Once again at the beginning of this post I feel it is important to point out that I sell the Rud Grip 4×4 tire chains. I do not sell the Peerless Auto Trac and I do not sell the Laclede Alpine Sport. Nevertheless, in order to better know the competition, I went to Walmart today and purchased a set of the Peerless Auto Trac. Last week, I already wrote about the Laclede Alpine.

Price:
Grip 4×4 - $110.00
Peerless Auto Trac - $69.97
Alpine Sport - $99.99

Weight:
Grip 4×4 - 20 lbs.
Peerless Auto Trac - 13.5 lbs.
Alpine Sport - 15 lbs.

Where to buy:
Grip 4×4 - on this website at RUD Grip.
Peerless Auto Trac - Walmart
Alpine Sport - Kragen Auto Parts

Walmart’s No Return Policy
One thing that is very important to point out is that at Walmart, the retailer of the Auto Trac, displayed a very prominent sign of a “no returns and no exchanges” policy for tire chains. So if you purchase the Peerless Tire Chains from Wallmart and you run into a fittament problem, well tough luck. I am not certain about the return policy for Kragen Auto Parts, the retailer of the Alpine Sport. The return policy with Tire Chain Dealer is 30 days unused and we will accept the returns. I am hoping to not find a whole lot of “Superbowl Big Screen TV” purchasers wanting to return their chains after thier once a winter trip to the mountains.

Sizing
I would also like to point out that the sizing chart for the Peerless Products seemed smaller than the list I am use to looking at from RUD Chain. Nevertheless, they had my tire size for my Honda Ridgeline listed; but not in the Auto Trac. Had I not been so intent on comparing apples with apples, I would have bought the ladder style of a twist link chain, similar to the CAM chains we sell. But since I wanted to compare the Auto Trac with the Grip and the Alpine, I needed to purchase a set even though I knew they would not fit my truck.

The Grip 4×4, Laclede Alpine, and the Peerless Auto Trac are all diamond patterned tire chains as opposed to being a ladder style. The diamond pattern is superior to the ladder style on most vehicles bacause it provides better 360 degree traction.

Self Tightening Device
Peerless markets the Auto Trac pushing the uniqueness of a self tightening device that hooks the right and the left together, and if any slack makes itself apparent while driving down the road, the chains self tighten. That being said, you do not need to readjust the chains once installed. Nevertheless it is always a good idea to check.

Last week when comparing the Grip 4×4 with the Alpine Sport, we determined that the Alpine Sport indeed requires significant adjusting after the first 100 yards of driving. The RUD Grip 4×4 did not require adjusting–nevertheless it is always a good idea to check.

Installation
The installation of the Grip 4×4 and the Alpine Sport are very similar. Here is a movie of the installation of the RUD Grip 4×4. If you know how to install the Grip 4×4, you can easily figure out the Alpine Sport.

The installation of the Auto Trac is significantly different. First, disconnect all of the hooks from the self tightening devices. Run the plactic coated cable behind the tire, and pull all of the chain towards you. Then pull up the cable connectors and from near the top of the tire, secure it and drape it at the top. Next, connect the top two halves together using the self tightening device. Now drop the back plastic coated cable behind the tire, adjust all of the chain by hand, and then connect the bottom two halves using the self tightening connectors. Sounds easy.

To view a movie of the installation of the Auto Track click here Auto Trac Installation Movie.

Unfortuneately, I had difficulty keeping the chain properly draped over the tire. The self tightening devices are somewhat bulky and heavy and they had a tendancy to cause the whole chain to fall behind the tire if not careful.

OOPS!!!

Evidently, there is a right way and a wrong way to when you send the plastic coated cable to the back. It is not all that intuitive to see it right off the bat when doing the installation. So I had to take it off, flip the chains over and do it again.

Now, I would have completed the installation from here; however, since the Auto Trac does not fit my tire size, I was not able to get them completely on. I also want to point out that when I took it off, I discovered that when you release the self tensioning device, the small cable may flick your hand which hurts a little bit….like being hit by a rubber band.

