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Years ago I bought some chains for my truck (2005 Tacoma 4x4) just in case I'd ever need them. I have tires sized 265/65-17 and I have confirmed that these chains are intended to fit that size tire.

I might be heading to the snow next week so I decided to do a dry run install today just to make sure I remembered how to put them on and that everything was in working order. But once I got them on I noticed that they were dangerously close to parts of my suspension on the inside of the tire. I've attached a picture to show what I'm talking about.

I admittedly don't know much about installing tire chains and if the set I have came with instructions they are long gone now. Did I do something wrong when i installed the tire chains that made them so close to the suspension or are these chains just not going to work for my truck? If I did do something wrong can anyone provide any suggestions as to what I should do differently?

enter image description here

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  • It looks as though you have them on the front ... do you have chains on all four corners? I've only ever seen them used on the rear tires. I seriously wouldn't be using them up front even if you have two sets. Also, do you have bungee cords (or rubber straps) on the outsides keeping the chains taught against the tires? – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Feb 11 at 3:01
  • I put them on the front on my car as it is front wheel drive - having them on the rear would do nothing... – Solar Mike Feb 11 at 4:26
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 - They are on the front. As I said - I don't know a lot about tire chains, but everything I have read says that having chains on the front tires/all four tires is fine in the right situation. I'm not trying to be snarky when I say this - but do you have first hand knowledge of the correct way to apply chains on front/rear/all wheel drive cars or is this more a hunch? I do have rubber straps on the outside – Broham Feb 11 at 4:28
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Chains, when fitted properly, should be uniformly tight and not have "knots" or "bulges" to catch on suspension or the inner wings. That said, I have heard many chains "clanking" on cars that have them fitted badly... Make sure the chain instructions are followed as well as those of the car manufacturer ...

Two points:

One, that looks to be a large chain size - if clearance is such an issue, is it worth considering a slightly smaller size...

Two: a tire with a smaller width would provide more clearance: a 235 instead of a 265 for example. Many cars / trucks allow or specify a narrower taller winter tire - helps "cut" through the snow...

The tire and the steering joint shown should not change their relative positions ie the gap between them should not change, so as long as the chains are fitted correctly and not flopping about then they should be fine.

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