Recommended Snow Tire Chains for a 2016 Ford Explorer with 245/60R18 Tires

Updated 08/10/2017 | Published 08/09/2017

Question:

First of all, your website is excellent! Appreciate all your detail and videos - other companies should learn from you. I have never used tire chains before so this is all new to me. We have a remote Colorado cabin that we hope to spend some time at in winter. We have steep 2 miles of gravel drive and then 7-8 miles of gravel road before we reach pavement. Our vehicle is a 2016 Ford Explorer, 4WD, tire size 245/60R18. Obviously not a drive we would be doing often if at all, but want to be prepared if necessary. Questions: 1. What chains do you recommend? 2. I looked at a lot of your install videos. Seems to me that the cams on those cam tightening chains would come loose so I probably would not want cams. Instead, just chains with multi-arm adjusters. 3. Do you recommend chains for all 4 wheels? 4. If just 2 wheels, I gather on our vehicle it is the front wheels for the chains, correct? Thank you.

asked by: David C

Expert Reply:

According to your 2016 Ford Explorer owners manual, "You should only install chains or cables that have been rated as 10 mm or less in dimension as measured on the sidewall of your tire" and " The chains should be mounted in pairs on the front tires only". You will also want to review your manual for any other precautionary measures required for using tire chains.

One thing people do not realize before purchasing a set of tires chains for their vehicle is installation difficulty. Although it may seem fairly straight forward, installing a set of tires chains on your vehicle can be difficult and time consuming even for an experienced installer. The last thing you will want to be doing outside in a cold snowy environment is attaching tire chains to your vehicle.

For a set of non-cam tire chains compatible with the 245/60R18 tires on your vehicle, I recommend using the Pewag Servo RS Self-Tensioning Snow Tire Chains part # PWRS80. The patented tensioning system self-tightens during installation making for an easy install. I have attached an installation video of these tire chains for you as well.

expert reply by: Conner L