tire chains? anyone with 5th gen experiance | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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tire chains? anyone with 5th gen experiance

notlim

Member
Joined
December 7, 2015
Messages
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City, State
edmonton alberta
Year, Model & Trim Level
2013 explorer sport
I am looking at getting a set of tire chains for my 2013 explorer sport. Now before you jump all over me and say I cant get tire chains because I have 20" wheels, you would be correct. But I dont have 20" wheels for winter I have 17".

My winter tire size is 245/65R17. I have hakkapeliitta 8 studded winter tires.

The reason I want chains is I am looking at doing some exploring on some un-maintained mountain roads.

I will be traveling with a 2013 F-150 on hakkapeliitta 8 winter tires, he has rear diff lock and 4x4, he also has chains front and back.

We also have a kinetic recovery rope if something were to happen.

I know there are other posts on tire chains, but... they all get distracted with legal requirements, and winter tires vs snow tires.

So I want to hear from people who have ran tire chains on their 5th gen explorers. Let me know what you have, if they work. and issues you may have had with them.
 



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as a update, the tire chains for the f-150 are rated for the same size tire that I have on the explorer. I will be doing a test fit of them front and back in the next week or so. Hopefully all goes well and I will post on the results.

In the mean time if any one has experience with chains on a 5th gen. Please let me know
 






so I am going to go out on a limb and say that no one on here has put tire chains on their explorer. Or at least is willing to comment if they have
 






I have test fit a sett of ladder chains with v-bars. they definitely do not fit on the front. You may be able to use cable chains. The point that rules it out is the chains are 1/4" from the strut.

The rear chains fit and have a fair amount of room. There is 2 fingers to the closest contact point. This contact point is the hydraulic brake line mount. I may be able to relocate the mount. If this works then I would feel a lot more comfortable running chains.
 






Notlim,

I think no one has experience with chains or cables because Ford does not endorse their use on the 5th gen's. I assume this is due to clearance issues on the front. That being said, let me know if you find anything that works on the front as I would like to get some cables for my FWD 2015.
 






K5OUN,

When looking in the owners manual it does not say that you are not allowed to use them. It specifies that you can only use them on the front and with 17 or 18 inch rims. Implying that they can be used. Because of this I was looking for information from someone who has used them.

Cable chains I think are going to be the only option, the v-bar ladder chains I test fit do not have enough clearance on either the front or the back.

This was taken straight from the owners manual

" Follow these guidelines when using snow tires and cable chains:
•If possible, avoid fully loading your vehicle.
•Install cable chains only on the front wheels.
•Use cable chains only on vehicles equipped with either P245/65R17
tires or P245/60R18 tires.
•Do not use tire chains, cables or optional traction devices on vehicles
equipped with P255/50R20 or 265/45ZR20 tires.
•Drive cautiously. If you hear the cable chains rub or bang against your
vehicle, stop and retighten the cable chains. If this does not work,
remove the cable chains to prevent damage to your vehicle.
•Remove the tire cable chains when they are no longer needed. Do not
use tire cable chains on dry roads."

Page 371
 






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