Colorado/Utah Trip - Snow Chains??

[RonJR]

Problem is (native observing here) we have so many people who have moved to Colorado over the last 20 years that have ZERO clue how to drive on adverse roads that common sense flies out the window and all hell breaks loose. One or two idiots on I-70 can cause a world of pain in like 20 seconds. Worse, if this happens you are very limited as to options.

I'm going to disagree with this assessment somewhat and offer a different slant on it. On a day like today (MLK monday), there will be 4000+ cars/hour on I70 coming home, from Vail to Denver. In moderate travel conditions, that trip takes about 2 hours, so say 8000 cars on the highway at any given time. If we have two accidents per hour, that will paralyze the highway. 2 accidents out of 8000 car hours is 1 accident per 4000 hours per car. 4000 hours is about 200,000 miles at 50mph. So, these drivers are negotiating a jam-packed winding interstate with significant grades, with slick spots, at night, while tired, and having an accident rate of 1 in 200,000 miles. Honestly, that's pretty darned good. I don't think the drivers are incompetent or are idiots (except for being there - it's just that the highway is totally overloaded and statistics eventually catches up with someone once/twice per hour. Could be any one of us, regardless of your/my perceived driving prowess.

Bottom line is, you're quite unlikely to have an accident yourself on that road even on a busy weekend. But, your chances of being delayed by someone else's misfortune are near 100%.

 

[4Regrets]

I'm in the process of relocating from Utah to Colorado (starting a new job a week from today), and I'm very glad I ended up in an area that is on the periphery of the Front Range/I70 madness.

 

[Vettethret]

I'm guessing this was for Commercial Rigs as I don't think CDOT has issued a code 16 this year!

You'll be good to go with 4WD and good tires. I've lived in CO for almost 40 years and I've never needed, was required to use, or wanted to use chains.

You know it didn't say anything about commercial, I don't live in CO (Wish I did), I live in Commifornia so you would definitely know better than me.

 

[Jeremy556]

Coming from the west to Snowmass, there are no high passes or areas that close frequently in Colorado. There are a couple of high areas between I15 and Green River in Utah that I have run into some bad winter weather.

We don't get much ice, so 4wd, decent AT tires, and driving with some sense is pretty much all that is required 99.999% of the time.

 

[4Regrets]

No high passes, but I have hit truly heinous weather from Grand Junction to Eagle many time in the past. I live in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, but am moving to Colorado. I regularly do the drive from Salt Lake down US-6/191 over Soldier Summit to I-70 and then over to the Aspen and Eagle area. Great desert scenery, and in mild winters it is usually smooth sailing, but this winter has seen more active weather rolling through that region.

The stretch of I-70 through Garfield County is the deadliest in Colorado (http://www.postindependent.com/news/crime/garfield-county-leads-in-fatal-i-70-crashes/). There might be more accidents on the high mountain passes, but the weather on the western slope can be similarly severe, and everyone thinks they're out of the mountains so they drive like it's the Indy 500. Keep your headlights on, drive vigilantly, and don't be afraid to use your horn liberally, lots of trucks out there balling the jack who take a cavalier attitude toward the wellbeing of other motorists.

I've driven that road when it's so icy you could see a reflection of your car in the road surface, and I was getting passed by cars and semis easily going 70+ mph.

 

[adaml]

Thanks everyone for the immediate responses. Like I said it could sound ignorant and I realize opinions will vary....just growing up and living in heavy snow areas most of my life never needing snow chains, then getting reactions from anyone in my Los Angeles beach town about snow chains like its critical for driving in the snow made me really curious.

I do not have Duelers I have a TRD so have the Nittos, only 5k miles on them so plenty of tread.

PA salt = destroys vehicles! I bought my dad's last two trucks in the South and drove them up to Pittsburgh, and was shopping for Tacomas and 4runners used out here in SoCa to drive one back for him sometime this year.

Maybe I will look into a set of snow chains and a compressor just to keep in back. Doubt I will be on any gnarly roads as I am gonna he highway driving right to Snowmass. Not sure if the remaining drive to the monastery is bad but if old monks and such can drive up there can't be too bad hah.

