Snow Chains & Rear Brake Lines

[duc1100]

Looking for anyone with experience running snow chains on the rear wheels. I tried fitting a pair of v-bars on my 265/70R17 and there isn't enough clearance between chain and rear brake line. Has anyone had success fitting chains on different size tires, if so what are the tire/wheel size. Or has anyone replaced the brake lines with something that provides more clearance?

My 1500 is a 4x4 so I'm not as worried about hwy driving as much as heading off road in the winter fishing/hunting and getting stuck. Also I don't live in an area where snow tires make sense and class S chains seem more hwy orientated. Lastly I know what the owner's manual says so no need to bring that up.

 

[BWL]

I don't run them low on the sidewall in the back. Hook to the last link. Then I do all my tensioning on the front. They don't have to ride hit the brake line low on the sidewall to stay on. I run 7mm studded vbars on my stock 20" wheels.

 

[duc1100]

Thanks BWL for your response. I saw your photo when I was searching the forum. I have the stock 17" and wasn't sure if your tire/wheel combination gives more flexibility in positioning the chains. I tried tensions the outsides to the last link but wasn't satisfied with the clearance. Might be enough but not sure how much play there is in the "system".

 

[mrugg]

I just received a set for my 2500 for that were never used. Was curious on using them myself.

Sent from my SM-G977U using Tapatalk

 

[BWL]

If the inside chain is a bit too short it will ride low. The good news is they do stretch when you use them so if they clear fine new, they'll clear better broken in. The stock 17s are an inch smaller diameter so should only be 1/2" closer.

 

[tap4154]

I noticed that when I got my truck, I put some chains on and they were just too close to the brake lines. I found these, and tried them on and they have a cable inside that holds it very tight to the tire. In a thread somewhere I posted pictures of them showing how much better they were than the other chains. I have the stock Wrangler 17 inch tires and use these..

https://www.etrailer.com/Tire-Chains/Titan-Chain/TC2326.html

 

[BWL]

I noticed that when I got my truck, I put some chains on and they were just too close to the brake lines. I found these, and tried them on and they have a cable inside that holds it very tight to the tire. In a thread somewhere I posted pictures of them showing how much better they were than the other chains. I have the stock Wrangler 17 inch tires and use these..

https://www.etrailer.com/Tire-Chains/Titan-Chain/TC2326.html

That shows a good example of how to tighten your chains. The cable only has 1 place to hook up so you leave no extra cable or chain on the inside vs chains where some guys try to get the back tight and leave a bit of chain flailing around.Also see how much lower it is on the front sidewall vs the back since that's where you pull all the slack and the bungies keeping anything loose from flailing. The problems start if the chain on the back side is too short so it has no choice but to ride low on the sidewall.

 

[tap4154]

That shows a good example of how to tighten your chains. The cable only has 1 place to hook up so you leave no extra cable or chain on the inside vs chains where some guys try to get the back tight and leave a bit of chain flailing around.Also see how much lower it is on the front sidewall vs the back since that's where you pull all the slack and the bungies keeping anything loose from flailing. The problems start if the chain on the back side is too short so it has no choice but to ride low on the sidewall.

Yes, the inner cable is a fixed size, and they're also super easy to install. If you find a thread where I posted about it I posted pictures of the other chains and these, and there's plenty of clearance from the brake lines.

I just found a couple pictures on my phone.

 

[duc1100]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm trying to decide if I can get enough clearance with the v-bars adjusted to pull the chain up the sidewall like BWL described. It feels almost like enough room. If I put a ziptie around the brakeline/traction sensor cables and pull them toward the strut that attaches to the sway bar the clearance is pretty good.

An alternative is to try to get etrailer to give me a break on shipping the v-bar chains back and replace with the TC2326 that tap4145 is running. I'm a bit frustrated with etrailer because they recommended the v-bars and even have a video on their site installing them on my exact vehicle and tires.

 

[tap4154]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm trying to decide if I can get enough clearance with the v-bars adjusted to pull the chain up the sidewall like BWL described. It feels almost like enough room. If I put a ziptie around the brakeline/traction sensor cables and pull them toward the strut that attaches to the sway bar the clearance is pretty good.

An alternative is to try to get etrailer to give me a break on shipping the v-bar chains back and replace with the TC2326 that tap4145 is running. I'm a bit frustrated with etrailer because they recommended the v-bars and even have a video on their site installing them on my exact vehicle and tires.

Tell etrailer that the guy that recommended these chains was sent two sets accidentally when I ordered them, and I was a really nice guy and sent the second set back, when legally I could have kept them. Maybe they'll return the favor to you.

By the way I originally ordered Z chains for the Ram, but like I said they were just too close. I eventually put them up for sale on OfferUp, right before a big snowstorm. A guy bought them, and we met at a mutually agreed location to exchange cash and chains, and he had a Chrysler product with the same brake line issue. I told him I would be careful, but he said he had researched them and specifically wanted those chains, so I gave them to him. He was heading up in the mountains the next day and I never got a call, so I guess it went okay.