Chain Quality
Visually, the Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac look like the exact same chain. The links for the Rud Grip are significantly larger than both of these other brands. The image below is a close up of the Rud Grip 4×4, the Alpine Sport, and the Auto Trac all lying on top of each other.

The cable size of the plastic encased cable for the RUD Grip visually appears to have twice the thickness compared to both the Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac. The Alpine Sport and the Auto Trac from the perspective of the cable and chain thickness appear to be the same.

Conclusion
I did not like the installation of the Auto Trac. I found the installation of both the Grip and the Alpine Sport much easier and less prone to mistakes. I very much did not like the fact that there is a right way and a wrong way resulting in the self adjusting tensioners potentially going on facing into the tire. You have to redo the installation if that is the case. I also did not like the risk of having the tensioner flicking your hand when released.

To me, there is no question that the RUD Grip 4×4 is the superior model of the three. If I did not have the RUD Grip available for my trip due to logistical reasons, I recommend getting the Laclede Alpine Sport. I would not get the Peerless Auto Trac unless it were my only option. Nevertheless, all three tire chains will help you get to where you need to go.

Grip 4×4 Installed

Alpine Sport Installed

Tire Chain Dealer has purchased the following expired domain names.

http://truckerautopartsonline.com
http://tractorpullingpeople.com
http://chainswholesaler.com
http://chainwalleye.com
http://penstarautoparts.com

The purchase of these domains name where strategic in nature and we have decided to not disclose the reason for their purchase.

301 redirects have been placed on the first two sites. 301 redirects will be placed on the remaining three sites as early as tomorrow.

Addtionally, we have added our blog to Technorati with the hopes of promoting its contents in the social websphere.

For all of you who are following me, please create a Technorati account and add this blog to your favorites.

Addtionally, a group has been created in Facebook for buyers of tire chains to rate sellers of chains.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=93100740579

Tire Chain Dealer is an independent distributor for RUD Chain; therefore, it is important to state at the beginning of this post that I sell the RUD Grip and not the Laclede Alpine.  Nevertheless, I thought it was important to give you a good comparison of the products that I am competing with.  The Alpine Sport appears to be the most similar Leclede brand of tire chains to compare with the Rud Grip 4×4.

In this article we are comparing these two models:  Rud Grip 4×4 - 0142 and Alpine Sport 2317.

Price:
Grip 4×4 - $110.00
Alpine Sport - $99.99

Weight:
Grip 4×4  - 20 lbs.
Alpine Sport - 15 lbs.

Where to buy:
Grip 4×4 - on this website at RUD Grip.
Alpine Sport - Kragen Auto Parts

This first picture is the two styles laid on the ground side by side.

For this second picture, I laid the chains one on top of the other for you to see that there is a significant difference in the size of the links. The Grip links are much larger than the Alpine links are.

When installing the two, the first difference that I notice is that the rubber casing of the alpine is much softer and bendable then that of the Grip. This is not to its advantage. The benefit of the stiffer casing makes it much easier to slide the chains behind the wheel and grab it from the other side. However once you are able to grab it, the connectors are virtually the same. Both tire chain types connect easily behind the tire. Both tire chain types drape easily over the tire. Both tire chain types allow you to do the complete installation without having to turn the wheel.

From the outer side of the tire, both brands have a similar hook at the top which is easy to connect. Both brands also have a nice tensioning chain used for connecting together the right and the left sides. For both brands, the tensioning chain works almost identically; However, there are some technical differences in the design.

Securing the Tensioning Chain
The Grip uses a gold colored steel plate with a hole for the tensioning chain to fit through. The steel plate also has a loose fitting latch to help keep the chain from slipping. The Alpine Sport has a red curved device which is used for the tensioning chain to easily connect and pull back the oposite direction. It is actually more difficult to route the tensioning chain through the Grip model; however, once the chain is routed through the Grip, it pretty much stays in place.

