Chains on front

Hey all,
Im new to tacoma world so please send me to the right place if this question already has a feed. I imagine it does, but I can't find it.
I just replaced my '92 with an 09 (baby on the way) and was shocked to find out that you cant put chains on the front tires. This is standard off road 101 for mud/snow/ice. How can they call this an 'off-road' vehicle without this capability. I was a lifelong toyota fan until I discovered this massive design flaw. My 92 took 4 chains with ease and it saved my bacon(pulling friends with jeeps and hummers) many times. My new rig is virtually impotent. What were they thinking?
OK, enough whining. What is the fix for this problem. There is barely a 1/4 inch clearence on the inside of the tire so what do we do? Do cable chains work? What about spacers? When my tires wear out I plan to do some small modifications to make it more aggressive. What would you recommend?

Thanks for any advice,
Seth

P.S. If anyone at Toyota reads these: What do you guys plan on doing? A redesign and free upgrade is definately in order here if you really want to call this vehicle 'off-road'.

 

On my recent Wyoming hunting trip I had low profile "s-class" chains on the front of my stock 2009 TRD Off Road with no problems. They are a true chain but the inner "ring" is a cable which allowed it to clear the upper control arm (UCA). I imagine cables would also work with ease. I also ran heavy duty v-bar chains in the rear without problems. Don't worry. Your truck is not impotent. Mine was blasting through 18" of nasty stuff locked and ATRACed.

When shopping for chains, be aware of UCA clearance as well as fender clearance. Spidertrax spacers and/or a lift would increase your options.

Welcome to TW.

 

thanks, ill look into those s-class chains. where do I get them from? Good to know I can avoid expensive viagra modifications.

 

Just google tire chains or snow chains and you'll get numerous sites that allow you to put in your tire size. It then directs you to several options ranging from wimpy to beefy.

 

Welcome to TW.

 

I just bought an 07 crew cab TRD Tacoma and was very disappointed to learn all about how chains won't work on the front. I need them to descend our steep, icy gravel road where 4x4 will only help you get out of the ditch, not stay out of the ditch. Even with good rubber, I need chains up there, not just in the back.

After reading all about how even the lower profile cables will eventually rip off on this piece of the suspension, I'd about given up. Then I discovered two chain products that will absolutely work. They're both expensive, but less so than paying an insurance deductible for body work or medical bills. Also less so than modifying your clearance through purchasing different rims and paying for that labor.

Here's what I'm going with: Spikes-Spider
http://spikes-spiderusa.com/

And another great product: Thule K-Summit -
http://www.etrailer.com/Tire-Chains/Toyota/Tacoma/2006/TH02230K77.html?vehicleid=2006206509

I've used the Spikes-spiders on the back of a rear wheel drive Tacoma with a TrueTrac, and I can attest to how easy they are to slip on and off. Also, I've passed tons of ditched 4x4s and Subarus using them in the snow -- they're so easy to install you'll use them where otherwise you might just try to make a go of it on rubber.

I did call the Toyota service department at a local dealer just to make sure I wasn't making a false assumption, and the guy I spoke to had seen these chains, was familiar with the clearance issue, and didn't see a problem. Check for yourself though before trying anything.

Now, with Z-cables in back for extreme circumstances and Spikes-spiders up front, I'm set -- it climbs like a snow cat and descends ice like it's on broom-swept concrete.