I have a 97 Nissan Maxima GXE. I will be traveling up north to VT for some skiing and I am worried about possible bad winter weather. I have been keeping tabs on the interstate advisories and travel weather advisories. I am thinking about purchasing tire chains as a precaution. Has anyone used them on a Maxima...what brand...what style...where to purchase?

Thank you for any advice.

 

Tire chains are illegal in most states. Winter tires are your best bet.

 

I'd never put chains on my car. I live in NH... New England in general is pretty good about snow removal. Just some thoughts...

1. do you have good all-season tires? You should be fine
2. I'm not 100% on this but I'm pretty sure it's illegal to drive on the road with chains on, so you'd just be using them if you got stuck. Put a few 10lb bags of sand in the trunk to use under the tires if you get stuck and you should be fine.
3. People only *need* chains if they drive like complete idiots or if there is a chain advisory (and I've only heard it once, and I was in colorado )

So, plan your route, leave early, don't rush, don't do anything stupid, make sure your tires aren't bald and you should be fine. People in VT drive '97 maximas, too, and they do pretty good.

 

Just call the police in the town you're visiting. Chains and studed tires are legal during the winter months. Chains can't be used if the roads are clear of snow.

This is the usual comments I get from police in MA.

 

Wow, I didn't know that. There are several spots in Oregon in the winter where chains are required (Blue Mountains on I-84 and Mount Hood on US 26 I know for sure). If you don't have them in your car, you will get a ticket. If you crash and don't have them on, you will get a ticket. All semis have to have them when crossing the mountains in the winter, too.

I have used chains several times before, but they are for extreme conditions. I had a nice pair of Diamond Chains (the kind with the color coded installation) for my first Maxima. They are probably the easiest kind to install, very durable and you will not have any traction problems unless you are the worst driver to ever sit behind the wheel. They were about $70, IIRC. Don't bother with those sorry cable chains. They will break and smack nice dents in your fenders.

I have studded snow tires on my Max right now. As long as I don't have any clearance problems, everything is OK traction-wise.