Question about snow driving

[dixiegrrrrl]

So I am watching very good clips of people in the Boston area driving around their neighborhoods tonight,where a lot of road snow
has been packed down, but still lots of stuck cars.
What I don't see are chains. They were ubiquitous back in the day for West Coast winter driving,and still are mandatory for over the pass driving.
Snow conditions once the initial piles have been packed down,seem the same to my eyes.
What am I missing?

[unblock]

1. If your entire journey is on packed snow, sure, chains make sense

But in most cities, where you'll also have your share of plowed streets, chains can damage the roads.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Tire chains are no longer necessary.

Tire chains are rarely used in snow because they are difficult to install, limit driving speeds to under 35 mph, and can damage vehicles and road surfaces. They are designed for extreme ice or deep, packed snow, making them impractical for daily, light-snow driving. Modern alternatives like winter tires and all-wheel-drive systems offer better convenience, comfort, and, in many cases, superior year-round performance.

[hlthe2b]

5. True in some cities, but please, do not propagate the very WRONG notion that they are not needed or

in fact REQUIRED in many states for high risk and mountainous regions. And that CAN include passenger cars already equipped with traction control and SNOW-RATED all weather radial tires (note only SOME all weather radial tires ARE snow-rated). If treads are insufficient, even 4WD can be required to have chains in certain conditions. Every year my snow-rated radial tires are checked for tread (Toyota Prius) and I watch the video as to how I would install those chains on the side of the highway or other difficult area under heavy snow and wind. Fortunately, I've never had to do so yet, even though I've been caught in difficult conditions on I-70 and I-25 in Colorado. But, if you think only states in the west have such requirement, North Carolina and some other states east of the Rockies do TOO.

All of these states require chains under some conditions and in some areas:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/tire-chain-laws-by-state

BTW, your blanket statement about CITIES also is wrong. I-25 through Denver is likewise subject to the chain law under SOME circumstances.
Tire Chain Laws by State 2026

Lest anyone think this is just a "nicety" and one can talk their way out of it if pulled over because you have a truck or SUV with or without 4WD or an expensive passenger car with all weather radials, a series of serious wrecks on I-25 and I-70 that have closed the interstates for long distances for hours and ended up in a series of rebound wrecks, have caused Colorado's and other states' legislature to increase penalties for failure to follow laws requiring chains and other measures. You could be out hundreds of dollars in fines and points on your license in some states. This is serious. No, chains are NOT a thing of the past!!!!

[Irish_Dem]

7. I answered the OP's question. You raise another question.

And then chastised me for not answering YOUR question.

OP asked why she didn't see chains on tires any more.
I answered that question.

If you want to talk about tire chains in mountains that is another question.

[hlthe2b]

13. Read what you just wrote. My gawd, do you not see the contradictions?

Last edited Tue Jan 27, 2026, 10:42 AM - Edit history (1)

No, you were and are wrong and you might well cost someone. Right now, we have had deadly crashes out on I-70 from tourists from outside the region who INCORRECTLY believed what you wrote. That chains "Tire chains are no longer necessary." NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

Sorry, Irish_Dem but I can't overlook this. You could easily cost someone their vacation, their car, their lives. I travel i-70 all too much not to be horrified and I have family in other states with revised/updated/increased penalties for ignoring chain laws as well. I mentioned NC. They got rightfully aggressive in the last state legislative session after a horrendous mullti-car wreck last year in their mountainous areas. And before you give me the "but, but, but--that's not a city," read what I wrote. Denver is included in the I-25 inclusions when the chain law is activated. Yes, Denver. Glenwood Springs, and Colorado Springs as well when chain laws are activated. All cities. True elsewhere outside Colorado too. Having seen the bloody aftermath of one of these multi-car horrors (with a transport truck) 10 years ago and being absolutely unable to provide any real help despite stopping soon after it happened, I will never get over those images and that sense of powerlessness. Would chains on at least a few of those vehicles have helped? I believe so.

Please, Irish_Dem. Research this before posting something that could be so costly to people who genuinely don't know better.

[yellow dahlia]

19. I didn't have any difficulty following along with your answer, ID.

There's regular routine, and there are special circumstances. Those different scenarios have changed over time.

"Regular every day" when I was first driving involved keeping chains in the trunk, for most of us in New England. And at the time the more severe circumstances involved driving on certain roads and through mountain passes, where we pulled out the chains. There were then, and there still are, certain places where chains are not just expected...they are required.

But nowadays - the improvements in cars have mostly eliminated the need for chains, particularly somewhere like Boston. We have all the improvements of tires and vehicles and braking systems. We also have better DOT operations with regular sanding and salting.

