Can i put chains on my subaru

I was also wondering about snow tires. So what is the answer for say, a road trip where we go on the interstate for a while? Are winter tires safe for interstate driving? Thanks for your patience with us Florida transplants. Any info you may give us will be greatly appreciated. We bought a lightly-used Tribeca, but it has no snow tires and we need some.

Your advice, please? Thanks for all the great info! I have a Subaru Forester 5-speed which I absolutely love. I am headed up to Alaska soon for my first arctic winter and am in need of some new tires. I will be driving the Alaska highway and am thinking about getting winter tires for obvious reasons. I am just wondering if the suggestions you have made on earlier comments stud less is still a good recommendation for me?

Also, is it a bad idea to keep winter tires on all year? Or would using winter tires during the summer greatly reduce my gas mileage? Sorry, I forgot to ask about sizing tires in my last comment. You have a sticker on the drivers side door pillar that indicates the tire size for your Forester, it is the same for any car you will own, and I point this out so you will know where to look for the information the next time.

Hi Justin, super site, great info. Have used the cables on front with mixed results mostly not good than good. Last year, got caught in the snow without my cables and ran into slippage problems I was on a hill. So, now looking to prep for this winter and am seriously looking into a set of studless tires.

Though I heard that sometimes they can be problematic in wet conditions, hydroplaning, etc. Thanks in advance. Hi Justin, this is an awesome site! You can put Studs on a manual transmission and probably be ok, if it has an automatic transmission I would shy away from the Studded tires and go with Studless.

Thanks for all your information. I just moved to Northern Oregon from California and this will be my first real winter.

I have a Imprezza Outback Sport with the orignal tires 10k miles. After talking with the local tire shop, they recommended carrying chains with the standard tires. After your suggestion I checked the manual and it says no chains. So I was going to go with something like the Observe winter tire.

Justin, Like everyone has said, great info — thank you! I live in So Cal mountains, so sometimes we have no choice by law but to put on chains, and also some horrible frozen rain conditions occur. I hear you clearly on studless tires, and chains on the front at low speeds when necessary only. I was planning on getting new tires today. Sounds like I need to replace all four?

Smaller rims are a better answer than smaller tires when faced with the unavoidable necessity of putting on chains and needing to create clearance? Thanks, Meta. Thanks for all the info on this site. Just bought a outback and have the same question about chains but in reference to the new body design. Would it be correct to say that even though the manual says to never use chains, I would be OK in an emergency to drive slowly with them on the front only?

Thanks for your help. It was about a 3. Can I still fit Chains on the car? Now with an Open front diff and rear Visc. Do I need all 4 chains? I dont have that Set up, but usually you cant chain lowered Vehicles, I dont see how it would be possible.

Thank you for your info. My Subaru Outback manual says we can chain up two front tires but never on real tires. So, I just got home from Tahoe in my Outback 2. My Subie rode amazing even with OEM tires!! Highlight: 60mph on snowy slush on flat road with turns.

No other car was able to keep up. I love my Subaru!!!! I saw some references you made to the brand bridgestone of winter stud less tires you recommended, but can you be more specific about which model? Every weekend, I start my 3.

No snow and head up to Lake Tahoe for skiing. At about the 2. Or stick with my current set-up? All four wheel as and tires have the same tires and virtually the same tread wear, so I am good there.

Eventually I got myself out, but then noticed that the abs light was On, the check engine light was on, and the cruise light was flashing. Turned car off and then back on. Check engine light stayed on, cruise light flashed. Drove it anyways for 10 minutes to get to ski hill. Half day later, all lights went dark again. All fluid levels were normal. No need. And also, when starting in slippery snow, often starting from a start in 2nd gear instead of first.

Does using sport mode to control the gearing make sense? When I pop the hood, I see no evidence of leakage, nor fluid levels going down significant enough for me to notice. On 2 above. What I meant by concern over wheel spin, is that at times, the rear wheels did spin to try to get traction, whereas the fronts were not spinning. This happened a few times. How bad is that? How much tolerance can the Subarus handle wheel spin? Most likely you did not do any damage in that instance. The lights may go off with a little time but could also need to be reset with a scan tool, each occurrence will be different.

The best advice I have is a set of winter tires, and yes you can put it into sport mode and hold a lower gear to an extent, the trans may force an upshift to protect it self.