Once the right and the left side of the chain body are connected together, you need to run the tensioning chain through a metal loop and then secure the end to the chain body keeping it tight. Both models have a strechable rubber connection with a hook on the end. The rubber on the Grip is much more elastic and easier to pull then that of the Alpine Sport. I found it much easier to get a good taut connection with the Grip. For the Alpine Sport, I had to pull much harder to get it to strech and allow me to connect it to the chain body. Now the installation for both models is complete.

Adjusting
The Alpine Sport has a tag connected to one of the chains that states as follows:

Warning - Retighten Chains
After initial installation, move vehicle forward or backward at least 15 feet and retighten chains. Failure to do so may reduce chain life by 50%.

After installing the chains on the front wheels of my vehicle, I drove it about 100 yards which included a 360 degree circle in a parking lot and then checked for the need to retighten. The Alpine Sport did indeed need some serious retightening. Originally, I was not able to get the tensioning chain to go through its second guidance loop. Now I was able to pull it through the loop and pull the tensioning chain up several additional links on both tires. However, after doing the same with the Grip 4×4, no adjustments where needed.

Conclusion
Both the Alpine Sport and the Grip 4×4 are decent chains that will help you reach your destination. Both are simple to install. Both have the good diamond pattern design. However, the Grip 4×4 is unquestionably the better quality of the two.

Advantages of the Grip 4×4
1. Thicker chain for better traction
2. Easier to push behind the wheel during installation
3. Easier to connect the tensioning chain to the chain body
4. Readjusting may not be necessary (check anyways)

Advantages of the Alpine Sport
1. Easier to guide the tensioning chain to connect the left and right sides of the chain at the bottom of the tire (however, I do not recommend RUD change this).

After doing this side by side comparison, I am recommending the Grip 4×4 over the Alpine Sport.

The SEMA and APEX shows took place in Las Vegas between November 3 and November 6, 2008 this year and RUD Chain had booths at both locations.  As a distributor for RUD Chain, I felt that it was important to take out some time and make the trek up to Vegas to meet up with them.  I have been conversing and transacting business with RUD Chain since December of Last year and this was my first opportunity to meet them face to face.  Unfortunately, I only had one day which was on November 6, 2008.

Included in these pictures from left to right are Steve Blood, Dave Sims, Brian Nettles (me), and Cindy Kaiser.  In the second photo we once again have Steve Blood and Rick Ransom.

Steve Blood’s expertise is the RotoGrip.  As I do not deal with the Rotogrip, I had never before been in contact with Steve.  However, he was really fun to talk with.  He is a true midwestern outdoorsman who loves hunting and fishing.  Being someone  who loves the outdoors, working for a company such as RUD Chain just seems like a perfect fit.  David Sims is the Non-Skid Regional Sales Manager located in Sparks Nevada.  He handles all of the sales at that facility.  Cindy is my primary contact in Iowa.  I would say that 90 percent of the sales made on this website go through Cindy Kaiser.  She is very knowledgable and easy to work with.  The small world aspect about working with Cindy is that she grew up about 15 minutes from our location in Orange County but now works in Iowa.  Rick Ransom is the Non-Skid Product Manager.  He calls the shots for the distributors whenever there is any type of problem.  Two other people who I would have hoped to meet were Katie Elsbury and Natalie McFarlane.  Natalie is their controller and was there one day earlier but had to return to Iowa the day before I got there.  Katie had to stay back in Iowa to keep things running.  Katie is a 12 year veteran with the company and is one of the most technically savy of all people with the company.

To make the visit, I had to leave home at 6:00 am and returned the same evening getting home about midnight.  The trip was well worth it.

At the display, they were showcasing the Rotogrip as well as the Centrax.  They were also showing off their shoe chains - a very simple rubber loop with a small chain on it.  All you have to do is pull it onto your shoe and it will help prevent you from slipping on the ice.  They convinced me that I need to add this product to the website.  Give me a couple of weeks and I will put it up.

Tire Chain Dealer has decided to move it news link out of the personal blog of Brian Nettles and make it an integral part of the Tire Chain website.  The news link is put together using Wordpress Software.

We look forward to making all news regarding our tire chains available through this new media.