Shur Grip Z is a patented Security Chain Company product that’s intended to meet the traction product needs of the everyday buyer and is available to fit most passenger car tire sizes. Shur Grip Z offers a distinctive mix of performance and convenience features for each user.

145 of 147 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of five stars Everything you have to know about traction cables., January 24, 2010
By Martin Anderson “Martin” (Santa Ana, CA United States) See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME) This review is from: Security Chain Company SZ339 Shur Grip Z Passenger Car Traction Chain Set of two (Automotive) There are a confusing array of tire chains/traction control devices on the market, and this specific company makes so various models that it is hard to tell which ones are the best. Here is what you have to know about chains and traction control devices, and why I like the ones made by SCC. I also include many installation hints at the bottom of this review.

There are two broad types of traction control devices: Tire chains and traction control cables. Tire chains are real chain links. Traction control cables are long pieces of metal cables, covered in a plastic covering, and intended to form a Z pattern over your tires. The plastic covering is then enclosed by hundreds of tiny, round, metal springs. Cables are usually regarded as better because they’re easier to install, last longer, are less damaging to roads, and work better with vehicles equipped with ABS. As well, as indicated by SCC, you may be able to carefully drive with cable devices up to 30 mph, on roads with no snow, without damaging them.

You should usually install traction control cables on your drive wheels, i.E. The wheels that really push or pull your car forward. If the snow is really bad, though, you may have to install cables on all four wheels. Read your vehicle’s owner’s manual for more details on where to install your cables.

In any way, it is a really, really smart idea to have TWO sets of cables in your car at all times. That way, if something breaks (murphy’s law), you will not be stuck.

Within the traction control cable group, there are two general types of cables: Self tensioning cables tighten themselves using a tensioner (which looks, feels, and operates like a rubber band) that you install when you put the cables on. Manual tensioning cables are tightened by you, and must be re tightened after you drive for a couple hundred feet or so. I have heard that emergency vehicles tend to use the manually adjustable models because they’re allegedly safer at speeds above 30 MPH, but driving above 30 MPH for any non emergency staff is illegal with any kind of traction control device.

There are some number of benefits to the manually adjustable models. They tend to have more slack, which can make installation easier. As well, the tensioners (i.E. Rubber bands) on self adjusting cables can and do break (it happened to me today) and if they break, you can not use the cables. If you get a cable that has a tensioner, get extra tensioners, or better still, another set of cables, just in case.

Here’s a breakdown of SCC’s cable products:

Z Chain Manually adjustable Traction Control Cable. Easy to install, but must be retightened shortly after you start driving. Easy to install because they come with lots of slack. Frequently used by police and fire staff.

Shur Grip Z/Super Z LT they are generally the same, but the Shur Grip’s are sized for passenger cars and the Super Z LT’s are sized for light trucks. Self adjusting cable. Tensioners can break so purchase extras. Less slack, so may be harder to put on the car, but usually easier than Z chains because you do not have to manually tighten and re tighten them.

Super Z6/Z8 Newest Self adjusting cable, intended for vehicles with little sidewall clearance. They have all the benefits and disadvantages of the Shur Grip Z. Also, but, the connectors are a little harder to work with on this model because of their low profile.

On all of these models, the metal rings are made of a spring like material, SCC says that you do not have to take off the chains once you reach a paved road. Rather, as long as you drive under 30 MPH, SCC says that you may drive with the traction control cables on your car, as you switch between plowed and non plowed roads. Because each of the hundreds of little springs are separate pieces, when one breaks, it just falls off, and the others work to fill in the void.

The Z6/Z8 models also come with a nice cloth bag that’s sized properly to hold the cables. The older cable based SCC models come with plastic containers that are too small to easily lay the cables in.

Installing the cables is comparatively easy, and I am certainly not a hands on kind of man. It took me about 15 minutes the 1st time, and now that I have done it some number of times, I can get it done in under a minute per wheel. SCC has a video on their web site that explains how to do it. You may want to generally do a test installation of cables before you need them to be sure that you bought the correct size and know how to install it. It is also useful to have many waterproof gloves useful and a towel with you, as it’s frequently wet and cold when you have to install chains. A good choice for gloves are the long wristed rubber gloves that you may purchase at the grocery store for washing dishes, or many disposal latex gloves. After you use the cables for the 1st time, fold each cable individually , then use a trash bag tie to keep every one together. Otherwise, the next time you need them, they will all be tangled together.

