tire chain recomendations

[dirtbagHB]

heres a question for everyone.

new truck with bigger tires means new chains.
ive been running the old heavy duty ladder style with the ice bars on my old 2000 ranger (225/70r15).
as a was cruising through the owners manual for my 03 ranger fx4 level II (31x10.5OR15lt) and it says that i need SAE class S chains. is this correct for my rig. and what are opinions about the diamond pattern vs ladder style. and im of the impression that the cable chains are useless. i live in idaho. so with the amount of monutain driving i do. i would like something that will work both on and off road and will have some sort of durability. ive been looking at the diamond pattern chains at tirechains.com

thanks in advance for input.

[Mikerider]

I have 4 wheel diamond pattern quick fit chains and have been real happy with them, I have yet to have to use them in the mud but on snow and ice they are durable and easy to install and traction has been great!.

[dirtbagHB]

do you have the SAE class S restriction chains?

[Mikerider]

Originally Posted by dirtbagHB

do you have the SAE class S restriction chains?

Not sure I will check,

but these are the chains I have (the diamond LT quick fits)

http://www.lesschwab.com/tires/winter/chains.asp

[dirtbagHB]

awesome! thanks much!

[Mikerider]

Originally Posted by dirtbagHB

awesome! thanks much!

class S is just the clearance for all passenger vehicles, so for your tires size most if not all chains will fall in that category if they are approved for road use. mine are.

[Rocky Mountain Ranger]

When I put P rated snow tires (Copper M/S) on my truck, I had to put LT rated cables on because the passenger cables wouldn't fit on the beefier snows. So you might spend the extra money to buy Light Truck rated to make them easier to put on (less struggling).

You'd get better traction out of the diamond chains. The only disadvantage of diamond vs. ladder is the price. Well, also the ladders might be easier to repair.

I have cables and chains for my truck. If the roads are hard-packed you could easily break the chains whereas the cables can take the abuse. The chains work better on fresh snow.

[dirtbagHB]

MostLy I'm curious about the finer details. Brake line clearance and what not. I've run the ladder type on my 00 with out problems. It's the brake line clearances on the 03 fx4 cuz I'd really like a set of the 4+mm diamonds with the ice bars. Tirechains.com. The truck with 4x4 and the Cooper discoverer atr m+s handled freaking awesomely. The likely hood I'll need em would be slim. But when I need em I'll need em. But I also need to be careful with the aluminum wheels.