The three options, side by side
| Device | Grip | Fits tight wheel wells? | Install | Durability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Link chains | Best — bites ice and deep snow | Only low-profile designs (König XG-12 Pro, Auto-Trac) | Slowest; self-tensioning models help a lot | Years of regular use | Mountain residents, trucks, frequent use |
| Cable chains | Good on packed snow; fair on ice | Yes — Class S (Super Z6) | Fast; built-in tensioner | A few seasons of occasional use | Most cars and crossovers, occasional passes |
| Snow socks | Good on snow; fair on ice | Yes — fits zero-clearance cars | Fastest; bare hands, two minutes | Limited; shreds on bare pavement | Cars that can't run chains; people who won't |
Step one: does your car allow chains at all?
Open the owner's manual and look for "tire chains" or "traction devices." Most modern cars and crossovers specify Class S(SAE low-clearance) devices only, because there's very little room between the tire and the strut, brake line, or inner fender. Some performance and luxury cars prohibit chains on the drive axle entirely. That one sentence determines your options:
- ▸"Class S only" → cable chains like the SCC Super Z6, a low-clearance link chain like the König XG-12 Pro, or AutoSocks.
- ▸"No chains" → snow socks, if your jurisdiction accepts them (see chain laws below), and winter tires.
- ▸Trucks and body-on-frame SUVs with room behind the wheels → any chain, including full link chains like the Peerless Auto-Trac.
Step two: size to your exact tire
Read the sidewall — e.g. 225/65R17— and look that exact size up on the manufacturer's fit chart for the specific part number. Chain makers group tire sizes into bands (SCC's SZ143 covers one band, SZ447 the next; König's 247 covers one, 252 another). There is no "close enough": a size too small won't close, a size too large flails and hits the car.
- ▸Sizes on the same car can differ front and rear on some performance vehicles — chain the drive axle size.
- ▸If you've fitted plus-size wheels or different tires, size to what's on the car now, not the original spec.
- ▸We note the variant we link on every chain review; your car may need a neighbor.
Step three: which axle
- ▸Front-wheel drive: front tires.
- ▸Rear-wheel drive: rear tires. (Rear-drive pickups: add weight over the axle too.)
- ▸AWD / 4WD: check the manual — most specify the front, some the rear, some say either but never both without clearance on both. When in doubt, front.
Chain laws, in general terms
Mountain states — California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and others — post chain controls on passes when conditions deteriorate. The details differ by state, but the structure is usually a set of escalating levels that look roughly like:
- ▸Level 1: chains (or approved traction devices) required on 2WD vehicles; 4WD/AWD with adequate tires exempt but must carry chains.
- ▸Level 2: chains on all vehicles except 4WD/AWD with snow-rated or M+S tires on all four wheels — which still must carry chains.
- ▸Level 3: chains on every vehicle, AWD included. (Often the road closes before this point.)
Two things follow. First, carry chains even in an AWD vehicle — many states require it during controls and can turn you around or ticket you without them. Second, "approved traction device" is defined state by state: cable chains are almost universally accepted; snow socks like AutoSock are approved in California and accepted in many other places, but not everywhere and not always at the highest level.
Speed and when to take them off
- ▸About 30 mph maximum with chains on — less with cables and socks. Faster throws chains, wears them out in miles, and can damage the car.
- ▸Off the moment you're on bare pavement. Chains on dry asphalt destroy themselves and the road; socks shred.
- ▸Stop after the first 100–200 yards to re-check tension on chains without a self-tensioner. Self-tensioning designs (Super Z6, König, Auto-Trac) skip this.
- ▸No hard acceleration, no hard braking, no spinning the tires — chains and socks are for rolling traction, not heroics.
Installing them without losing your mind
- ▸Practice once at home, in daylight, on dry pavement. The first attempt on a dark, slushy shoulder at 25°F is how people give up.
- ▸Pull fully off the road at a chain-up area. Hazards on. Gloves on — the ones that come in the chain case are usually thin; keep real gloves and a kneeling pad with the chains.
- ▸Drape over the top of the tire, connect behind, connect in front, tension. Roll forward a car length to seat, then re-tension (or let the self-tensioner do it).
- ▸Socks: pull over the top half, roll forward half a turn, pull on the rest. That's it.
- ▸Removal: unhook, drive off them, shake off the slush, and let them dry before they go back in the case or they'll rust.
AWD is not a substitute — and neither are chains for winter tires
AWD and 4WD help you accelerate on slippery surfaces. They do nothing for stopping or turning, which is where winter crashes happen, and they're the reason so many SUVs end up in the ditch on the first storm. Chains fix a specific problem — getting up and down a snow-covered grade at low speed — and come off when you reach the plowed road. For everything in between, the only gear that matters is the tire: a set of dedicated winter tires on a front-drive sedan will out-stop an AWD crossover on all-seasons on ice, every time. If your winter involves regular snow or temperatures below ~45°F, winter tires come before anything else on this site.
What we'd buy
- ▸Most cars and crossovers, occasional passes: SCC Super Z6 cable chains.
- ▸Low-clearance car, frequent use on real ice: König XG-12 Pro.
- ▸Pickups and full-size SUVs: Peerless Auto-Trac.
- ▸Can't run chains, or won't: AutoSock — after checking your state accepts them.
- ▸Already stuck: traction boards and the technique in our getting-unstuck guide.
Full rankings in Tire Chains & Traction Aids.