You may be increasing temperature enough to heat up some residue not normally hot enough to cause an odor. Probably from the wheel spin on super packed snow trying to get a grip.

Any recommendations for a good second source of winter rims? I have been living in the USA since 3 years. I am an experienced driver on winter driving I born in Finland and grew up at Norway? First, I saw many people driving not paying enough attention on the roads. My biggest advice for the people is, know your car limits, now the road limits.

AWD or 4WD are plus but you still have to stop on wheels and ice and snow weathers are very challenging conditions. Winter tires are always good especially studded ones but you need to remember that you need inches of snow to use the studded tires efficiently so I always prefer stud less tires. Chains are good to leave at the back, just in case If someone asks. Otherwise drive safely with winter tires and drive a subaru. Can I put chains on it if the situation ever arises?

You will over the years have many questions like this come up and you need to inform your self about you car. More than likely the L would accept chains, but if the tire size, wheel offset, or the like has been changed then they may not clear in the rear. The chains are ok to leave in the cargo area, there are no chains that can be installed on any newer Subaru I am afraid. Exempt from putting them on if all wheels are in gear and equipped with approved traction devices like snow tires … but not exempt from having to CARRY them.

I wanted to recommend a great set of snow chains from Thule in case it was not already mentioned in this thread they are kinda new. Ended up finding the a really cool little chain setup.

So they are great for cars that have very little clearance in that area. Definitely check them out; they offer a variety of different sizes; just really expensive. I was able to drive my 08 FWD Eclipse in some nasty snow and ice because of these. I have not used theses chains, any one doing so is doing it at there own risk. But I did want to make sure the info was out there.

Justin, this is good stuff! I live in Portland and go up to the mt. I recently purchased a 2. If I purchase a set of studless tires how often would you recommend changing them with the all purpose tire?

Any help regarding tires and driving this vehicle is appreciated. If you keep the stud less tires on for the winter and the winter only, you will get quite a few years out of them. We are needing to replace our Outback. We had several very frightening experiences in the snow last year, due to slipping trying to get up our snowy 1.

We do not keep snow on the ground all winter live in NC and feel that snow tires would wear out during the longer warm spells. We are now looking at a new Legacy, Outback or Forester. Is there any weight benefit with the Outback or Forester that might help them in snow more than the Legacy?

Do we just have to have another set of tires and plan on replacing them often, to get the most out of the Subaru? I like Stud-less snow tires used for 5 to 6 months a year and used for an approximation of 4 to 5 years.

That is really the best way to go about increasing the traction on a newer Subaru or really any newer car. Pick the model that suits you the best, feels the best to drive and is the most comfortable. The CVT in the Outback is compelling when you factor in the Fuel economy but now that its available in some other models its even more so.

The only thing I will say about that is that no matter who builds the car, its generally my advice to avoid the first year of a new or revamped model unless tips to the service department are fun for you. Its usually unavoidable even if its just for software updates. So when looking at the new Forester or Impreza its hard for me to steer you this direction, all will most likely be ok, but their may be some frustration if little things that pop up here and there. If you have a 4 wheel drive Subaru, I would purchase snow tires with an agressive tred such as the Toyo Observe G02 and forget the chains.

Chains are too much of a hassle and if you break a cross link, there could be damage. You will find many snow tire performance tests advertised on the internet but the majority go on and on about pricing and very little on performance.

Winter driving depends on the nut behind the wheel, not the nut on the wheel! I recommend never to put chains on a Subaru, unless the manual specifically states its ok. I just spent fixing a center diff after running chains on my 09 wrx on just the fronts during a huge snow storm out here in Seattle last year. I have since ran my car in the snow with summer tires and even on those, which are much like plastic at those temps, had more traction than the other cars on the road.

I just moved to Bozeman, MT and I am going to be spending a lot of time on snowy roads for back country and front country skiing. The advice from my friends around here all grew up driving these back roads on a daily basis but not in subarus is that I should get studded tires — that it is the safest option.

However, based on what you have been writing it seems that studless snows are the best option to ensure not damaging the car. I guess I am just worried because yeseterday I went up with my friend in her AWD subaru outback only had all season tires and we spun out 4 times she is a very experienced snow and ice driver, was driving very very slow and being safe, it was just very bad conditions.

