Tire Chains on 2018 Yukon Denali with 22" wheels?

[Dlayne]

You might also consider the SpyderSpikes. I haven’t used them personally as I went with a set of 20” Winter tires as I saw no way for clearance with the 22’s. If in CA they have three levels of chain requirements and an AWD/4WD with snow / traction tires suffices for all but the 3rd. There same is true / similar for Oregon. Just depends on how much you drive in the snow.

 

[Mark Hansen]

I think that even if you have a 4WD with snow tires, you're still required to carry the "chains" with you (this is what I got from the CA DOT site, I think). It's not really how much I want to drive in the snow. It that I want to be able to travel to visit relatives - which requires that I cross the Sierra. I don't much have control over the weather at the time of the crossing, as the visit is generally scheduled in advance.

 

[ncpepperman]

You might need to drop to a smaller tire / wheel combo for Winter and use chains. The HP PPV's in NC use chains in the winter.

 

[drakon543]

the chains will not safely fit your truck with that tire combination. you can probably find chain kits that fit your wheel and tires but not your truck. not to mention how much damage chains will do to your stock rims. the main reason is your limited wheel well clearance. if the chains catch its going to severely damage the metal or lock the wheel up at speed. i would follow peppermans advice.

 

[Mark Hansen]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'm still missing something. Doesn't the speedometer/odometer/gearing, etc. all depend on the outer circumference of the tires? In my case, the Yukon has 22" wheels and low profile tires - doesn't that mean the outer circumference is the same as a smaller wheel with normal profile tires?

If that's the case, how does a smaller wheel provide any additional clearance in the wheel well? Won't the circumference of the tires be the same?

If the smaller wheels/tires really are smaller, wouldn't changing to them also require a change to how the vehicle calculates speed/mileage, etc.?

 

[ncpepperman]

You are absolutely correct. Best scenario is to have your relatives move to Florida and avoid chains altogether.....

You will need to re calibrate the speedometer either yourself or have the dealer do it. Smaller diameters will register a higher speed and you can figure the difference for the winter months and not bother with calibration.

They must be nice relatives to go through all this trouble.........

 

[Shaw520]

At times there are some roads/passes in Co and CA that require chains to be fitted to the vehicle or they will not allow passage....the same may hold true for certain areas of Oregon and Wash state but im not familiar with those areas.

 

[Fless]

If that's the case, how does a smaller wheel provide any additional clearance in the wheel well? Won't the circumference of the tires be the same?

Circumference or overall diameter might not be the limiting factor. You're running what is listed as the widest tire of the group. If you were to install some wheels that weren't as wide as the ones you're running now, and tires with a higher profile to match the OD of your current tire, you may gain side clearance for cables, at the sacrifice of a wider footprint. That's not all bad, since a narrower footprint puts the truck's weight on less tread, hence more traction pressure.

As also mentioned, smaller wheels and tires with a smaller diameter would make your speedometer a bit inaccurate, but that's easy enough to "ballpark" if you were to run those seasonally (I use GPS). Personally I wouldn't go through officially recalibrating the speedo for seasonal changes.

 

[Mark Hansen]

They must be nice relatives to go through all this trouble.........

It's not the relatives causing the trouble, it's the GMC vehicle. I just can't imagine a 4x4 SUV that can't go in the snow I didn't want the 22" wheels and let the dealer talk me into them. What a mistake. I guess I'll know for next time.

I intend to use cable chains on the rear wheels only. In looking at the rear wheels, there appears to be plenty of clearance for them.

The owner's manual says "don't use chains ... and if you want to use other traction devices, use them only if the manufacturer says they will fit the wheel/tire".

I assume by "other traction devices" they mean cable chains. As far as the manufacturer recommending them for my wheel/tire size, they list my wheel/tire size specifically and show the various products that will work.

Based on all that, it sounds like I'm okay to use cable chains.

Thanks for all the help

 

[Shaw520]

Rear should have plenty of clearance