Here are many hints on how to install these chains.

1. Read the information from the maker and pay close attention to the safety information. The basics of the information are (1) stay safe, (2) position the cables properly, (3) connect the upper rear connector, (4) connect the upper front connector, (5) connect the lower front connector, and (6) connect the black rubber bands.

The information are quite good, but they leave out some useful hints, which I’ll now share with you.

BEFORE YOU START, be sure YOU HAVE THE CORRECT SIDE UP! There are markings all over the cables which point to the correct orientation. Look for them!

2. Put on many rubber dishwashing gloves and lay a towel down wherever you are going to work, or you’ll get , dirty.

3. When you slide the cables under your tires, start from a point between your front and rear tires. Slide half of the chain under your car, , then reach around from the other side of the tire to pull the cable around. Though the information describe a swinging slide motion, I have never seen anybody who could do that without twisting the cables up. Just pull them and things will be much easier.

4. Once the cables are around the tire, don’t pull the bottom connectors that hold the cables together at the bottom of the tire towards one another. Keep them as far separately as possible. If you pull them in tight, you will not be able to pull the chain high enough in the back to connect the rear upper connector, which is what you’re supposed to do 1st.

5. When you’re connecting the rear upper connector, if you can not get the rear upper connectors up above the tire so that you may see them, push the part of the cables that surround the bottom of your tire backwards and under your car some inches. This will create slack behind the cables and let you to pull the cables up in the back.

6. Once you have the rear upper connector connected, hooking up the front upper connector can be hard. Attempt pushing the rear upper connector back so that it’s laying against the inside sidewall of your tire , then pull the front upper connectors towards you as hard as you may be able to. Do not attempt to pull them towards each other. While sitting, just pull them straight out, towards you, and the rest of the chains should fall into place. Then they should be easy to connect.

7. Gently pull the parts of the chain that criss cross your tires down towards the ground so that they are not all bunched up at the top. Look at the chain and be sure that the parts you may be able to see, and particularly the blue cable, is evenly circulated around the tire.

8. Then pull the bottom front connectors towards you (out, but not up or down) to create slack. Then connect them. Again, do not attempt to pull them towards one another as that makes it nearly impossible to create slack.

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of five stars Easy to install, December 13, 2009
By A. Ramanath See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) () This review is from: Security Chain Company SZ335 Shur Grip Z Passenger Car Traction Chain Set of two (Automotive) This is the 1st time I tried any tire chain. After reading my Subaru Forester 2008 (AWD) manual, I researched and found that SZ335 meets the plans both size wise and the SAE Class “S”. Amazingly, as indicated by manual event though my Subaru is AWD, it requires chains only on front wheels.

The information are clear enough, though they should have made it extra clear 1. By giving hints on the picture as to which side of the tire is on which direction relative to you and 2. By extra pictures of many keywords they use bushing, C hook etc. Not that they are hard to figure out but every bit helps when you’re out there in cold, snow, sleet etc.

Handling the chains and putting them on the tire and using the rubber tightener were simple and easy. For the 1st time it took me ridiculously short time less than ten minutes for both chains together. Taking them separately was simple and took possibly not one minute each tire.

These chains came in a box rather than a bag. A bag could have been more adaptable. Putting them back in the box was somewhat challenging and possibly the hardest part of the whole exercise!!

I’d recommend taping the information sheet on the inside of the box so it does not fly away while you’re installing the chains.

I also commend SecureChain company for having video on their web site.

I am still to attempt the chains in a really icy, difficult situation but I feel confident they’ll work well.

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Eleven of eleven people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of five stars Love and Hate Them, January 23, 2010
By Anonymous (Madison, WI USA) See all my reviews () This review is from: Security Chain Company SZ329 Shur Grip Z Passenger Car Tire Traction Chain Set of two (Automotive) I used them once so far. Quality is good and they do work well, but it is a pretty rough ride on cleared roads. They’re a ache to put on and not quite so bad to take off, but plan on to get full of snow as you put them on or take them off. Put a set in your trunk with a good pair of gloves and avoid using them if at all possible. But if you get caught away from home and really have to get back after a snow storm, they’re great. As well, if you use them in salt conditions, make sure to rinse them off and hang them up to dry before putting them away or they’ll rust. Doubt if it hurts anything, but the rust stains look bad. I could also recommend putting them on sometime before you have to so that you get a feel for what all is involved. Most of my frustration may have been evaded if I had tried them on in better weather before I really needed them.

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