EDIT: wow in the time I took to type my response and field a phone call, there have been many more responses! Thanks everyone. Looks like I will grab a pair for the rear wheels just to be safe, in case I do get stuck, or perhaps someone wants to fine me if I do not have them with me. Also thanks for the heads up on what you regularly carry as it was not even crossing my mind about ice scrapers and such, back "home" and other places I've lived those things are standard to be kept in the truck/Jeep/SUV, but here I may actually have to shop around before I leave since its 70 degrees and sunny year round. All my good winter hunting clothes, boots, and sleeping bags are back in Pittsburgh since I fly home often to go hunting with my dad in PA and a yearly bear hunting trip to Canada where its snowing even in May past few years we are so far north. But I will throw some clothes, blankets, etc. Glad I posted up as these things not crossing my mind initially...

You may have plenty of tread but if it's on the stock terra grapplers, those tires are aboslute shit in the snow and ice. Honestly. I speak from not only my own experience but from seeing another guy tear up his TRD Pro with terra grappers and some poorly installed chains failing to make it up a snowy forest road here in WA while I went straight on up with some KO2's. I only made the change after almost losing the truck three times on a recent trip to Canada while everyone else was passing me with no problem. KO2's certainly aren't "winter" or "snow" tires but they're light years better in it than those shitty terra grapplers are.

 

[MasonCO]

One thing about the west especially in CA (I've been in LA since 1992), they don't salt the roads for environmental reasons. Therefore, roads in the west will get icier at a higher temp.

Not quite true any more . Colorado has started to use a brine mixture on roads this winter - I don't know if it's the entire state, or just the front range, but it's definitely being used now. The main reason is the cost of Mag Chloride vs. the brine solution

The Colorado Department of Transportation is using a new product to keep drivers safe on the roads during the winter months.

It’s a salt-brine mix that CDOT trucks spread on the road about eight to 10 hours before snowfall as a pretreatment.

“Brine and our anti-icing strategy helps us get ahead of the storm,” CDOT deputy superintendent John Lorme said.

The salt-brine mixture is great for the roads, but can also damage cars if they're not kept clean. Car rust and corrosion is caused by acid created when salt is dissolved by the moisture in the air.

“If we’re putting any product on the road, people should be aware these are chlorides and cause metal to rust, so they should wash their cars,” CDOT Region 1 director Mike O'Neill said.

 

[Liquidmantis]

Sweeeet. So what are recommendations for washing the undercarriage?

 

[Toffees]

Sweeeet. So what are recommendations for washing the undercarriage?

Every shower or at least once per day. Normal soap and washcloth should do fine, unless you've got extraordinary circumstances.

 

[LandCruiser]

I've never used snow chains here, just 4HI and Blizzaks.

I, too, hate the drivetrain bind and given another choice, would have gotten the Limited.

 

[bluecollarjock]

You may have plenty of tread but if it's on the stock terra grapplers, those tires are aboslute shit in the snow and ice. Honestly. I speak from not only my own experience but from seeing another guy tear up his TRD Pro with terra grappers and some poorly installed chains failing to make it up a snowy forest road here in WA while I went straight on up with some KO2's. I only made the change after almost losing the truck three times on a recent trip to Canada while everyone else was passing me with no problem. KO2's certainly aren't "winter" or "snow" tires but they're light years better in it than those shitty terra grapplers are.

Thanks for the heads up. Had no choice in the matter but did go with TRD for the locker and minimal 1" suspension lift up front so as to not get a Trail and tempt myself to lift it and start dumping all sorts of money into it like many other 4x4s I've owned. Looking back I probably could have been fine with a Trail and left it stock...would prefer cloth seats too but oh well hah.

Since this is my only snow trip planned in the next year I will drive cautiously and try to get as much mileage out of these tires as possible to save cash. When they do go I will probably do KO2s or Toyo ATs. In the past I've used the old school BFG ATs in snow,off road and highway and they always served me well on a K5, Chevy pickups, Jeep TJ, 3rd Gen 4runner, and I got really good mileage out of them too. So if the new ones are anything like the old ones I would trust them. I would consider looking into the Toyo AT as well. No more mud tires for me unless I eventually do move to Colorado and have a dedicated trail rig of some sort. Older I get the milder tire I want, quieter, smoother, squeeze more miles out of them. I've seen some photos of guys on here in stock 5th gens with stock tires doing some gnarly looking trails.

