Wheel chocks provide essential safety in any situation where your vehicle might roll. For instance, if you’re changing a flat tire, you should use a wheel chock on the tire directly diagonal from a flat to prevent the car from rolling forward or back. They can be important for towing trailers as well.
A good quality wheel chock will have the right mix of material type, weight and size. To a lesser extent, chock patterning or texturing can come into play as well. Keep the following things in mind with regards to wheel chocks:
The right material: Chocks are available in urethane, rubber, aluminum and other materials. Each offers something different, from lightweight portability to heavier weights to better grip on the tire.
Weight: One of the most important considerations here is weight. A lightweight chock might be fine for use with a compact car and a gentle grade, but it wouldn't work well with a full-size SUV on a steeper hill. The weight of the chock helps to prevent the vehicle from pushing it out of the way.
Number of chocks: Check the number of wheel chocks sold in the package. Most should come in sets of two (you generally want to chock two tires). However, some are sold in singles.
Storage design: Some chocks are designed to fit inside one another (known as nesting) for easy storage. Others cannot be nested.
Vehicle weight rating: Make sure you purchase a set of wheel chocks designed for your vehicle’s weight. Heavier vehicles will require stronger, heavier, more expensive chocks (the weight rating should be on the packaging).
Wheel chocks provide important safety by preventing your vehicle from rolling.
