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AlpineRose
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AlpineRose
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PostThu Jan 11, 2018 9:48 pm 
boot up wrote:
Any credibility to all the bruhaha on Social media that Washington state patrol is requiring AWD vehicles, even with studded snow tires, to carry chains in the passes
It's not brouhaha. It's true. Has been for many years. Not just the passes, but also where posted, i.e., 410 past Greenwater on the way to Crystal Mt. I don't know for sure about the fines, but if WSP has set up a checkpoint to check for chains, they will turn you around if you haven't got them in your car, even on AWD. Check out other threads on this same topic. Search for "chains" in the title. Just buy the darn things and be done with it.

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RichP
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PostThu Jan 11, 2018 10:35 pm 
I saw somewhere that the fine is 136 dollars if you have an AWD car with no chains in the car when chains are required. You only need chains for 2 wheels though.
Quote:
Exemptions Four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles are exempt from chain requirements when all wheels are in gear and are equipped with approved traction devices, provided that tire chains for at least one set of drive tires are carried in the vehicle. See WAC 204-24-050.
http://www.wsdot.com/winter/traction.htm

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Malachai Constant
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PostThu Jan 11, 2018 10:49 pm 
All our cars are AWD or 4WD so I carry chains, but I have never used them. To be honest there is no place that I want to go if I need 4x4 and chains.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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AlpineRose
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PostFri Jan 12, 2018 6:28 pm 
Malachai Constant wrote:
All our cars are AWD or 4WD so I carry chains, but I have never used them. To be honest there is no place that I want to go if I need 4x4 and chains.
Same here, and me neither. However, I do have low-clearance chains to fit my tires, just in case I end up in an unforeseen situation where I do have to use them. Either because I got stuck, or because of an unexpected requirement for chains on all vehicles, including AWD/4WD.

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DIYSteve
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DIYSteve
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PostSun Jan 14, 2018 10:25 am 
Malachai Constant wrote:
To be honest there is no place that I want to go if I need 4x4 and chains.
Carrying chains for a AWD or 4WD is about getting out of places you got into without chains. An example is Alpental Lot 3 RV parking, which they don't plow on a crowded weekend. Last February I pulled my 4x4 PU/camper rig with no issues. A big storm came in that evening, dumping 40" of sticky wet powder in 48 hours. By Saturday afternoon, those with AWD or 4WD but without chains were stranded. I drove out with ease in 4x4 low and chains on all 4 wheels. I pulled out two 4x4 (chainless) rigs, got rewarded with free beer. I've chained up 4x4/AWD rigs a couple other times to exit trailheads that got hammered with big snow dumps while I was skiing or winter camping. Chains for 4x4 or AWD could come in handy in May for FS Road 4330 shady spots which hold snow late in the season.

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texasbb
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texasbb
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PostSun Jan 14, 2018 1:57 pm 
^This. I always imagine needing to get out of the ditch I slid into, or over a hill on my way out of someplace I wouldn't have gone into if I'd known how slick it'd be. Never had to do it, thankfully, but the legal requirement is a secondary reason to carry.

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Riverside Laker
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PostSun Jan 14, 2018 5:41 pm 
Ya don't need a permit to carry!

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KillerCharlie
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 8:59 am 
Finally got a second set of wheels with X-Ice tires for my Forester. Should've done that a long time ago. I can change the wheels in 20 minutes. Now I need new regular tires - 95% highways and 5% forestry roads. Any suggestions? Most of the tires talked about here discuss snow performance, which I'm not in need of. I want something relatively quiet and efficient on highways, good in rain, and good enough on gravel.

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DIYSteve
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 11:30 am 
KillerCharlie wrote:
Now I need new regular tires - 95% highways and 5% forestry roads. Any suggestions?
I start with Consumer Reports ratings and backfill with other (usually less objective) reviews. If you live W of the crest, look for something with good rain/hydroplaning performance rating. CR likes Goodyear Assurance CR and Michelin Defender for P-rated, and Continental CrossContact and Michelin Premier LTX for LT-rated.

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KillerCharlie
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PostThu Feb 15, 2018 11:25 pm 
I'm wondering if it's worth getting an LT tire or anything beefier for gravel. I've never had a problem on forestry roads in the 200 times I've been on them. The few times I got stuck I was able to power through it with some speed. I feel like I've been really lucky though, not running into tire problems on some of those roads.

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Schenk
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 8:48 am 
"Needing" and LT or 10 ply rated tire for forest roads really depends on how fast you like to drive, and how careful you are about avoiding larger rocks and other tire hazards, and how much weight you're going to carry. If you are reasonably careful and prudent then std load rated tires will serve you fine.

Nature exists with a stark indifference to humans' situation.
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mike
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 11:15 am 
Better to carry two spares. Like for 60mi of washboard in E-OR

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boot up
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boot up
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 11:26 am 
And the latest trend in SUV's is to sell them without spares at all. The idea is you just call a towtruck. It is easier to walk away from vehicles that are pulling that crap, than to try to explain to the salesman that you might be out of range of cell phone coverage or tow coverage. Or the place they tow you to might be more than a bit limited on tire availability. My Bro-in-laws BMW SUV had no spare, which they discovered on a remote road. They sold the car soon after that, being too scared to drive it on any back roads after that incident. Knock on wood, but my Nokian WRG3's with their Aramid laced sidewalls have done well for me. I am driving a bit more carefully in Central Oregon where pointy, razor sharp chunks of lava sticking up out of the potholed roads are common.

friluftsliv
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mike
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 11:34 am 
boot up wrote:
I am driving a bit more carefully in Central Oregon where pointy, razor sharp chunks of lava sticking up out of the potholed roads are common.
The "gravel" looked kinda weird on one road we were on. When I made a photo op stop I noticed that it was obsidian! Driving on glass.

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KillerCharlie
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 5:20 pm 
boot up wrote:
Knock on wood, but my Nokian WRG3's with their Aramid laced sidewalls have done well for me.
My WRG3 tires survived 5 years of aggressive driving on forestry roads without any damage. However, they were the worst tires I ever owned. They were terrible on snow - worse than cheap all-seasons. I got stuck in a parking lot at a Stevens when it hadn't snowed in days, and used all my Midwestern driving tricks to get out. They were good on snow the first winter, but worthless after that. Either they were defective or damaged by snow or gravel. When the winter rains first came every year I'd slide all over the place. I know this isn't common, and people wouldn't believe me. I'd let them drive my car to show them how bad they were. Separate summer/winter tires/wheels are cheaper than Nokians when you consider the total mileage. If you have a jack and an impact wrench, you can change them out in 20 minutes, saving treadlife.

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