We are glad that most places use environment friendly salting products nowadays. And we are glad we don't have chains tearing up the city streets.

When conditions require chains, it is not left to chance. I haven't driven through a pass in decades. But there were check points and signs back then.

[Chemical Bill]

15. The OP mentioned Boston.

I checked your link, and chains are not required in Boston. In fact, the requirements are mostly for trucks, and hardly ever for four wheel drive vehicles.

I live within spitting distance of Boston, and I used to see cars driving with chains on the family wagon. Now that family wagon is an SUV, with four wheel drive and four season tires (with good snow tread). I haven't seen chains in 50 years, and the last time roads were closed because of the snow was 1978.

BTW, in the blizzard of '78 I had to drive in the oncoming lane to get around people who were stuck going up hills, but I made it home, because I had snow tires. I didn't have chains.

[hlthe2b]

18. The poster made a GLOBAL statement and I quote: "Tire chains are no longer necessary."

Nowhere did they reference Boston or a city alone. That is the HEIGHT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY. Because inexperienced people and those who won't check will follow your and Irish_Dem's misleading advice.

I have had to deal with the bloody aftermath of such wrecks in my profession and I DO take it seriously. So, for that reason, I have to tell you that I don't give a dam about your anecdote of driving and making it without chains. So, have I--even in a rear wheel V-8 drive in SW Virginia years ago. It was stupid then and stupid now and you might just set off a multi-car collision that kills your passengers, other drivers, or yourself!

Feel free to dispense such erroneous advice on an issue that is not so damned consequential, but that is not the issue of chains across the myriad of conditions, roads, and laws across the country--making blanket statements such as has been posted-- without doing your damned homework!

[hlthe2b]

6. WRONG/Misleading. See my other post

[DenaliDemocrat]

12. Whoever wrote that doesn't live at 7500 feet

Lol

[Chemical Bill]

16. The OP mentioned Boston.

It's at sea level.

[multigraincracker]

3. Do they still make studded tires?

I remember them.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Same here and I believe they had to be off by the first of May here in New York

But I can remember when I was first driving headed to my local garage to have my tires changed close to the deadline. However the weather was so bad on my way there, I told them to leave them on. Kinda like today, here in snow country.

[Chemical Bill]

8. My take is that people want to get in the car and drive.

Putting chains on requires work, in the cold, doing things like bending over and kneeling on the ground. All wheel drive is much better in the snow, but people seem to over estimate their ability to drive on snow and ice, no matter what the car.

It's very annoying to those of us who are great at driving in the snow.

[Jersey Devil]

9. You're missing that almost all cars today are front wheel drive

If you ever drove a rear wheel drive car in the snow you would know the difference.

[Happy Hoosier]

10. In short, chains kinda suck.

Except on deep packed snow (powdery kind, not slushy kind), and they damage cars AND roads.

By "back in the day" are you referring to the 70's and before?

[Kid Berwyn]

11. Used to snow a LOT more.

In the old days we in the Great Lakes’d get 2-4 feet in a winter’s big blizzards, chains were needed just to keep going.

Nowadays a snowfall of 2-4 inches shuts down D.C. and a lot of other places, as drivers are not used to seeing much accumulation.

Chains today are needed when the mountain roads like from Sacramento to Tahoe (Donner Pass) get hit. Otherwise, big snow in winter is largely a memory.

[MineralMan]

14. Back in the 1970s, I used to ski a lot in the Sierra Nevada mountains

in California. When there was snow, cars without four-wheel-drive were required to use chains on mountain roads and freeways. So, I often had to put on chains to get to where I wanted to ski. It was a pain in the butt, actually.

But, once you had them on, driving was lots easier and you could actually stop, if you needed to. So, they worked very well. For what they did.

Now, I live in Minnesota. It is legal here to use chains, but almost nobody does. Ever. Modern tires are better. Most cars have front wheel drive. Many have all-wheel-drive that automatically kicks if traction is lost. Others have four-wheel-drive. We also drive more on snowy roads than, say, Californians.

That said, every time there is a snowstorm, there are crashes, skids, and cars off the road in the ditch.

I have personal rules about driving on snowy or icy roads:

1. Start stopping before you start driving.
2. Slow the heck down. A lot.
3. If you don't absolutely need to go, stay home.
4. Have good all-weather tires.
5. Drive as little as possible for the shortest distances possible.

[LeftinOH]

17. Most vehicles are front wheel drive now - it makes big difference.

Driving a car with simple all-weather tires and front wheel drive is *much* safer and less stressful than trying to navigate a giant RWD Plymouth Fury on an icy highway..as I did more times than I care to remember.