Been quite a while since I last visited this forum. Bought a '06 F-150 ext. cab and need some insite regarding tire "chains". When we picked up our truck we signed an agreement NOT to use tire chains but instead use tire cables in snow conditions. They said if we don't follow this agreement all warranty is void. They said it has to do with the ABS system. Does anyone know what happens when using chains instead of cable?
Thanks

 

Tire chains add a considerable amount of rotating mass which could conceivably cause some real difficulties with the ABS.

 

Is your truck a 4X4? Even in 2 wheel drive, my F-150 with about 360lbs of weight in the rear, gets around great in the snow. I only had to use the 4 wheel drive once or twice last winter from ice. These trucks are heavy and with good tires are pretty amazing. Are the cables you're talking about like the tire straps I've seen? They look like they'd be pretty handy in an icy situation.

 

Welcome to the forum. Invest in a good set of tires! When you just spent big dollars on the truck now you are talking about pinching pennies when it comes to tires. Before the snow flies you will notice that the stock tires are not as good as you have been lead to believe. Search this forum for vibration and tires. I would suggest a name brand with an All Terrain (AT) tread design. This will be good for dry, snow, ice, and mild off road. Plus you get a decent highway ride.

 

i got myself a thing of ShurTrax and it definitely helps!!! I rarely have to use 4x4 during snow season. Tires help alot too and i have the BFGoodrich All Terrains

 

I believe the owners manual calls for S-type chains which are the cable type. I do not know about the abs issue, but there is definitely a clearance issue with conventional chains. Also, some states require chains, no matter what your tires so make sure you have your tail covered.

 

I have used cables before when I was stationed in Michigan. Had an 87 Toyota van that handled terrible on snow or ice. Vehicle handled good with them. They were also easy to put on.

 

It has to do with the fact that z type cables are always in contact with the ground. during braking, chains have that space between links that can lock up, it can confuse your asb system into not working properly

 

Now that explanation makes sense.

 

If you are looking into cables for your truck look into the Z-Chain (which is actually a cable). I would make sure to replace the OEM tires that came with your truck and invest in a good set of AT tires. I have had many different trucks and I live in N.E. Ohio and travel up East of Buffalo NY and have never had to use the cables. Depending on what size tires you have look into the GoodYear Wrangler w/ Silent Armor... or something with a good open Tread. I had many sets of the Wranger GSA tires and had them on everything from a 2 wheel drive Mazda to a 2-wheel drive Ranger and even on my 99 4x4 F150. Just add some traction sand tubes (available at most Feed stores, Home Depot, Lowes or Tractor Supply) or just go purchase about 6 40lbs bags of playsand and place the weight in the bed near the cab or build a box that will keep them in between the wheel-wells. I have a '04 F150 4x4 XLT with the 5.4L 3v engine and I have yet to place any additional weight (being that the truck alone is over 7,000 gvw) and we have had about 12" of snow already this year.

 

i have chains but never had them on the truck because the 4x4 got me through everything. but i do like the cables had some for my bmw. drove around in z rated tires with cables when i used to get stuck while running all seasons.

the chains are heavy but with chains you shouldnt be going over 30? im not sure of the speed but when moving that slow you shouldnt really need abs right.

 

Listen to GARMAN. With ABS you need Cables. Go to the Shur Grip website and you will see that the cables way out perform standard chains. But the key issue is the ABS issue. Of course with a good set of AT Tires and 4WD should handle most situations.

 

We got 28 inches of snow in 1 day in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Denver</st1lace></st1:City> last week, it really didn't matter if you had good snow tires or 4x4 you can't dig through that kind of snow unless you have chains. I went about 25 yards before I was stuck in my 06 XLT 4x4, I put cable chains on the front and I was good to go and I had no problem with clearance. I don't know about ABS issue I never had the ABS engage.