Frank said:
I just got an '05 Forester 2.5X.
In section 8-13 of the owner's manual it addressed the chain issue.
Use SAE type S chains on front wheels only.
max speed <19 mph.
Absolutely. Just don't drive too quickly. You run the risk of
the chain breaking, and at high speeds you might rub the chains
against the wheel wells if you hit a bump. Rubbing the tires
isn't great, but it's probably not as bad as chains.
As for the "local law enforcement" angle, here in California, they
actually set up winter tire/chain checkpoints on major highways
when the conditions warrant. I've seen video footage of these
checkpoints, along with licensed chain installers lined up along
the side of the road.
I'm still waiting for the California law to incorporate the RMA's
"Severe Snow Conditions" rating in addition to the basic M+S rating
(it says MSS, which seems incorrect). There seems to be the opinion
that some all-seasons are barely acceptable in light snow, while
others can be halfway decent in moderate snow. In any event, if
"snow tread tires" (i.e. M+S) are used in lieu of chains, they have
to have at least 6/32" of tread depth. So that would apply to 2WD
in R1 conditions, and 4WD/ AWD in R2 conditions. Just a little wear,
and the chains are going on. For instance, the craptastic Bridgestone
Potenza RE92 tires that are OEM on my 2004 WRX are at a 10/32" depth
when new.
<
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/winter_driving.html>
And here's the California code sections:
<
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html>
27459. No person shall operate any motor vehicle, trailer or
semitrailer upon any portion of a highway without tire traction
devices when that portion of the highway is signed for the
requirement of tire traction devices. In any case where a passenger
vehicle or motortruck having an unladen weight of 6,000 pounds or
less may be required by the Department of Transportation or local
authorities to be equipped with tire traction devices, the devices
shall be placed on at least two drive wheels, or the department or
local authorities may provide, in the alternative, that the vehicle
may be equipped with snow-tread tires on at least two drive wheels
when the weather and surface conditions at the time are such that the
stopping, tractive, and cornering abilities of the snow-tread tires
are adequate. The snow-tread tires shall be of a type and design
manufactured for use on snow as a replacement for tire chains or tire
traction devices, shall be in good condition, and shall bear the
marking of M-S, M/S, or other marking indicating that the tire was
manufactured for use on snow, or, in the case of tires purchased
before January 1, 1987, shall either bear the markings or, in the
opinion of the inspecting officer, comply with the tread pattern
requirements of Section 558.
27460. Any passenger vehicle or motortruck having an unladen weight
of 6,500 pounds or less and operated and equipped with four-wheel
drive and with snow-tread tires on all four drive wheels may be
operated upon any portion of a highway without tire traction devices,
notwithstanding the fact that the highway is signed for the
requirement of those devices and provided that tire traction devices
for at least one set of drive wheels are carried in or upon the
vehicle. The snow-tread tires shall meet the requirements specified
in Section 27459, and the vehicle shall not, when so operated, tow
another vehicle except as may be necessary to move a disabled vehicle
from the roadway.
No person shall use those tires on four-wheel drive vehicles in
place of tire traction devices whenever weather and roadway
conditions at the time are such that the stopping, tractive, and
cornering abilities of the tires are not adequate or whenever the
Department of Transportation or local authorities, in their
respective jurisdictions, place signs prohibiting their operation
unless equipped with tire traction devices.
[Now pay attention to (b)(3)]
27465. (a) No dealer or person holding a retail seller's permit
shall sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, or install on a vehicle
axle for use on a highway, a pneumatic tire when the tire has less
than the tread depth specified in subdivision (b). This subdivision
does not apply to any person who installs on a vehicle, as part of an
emergency service rendered to a disabled vehicle upon a highway, a
spare tire with which the disabled vehicle was equipped.
(b) No person shall use on a highway a pneumatic tire on a vehicle
axle when the tire has less than the following tread depth, except
when temporarily installed on a disabled vehicle as specified in
subdivision (a):
(1) One thirty-second (1/32) of an inch tread depth in any two
adjacent grooves at any location of the tire, except as provided in
paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) Four thirty-second (4/32) of an inch tread depth at all points
in all major grooves on a tire on the steering axle of any motor
vehicle specified in Section 34500, and two thirty-second (2/32) of
an inch tread depth at all points in all major grooves on all other
tires on the axles of these vehicles.
(3) Six thirty-second (6/32) of an inch tread depth at all points
in all major grooves on snow tires used in lieu of tire traction
devices in posted tire traction device control areas.
(c) The measurement of tread depth shall not be made where tie
bars, humps, or fillets are located.
(d) The requirements of this section shall not apply to implements
of husbandry.
(e) The department, if it determines that such action is
appropriate and in keeping with reasonable safety requirements, may
adopt regulations establishing more stringent tread depth
requirements than those specified in this section for those vehicles
defined in Sections 322 and 545, and may adopt regulations
establishing tread depth requirements different from those specified
in this section for those vehicles listed in Section 34500.
