Re: Q's & chains

[John Karasaki <johkar@teleport.com>]

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when I brought my urq
home from purchasing it in California.  It is lowered with 8"
wide Ronals and unrolled fenders so there was no way I was putting chains
on the car!  To make matters worse, we had a bad snow storm and the
car had bald Pirrelli P7's which are not M&S rated.  I locked
the diffs. and did a similar demonstration and had no problems the rest
of the way up I-5.

But the police could have prevented me from proceeding.  I
felt lucky...


At 01:41 PM 1/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>>Even if the manual says "no chains", I'd bet that won't
help if there's a
>>trooper at the mountain pass saying "put them on or turn
around".  Note
>>that 4wd/awd with M+S tires usually buys you an exemption to the
chain rule
>>in Washington State, but California allegedly has a "chains
required, all
>>vehicles" law for truly awful conditions (quoting a 4matic
driver on the
>>Mercedes list.)
>
>I was crossing over Grants Pass one snowy eve and I had this very
situation
>unfold.  I was driving my 4KQ (unmodified).  As I approached the pass
there
>were signs posted that chains were required on all vehicles.  I
continued on
>because I thought I was exempt.  I reached the chain up area and
continued
>around all the vehicles that were stopped and putting on chains.  A
police
>officer (standing by the side of the road) stopped me and told me
chains were
>required.  I explained that the car was a four wheel drive and the
car could
>not even accept chains.  He look at me suspiciously and told me I
could
>proceed.  He took two steps back and glued his eyes to my tires. 
Just to make
>a point I locked both diffs and stomped on it.  The road was covered
with an
>inch of compact snow and ice, with just a light brushing of fresh
snow.
>
>The last thing I saw was the officers dumfounded expression as the
car
>launched itself away from him.
>
>Alex