Snow chains for 150 Prado

[brucetheshark1 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close brucetheshark1]

Has anyone purchased and successfully used snow chains on their 150? If so what sort are the best? My concern about brand and types relates to the small ammount of clearance especially on the inside front wheel. I have BFG AT 165/65/R17 tyres. Thanks
Bruce

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

Under NSW National Parks regulations, all vehicles (except 4WD's) must have snow chains in the vehicle to be fitted when required.

Took my 150 to Thredbo last year when it snowed like crazy for a few days, no chains used, just drove carefully. Snow was 6 inches deep on some roads until it was removed. Bridgestone Dueler A/T fitted.

Yowie.

[brucetheshark1 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close brucetheshark1]

Yep thanks Yowie. I expected the vehicle would eat it up but I'm planning a serious trip through the high country over summer and also want to be set up properly for winter trips. I've seen classy 4WDs rolled near Perisher on iced roads without chains.
Bruce

[gemmebr Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close gemmebr]

Hi Brucetheshark1. I believe the owners manual recommends putting chains on the rears only. Due (as you point out) to the lack of clearance on the front.

[Hazza Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hazza]

brucetheshark1,

I come from the Monaro district and spent most of my younger years going t Perish and Thredbo sometimes four times a week. Most of the time it was in a 5 ton truck. We carried snow chains as that was the requirement by Alpine Resorts http://www.snowchains.com.au/id4.html . In all the years traveling both in trucks and our old VC Valient Ute we only needed chains once and they where useless due to the amount of snow.

Personally I believe you should carry something but from what I've seen available chains are old news.

Take a look at this web site and follow any links to utube. You will be amazed. I haven't looked into where you can get them in Australia but i'm sure you could investigate this.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Hazza

www.autosock.co.uk

[barajak Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close barajak]

There is no such beast as good cheap chains. If there is a chance you are going to use them, get a set of Konig diamond chains or similar. Expect to pay $300 plus. I got mine off EBay under $300 for a set a few years old that had never been used. If you need chains just to comply with regulations get a cheap lightweight set. As noted on this thread you will not need to use them on a main road but back country snow drives are a different story. I have been on organised trips to the snow and everyone with cheap chains were embarrased to need help when the chains failed (broke). Also as noted here you cannot fit chains to the front wheels without breaking something.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Sorry to revive an old thread but just wondering what the current regulations are with respect to 4WD chains in Vic during the snow season? I did find this :-

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/...SnowChains.htm

It it does not specify the type of chains that you need to carry and I thought I read somewhere that ladder type are no longer allowed? I don't currently have chains (well I do but they are for a Celica LOL, never used either) and having 265/60/R18 18" tyres now I'm wondering if I will have clearance issues if I do fit any. From Barajak's post above it would appear that fitting them to the front wheels on a 150 isn't recommended, I also have the TEMS shocks cabling to consider.

Have found plenty of cheapies on eBay but don't know if any of them are any good.

[Guest Close Guest]

TEMS shock cabling is well out of the way. There's clearance issues with the linkage that comes down from the UCA (forgot what it's called) and KDSS components.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

From a technical & legal point of view it seems to me that you just need to have snow chains - which type is not important.

From a practical point of view everyone raves about diamond as opposed to straight/ladder.

Front vs rear actually depends on whether you're traveling up hill into snow, or down a slippery hill. Seems like front is preferred for steering but if you have clearance issues at the front, then just go with the rear and be careful on corners...

[Australian Member Find all posts View Profile Close Australian]

Aldi is selling snow chains Tomorrow for $40. It says "various sizes" so they may have some to suit?

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-b...p/snow-chains/

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Thanks guys. I had a look in the owner's manual and it says to fit chains to rear wheels only. It also specifies a chain diameter of 5mm for the side chain and 6.3mm for the cross chain but does not qualify if that's for all tyre sizes in use on the 150 out of the factory.

[Guest Close Guest]

The width and diameter of all factory Prados apart from pre-facelift GX are the same. The only difference is the sidewall height which will affect whether the chains will touch the rims or not.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

OK Andrew, thanks. Since I have the 18" wheels I have less sidewall than a 17" so is it likely I will have contact issues with the alloy rims?

[Guest Close Guest]

No idea. Best to contact the hire places at Mansfield etc and ask for their experience.

[Ironman 4x4 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Ironman 4x4]

OK Andrew, thanks. Since I have the 18" wheels I have less sidewall than a 17" so is it likely I will have contact issues with the alloy rims?

Hey Fido,

Rim size really isn't an issue with fitting chains. More the overall size of the tyres themselves. Yes you may have the chains contacting your alloys (depending on the offset), but this shouldn't be an issue if they are correctly tightened, and you'll have the same issue with any chains.

The BP in Mansfield has a good range of chains and if you are running 265s I can guarantee that they'll have some in stock for you.

Fitting on the rear is recommended if the manual has said to do so, as there may be clearance issues with the front suspension and steering components.

The most important part to remember when fitting chains is to fit them, drive 10-20 metres forward and then re-adjust and tighten them again.

Every state has their own rulings on chains. I'm in VIC and am required to carry them full time if I stay overnight or when signs say I need to carry them on day trips. (saying that I have my own set and I stay up in the mountains most weekends during winter - being the ski bunny that I am).

Cheers,

Matt