Tire Chain Recommendation for a 2001 Dodge Ram 3500 2 Wheel Drive For Best Tire Clearance

Question:

i am seeking tire chains for a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 2-wheel drive with LT245/75R16 tires stock size, plus chains, or cables, for the front tires. We will be traveling on mountain roads. The manual says not to use chains but i believe it is because they fear installation error may damage the truck in some way. Obviously this truck is out of warranty, so it will not be a problem for Dodge bean counters. It appears there should be enough clearance. The pics were taken with the wheels turned toward the curb.

asked by: D.Arthur

Expert Reply:

For vehicles that have tight clearances on the inside of the tires the best tire chain to go with is the Thule K-Summit chains like part # TH02230K77 as these do not go to the inside of the tire at all. These will basically only install on the top of the tire where the tread is. This would be the best recommendation I could make since Dodge says not to use chains on your vehicle.

These are expensive but they would be the best set for you to run on all 4 wheels of your vehicle.

I don't like cables on the front wheels because cables use a ladder pattern where the links run straight across the tire. A diamond pattern works better on front wheels since they are the directional wheels. The diamond pattern gives the wheels better traction for turning since the links don't run straight across.

The K-Summit I recommended is more like a diamond hybrid as it has plenty of links to use for acceleration, braking and handling.

expert reply by: Jameson C