Sounds as if the drivers out there need to travel someplace where they know how to drive in the snow without chains. I can and have driven my HHR in snow deep enough that I have pushed it with the bumper occasionally. All I ever run are all-weather.

 

I miss the days of studded snow tires.......

I've lived in CA for 14 years and I just avoid the high country when it's snowing. I've been up to Tahoe and Reno many times in the Jan-Mar time frame and guess I've just been lucky never to have gotten caught in a storm.

Fred

 

Chains on most new cars are a No No. They have eliminated the fender clearance and you may or will tear up the car. Also many FWD cars are not freindly for chains.

In the past GM had a standing rule that they had to put in clearance on all cars and that is why we often had big fender wells and small tires.

Today you have tight fenders over an bigger tire and littel room just as many imports have always had.

Very very few people use chains anymore and those who are in the required areas often have SUV or trucks that can still use chains.

 

Believe me-I can and have out driven the best of them in my time. I am very experienced in snow. However-officer johnny law loves to ticket people when the "chains required" sign is out.

That is my first concern-second in very harsh blizzard conditions with alot of ice-chains ad alot of security.

That all combined with this being my first season with the HHR-just wanting to be prepared.

I never thought about checking to see if a car could accept tire chains. Kind of odd-

I still think the thule chains will work.

http://www.thuleracks.com/snowchains/default.asp

 

I just watched the video of these from the site. It only hooks on to 1 lug nut and I highly doubt that the clearance is there for it to go around the tire. If it were to still fit around the tire, I would be leery of any damage that it could possibly do to the wheel well/fender and also the strain it would create on the 1 lug it is bolted on.

 

Yeah, like in the Denver area, they have signs that say you MUST have chains to go through if the lights are flashing...

 

IF you live in the area where required, mostly Serria and Rocky Mountain Pass areas You just don't go.

They either will have to change the laws on the newer cars since so few can use them any more or people neeed to buy the right car or truck for their needs.

If you contending with snow that deep and grades thar steep I would not want a low sitting FWD anyway. I have seen too many FWD where the snow packs under them and lifts the front tires off the ground here in the non mountain areas.

These areas account for less the 1% of the cars sold ever going into these areas and the companies are not moving to make more cars for them so it is up for the owners to asses what their needs are and buy the right car for their needs.

It is no different here where many own a daily driver Vette but have a SUV for winter.

Most here have never seen chains on a car before and only on ice road truckers.

Even when we go into the Smoky mountains I have only seen chains on logging truck and even then they are off road and rare.