It seems that most of your questions come from people in the maritime climates where people are driving on snow once a week to go up to the mountains I grew up in Portland, OR — skiing and driving in that area and never had studded tires and was fine.

Do you have any different advice for someone who is in the drier snow climate of Bozeman, MT and will be driving on the snow on winding roads, often near creeks days a week? Thank you for your time and help! I was just in Montana for the first time a couple weeks back way up in the Snow. For the Forester either way will be ok, I do still like the added benefit of the way the Stud less tire works on the ice, but also appreciate how well the Studded tire works in Compact snow and ice much like you have in your part of the country, also Montana wont be outlawing Studded tires anytime soon like many states are including Washington state.

I do prefer the Studless tires on the Baja but if you use Caution you will be Ok with Studded tires. Thank you very much for the quick reply and good advice. I plan on getting the Bridgestone Blizzak WS My question concerns size. Since I will be travelling from Seattle to Mazama several times a month, I will be going over 2 mtn passes to Winthrop and then totally compacted snow surfaces for the last 15 miles. And do I keep the tires inflated at 32psi until winthrop and then drop down to 28psi for the remainder of my commute until I get back to Winthrop?

The 16 is an option as long as the steel snow wheels you select clear the calipers and the total circumference is matched. The lower the tire pressure the better the traction will be, if you struggle at 32 psi then drop it down to 28 psi and see if traction improves. A lot of great info here.

I just have a couple questions. I was wondering how this damages the system. Sometimes while driving in snow, my tires are spinning at different rates, depending on which tire is getting traction. So I am still pretty new at the AWD thing and love reading up on how everything works. The other question I have is.

Do you have any words of wisdom in buying a set of Stud-less Winter Treads? I live in Central Pennsylvania and the amount of snow we get each winter is always hit or miss. But I love going out and playing in the snow. Last year I got along O. But they are wearing down fast and will need new tires regardless before winter hits.

The main issue is excessive slippage and then only one wheel catching, this done a few times can damage things. This happens more so with chains and Studded tires. I am a fan of the Studless snow tires, if you are planning on keeping car you can expect to get 4 to 5 good solid years out of the Stud less tires if you use them seasonally.

I recently bought a used subaru impreza outback sport How do I put my car into AWD? I know that there is a small chip under my hood, but im not sure if im suppose to take it out or put it in. Its always in AWD, if its not working properly there may be something wrong with the system. The AWD fuse holder under hood is to deactivate the AWD system electronically for testing purposes when a fuse is installed..

I have no experience with that option for your Outback I am afraid, if that company wants to send me a demo I would be happy to try them out on my Great site with great info, thanks Justin for taking the time out of your day to help answer all these questions! I have a Subaru Immpreza and got a set of Z chains on it.

I also drove about 10 miles of way without any snow, going mph max with the front chains still on, is that bad? Have you considered buying some studless tires, keeping the chains in the cargo area and not having any worries?

The truth is that chains should only be used in extreme conditions, and not in mild ones because the roads change so much you really need to take them off and put them back on as the road conditions change. Thanks so much for your response! Will I be able to tell if there was damage done or the AWD is messed up? How can I tell? Today I used them but the conditions were worse and majority of the roads were snow covered, so I think it was ok. I have a subaru legacy sedan AWD.

Great site Justin, thanks for this info! I ask since I live on a very steep hill in Bellevue. Yes a is going to feel better in thew snow than the Impreza. Also if the Impreza has 16 or 17 inch wheels that will make a huge difference in how it fells over the skinny 15 inch wheels the Outback.

If anything will work on just about any car, these will. Would be a good choice to keep in the back of many a car for the extreme emergency. I dont have any experience with that chain, I do have a Outback and there is really no room for chains unless you find a 16 inch rim that will clear the brakes.

They interconnect on the inside of the tire and stay well away from the center of rotation near the axle just alongside the tire rubber on inside. The only places I could see there being an issue would be:. Worst case you just have to send them back. What happens when the cables come loose? Thats what I mean by no room for chains or cables, Rubbing on anything and than coming loose, possibly tearing out the brake hose, then maybe losing the brakes will not be a good time.

If you look at the to Outback you will see there is not much clearance, have a gander at the front and back of the front wheel well VS the top of the wheel well. As you mentioned in an earlier post, for me if I lived say in a really snowy area , these would stored in the back and used ONLY if I was otherwise going to stranded somewhere.

