How Tire Chains Work

Series Summary

In the depths of winter, you don't want to get stuck at home or stranded in the middle of nowhere during a cross country road trip. Yet sometimes the weather conditions can conspire against you. Snow drifts, ice storms, even a hard freeze can make driving very dangerous. Unless of course you are prepared for such road hazards. If you have tire chains, you will be able to hold the road much better than those chain-free cars slipping and sliding all over the highway.

In this free winter driving safety video, a master mechanic will demonstrate how to install tire chains. He begins by telling you the advantages of snow tires, then discusses the different kinds of snow tire chains. He highly recommends that you pre-size the tire chains, making sure the chains are a good fit for your tires, and marking them so you will know how to put them on should the weather conditions sneak up on you. You will also find out about tire tensioners, used to adjust the fit of the tire chains. Our mechanic also includes tips on how to drive with snow tires.

Video Transcript

"Hello, my names Mark Blocker. In this training series we're going to cover automotive tire chains. I'm referring to tire chains used for traction devices for driving in deep snow, ice or just general poor weather conditions or when you're required by law. Basically there's two different types of chains that are out and available. They kind of fall, there's a lot of different variations, but they kind of fall in two brackets of cable chains and standard chain chains. Which is like a standard tow chain style link and a cable chain being of like aircraft grade cable, rather than chain components. We'll go over those two different types and how to install, pre-fit the chains and some basic driving tips for operating the chains or operating the vehicle safely when the chains are on it. We'll both go over the pre-fitting and the actual putting the chains on if you were in an inclement weather situation. Okay, so please watch our first segment, we'll cover the different types of automotive chains and go through their uses and applications."