Personal blog about states
Colorado’s chain law applies to all state, federal and Interstate highways and was initially enacted in 1996. It includes two levels for commercial vehicles. Chain Law Level 1 requires all single drive axle combinations commercial vehicles* to chain up. Buses must chain two drive wheels to comply.
Are allowed to use 4 tire chains ; 4 autosocks; auto chains or sanders covering 4 drive tires. used together. Trucks with an APPROVED alternate traction device ( auto chains , sanders and autosocks ) are NOT required to carry chains from September 1st through May 31st. Are required to use 2 tire chains .
Each year the state’s traction law goes into effect on a 126-mile stretch of I-70 from September 1 to May 31st. The nine-month mandatory traction law extends from Dotsero to Morrison, requiring all vehicles to carry proper winter traction throughout the season, regardless of weather.
But in the winter , snow tires are strongly suggested for most vehicles and are necessary for some. The Colorado Department of Transportation will put in place traction or chain laws at times during periods of heavy snow . This year, a new traction law went into effect: From Sept.
Note: premium chains and those for limited clearance or large vehicles can be significantly more. Snow Chains vs . Snow Socks.
Snow Socks | Snow Chains | |
---|---|---|
Strengths | Light & thin (fit limited clearance vehicles) Foldable (to a smaller size) Cheaper (sometimes) | Best for traction Harder wearing Fit without moving the vehicle*1 |
But when we called the rental car agencies at Denver International Airport, none could guarantee the availability of a vehicle with four- or all-wheel drive. Installing chains would bring you in compliance with the law, but rental car companies don’t allow them.
The Best Used Car for Outdoor Adventurists in Colorado Subaru Forester. When it comes to the outdoors, Subaru is an all-around great outdoor vehicle brand. Jeep Grand Cherokee . Built originally for the military, you can trust that all Jeep models have the tactical capability and power and performance to endure anything. Ford F-150 . Toyota 4Runner.
Front-wheel-drive vehicles must put snow chains on their front tires , and rear-wheel-drive vehicles must put them on their rear axle. Ideally, you should put tire chains on all four tires for all types of vehicles. By using four tire chains , you’ll be able to obtain the best possible traction and balance.
They are legal for cars both with and without trailers (vehicle classes M1, N1, O1 & O2). Since 2006, AutoSocks for trucks and busses have also been certified and monitored by the PPP 53283 TÜV SÜD safety and performance standard. In 2008, AutoSock met the requirements of the ÖNORM V 5121.
You can always go with all-wheel-drive ( AWD ) for added traction, though it’s not for deeply snow-packed roads. It is best to avoid rear wheel drive cars on Colorado roads in the winter. Certain roads in Colorado will require either all-wheel-drive , chains, or an Autosock during the winter.
New in 2019, between September 1st to May 31st of each year, all drivers on I -70 between Morrison, just west of Denver, and Dotsero which is about an hour past Vail , will be required to adhere to the traction law requiring vehicles to have either four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive , snow tires, or tires with the mud/
All – weather tires are not the same as all – season tires . This logo indicates these tires pass the test as a “snow/ winter ” tire . The important difference is they can be left on the car all year round . All – season tires do not carry this logo because they have not passed the winter test.
When you’re on bare or wet pavement, the right set of all – season tires are designed to keep you safely on the road. They even do okay in mild winter conditions. But when the weather worsens and roads are covered in ice and snow , having the right set of winter or snow tires can help you stay in control of your vehicle.
Top 10 All – Season Tires for Winter Driving Michelin Defender T + H. Continental ExtremeContact DWS06. Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus. Nokian Entyre 2.0. Continental TrueContact. Hankook Optimo H727. Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus. Cooper CS3 Touring.
Expect to spend from $150 to almost $190 per tire, installed, for top-quality brands. While the tread life of winter tires has improved dramatically, it’s not smart to wear out their rubber in hot months.