 

[bofa]

Sweeeet. So what are recommendations for washing the undercarriage?

I use a touchless carwash and drive over the undercarriage sprayer slowly. Or you can toss a few quarters in and spray yourself. Im really tempted to do a full fluid film treatment next go.

 

[reelamin]

Les Schwab used to have a program where you could buy snow chains and return them for a full refund, if they were never used. That would give you the flexibility to comply with any "carry chain" laws during your trip and return your chains upon your return.

They still do and others do the same. Passenger vehicle on maintained roads I have never used chains. In the hills or pulling trailers I use chains a lot. If I need to get out of some place they go on the front first. If buzzing down the road with a trailer on the rear. I just use Laclede Cam Style with the cross bar cleats only break them when pulling loaded stock trailers in the hills digging hard just to move. They will hook a rock and break a cross link every now and then. The speed and ease of use (no flippen bungies) outweigh the mud chains not breaking.

 

[bluecollarjock]

They still do and others do the same. Passenger vehicle on maintained roads I have never used chains. In the hills or pulling trailers I use chains a lot. If I need to get out of some place they go on the front first. If buzzing down the road with a trailer on the rear. I just use Laclede Cam Style with the cross bar cleats only break them when pulling loaded stock trailers in the hills digging hard just to move. They will hook a rock and break a cross link every now and then. The speed and ease of use (no flippen bungies) outweigh the mud chains not breaking.

As for salt if Colorado is using that now it is a bummer. It will reduce the life of your vehicle by many years if you are not on top of it. I cringe when I go home to Pittsburgh to visit my parents and see 4-5 year old vehicles with body rot around the fenders and rockers starting, rust starting on the frame and rear axle already as well and that is just observing trucks at traffic lights.

What I did to slow that down on the last truck I got my dad was first buy a used Silverado down south that had never seen snow (I lived in DC area at time so could do that easily and drive it back to PA). I had it pressure washed professionally underneath before having one of those rust proofing places do their thing, I forget which company I went with. Then I had the bed lined with Line X, and paid extra for them to line the inside of the body panels that were easily reached, and portions of the frame that did not have any lines/hoses or parts that would be impacted by the bedliner. It has worked wonders as my dad is in his 70s and not up to regular cleaning or doing undercarriage. Its a 2004 and has less rot than 2010 trucks I see (hardly any just where he has scratched the paint on the body some surface rust).

I was shopping for a used Tacoma or 4runner to replace the Silverado since it has 223k miles on it now (and he still commutes from Pitt area to WV daily) so I worry about something eventually going and leaving him stranded. Out here in SoCa any good deal on a Tacoma or 4runner (3rd Gen especially) goes the day its posted on Craiglist. So I have missed some amazing deals. Hence I was back in PA for flintlock a few weeks ago with dad, and went looking at used Tacomas and 4runners there, and even a 2011 4runner had rust issues on frame, rear axle, and parts of the undercarriage. Toyotas in Pittsburgh seem to rot at an alarming rate. So if Colorado is going to use salt on the roads I would maybe research various ways of rust proofing along with what kind of cleaning to do regularly. Just go on Craigslist and look at used 4x4s in rust belt cities like Pittsburgh that use salt on roads, compared to Craigslist in Colorado where in the past as far as I know they did not. You get way more snow in Colorado but trucks do not rust nearly as bad or as fast. I will plan on doing a full detail on my 4runner when I return to SoCa if they are using salt...and climbing underneath power washing the heck out of the undercarriage. Stuff is like cancer.

As for chains is Laclede Cam Style popular among many of you? I did browse snow chains and socks and so many varieties and price ranges. Better that I have a pair and not need them then need and not have them. Seems you all think they are good for getting unstuck even if I do not use them for regular highway driving, and I do not want to risk a fine if some cop really wanted to be a hard nose or was annoyed with me having California plates.