all the time, for use on ice and in mud (AT tires). I've never had to fit them on the truck unless I was pulling a trailer...but I always have that option available.

Chains can save you a long walk, or an expensive bill from the body shop.