They performed fine, but I think the set on the rears were rubbing the wheel wells at anything over 20mph.

The representative told me that so much driving on warm, dry highways would probably wear out the winter tires in 1 season. I would get a set of extra wheels to make the transition to winter and all season tires a snap based on what you have said, its actually what I do anyways as we travel over the pass a lot and I want as many miles out of my snow tires as possible.

Thanks Justin! I live in an area of Upstate NY that can in non-La Nina years get up to inches of snow per season, so snow tires are pretty important here. Will this cause any issues other than my speedometer being off by a mph or two? Please advise? My question has to do with my daughter-in-laws new 12 outback. She lives in Philly and does not want to have a separate set of wheels for snow tires.

Her folks live in upstate new York and have adopted a policy of buying blizaks and leaving them on all year long.

She has a youmg child and I am sure she wants to be a safe as possible. I wonder what you think of this and whether you think B;ozals would be the best bet. I guess dry performnce is now also a consideration. Appreciate your thoughts.. You can buy Ice tires such as the Blizzak and use them year round but you wont get very many miles out of them, there are some tire companies that offer tire storage maybe look for that option.

Hi, I recently bought an Impreza However it is also stipulated that if you chose to use chain, they need to meet SAE class S clearance specification. It also say to use it ONLY on front wheels. I do not want to create a debate of using chain on 4 wheels vs 2 wheels but I want to know why not on all 4 wheels? Is it only a clearance issue or it does not have any mechanical effects? There is less clearance for the rear than front, the tire sits very close to the strut in the rear of the vehicle.

You need to understand as does anyone else reading, if you need to put chains on a Subaru you need to be going 5 to 10mph max and proceeding with much caution, you cannot go 30mph with chains on or you will pay for it.

I echo the comments above. This is by far the most useful forum on this subject that I have found. Me too. I was just wondering about your comment on the Thule K-Summit chains.

Can you expand on this? Any more caution required than with other chains? Because as you well know that in our area snow has sporadic at best the last couple of years, I was not able to do a prolonged drive on the pass or even in Eastern Washington the last couple of years when there was snow I was busty when I have had time its been bare on the roads.. I appreciate your response. I would just as soon never put them on. Just want something to give us a little more security in an emergency situation without inherent risk to vital systems.

I think they will do the trick. I have a Subaru Forester L and I have plain city tires bought them after I moved to the city out of the mountains installed but I have to go to the mountains to visit family soon. I have chains but would I install them on the front, back or both, or would even need them at all? I have a Subaru Forester. I live in Southern California… So my need to drive in the snow is very limited.

I do plan on driving to Lake Tahoe this Winter. Dont know the roads you are talking about to anser that Question.

I live in the bay area and go to tahoe almost every weekend. Buy a pair of chains just to be safe. Sometimes chain control requires that all 4WD and AWD vehicles carry chains even though they may not need them.

Also like Justin mentioned to someone else, most chain stores have a policy that you may return them if you didnt use them. Really glad I read this article. A lot of helpful information here. Quick question about wheel slippage.

Say the back tires dont have traction but the front do.. I have a impreza 2. With the old car Forester we have used chains a few times going over the pass between Ashland Or and California. We used to use cables from Les Schwab. Would this same type of cable, properly sized for the larger tires, work for the Forester. Thanks, Mike T. We put a set of B.

Goodrich Winter Slalom tires on our Subaru Forester and it goes anywhere without chains. We carry chains in the back to go to Mt. Hood in the winter because there are rare times O. I wanted to ask if you think we will be fine to make the trip since we dont have chains and dont think that chains will fit.

Should we deflate them like you had mentioned in other posts? Not knowing the weather at the time of travel coupled with the drivers abilities makes it tough to answer that Question. But generally speaking it should be ok. First of all — thanks everyone for their input.

Very informative and especially thanks to Justin for his ongoing effort! Can I leave those tires on over the summer before I drive back the whole way this time mid or end of October with likely snow and ice? My question is if you buy a non OEM tire, should you still follow the tire pressure recommended on the door or the pressure on the sidewall of the tire? The answer is difficult, as the max psi rating of the tire may exceed the max psi rating of the oe tire, as such the tire may need to run at a higher pressure than the original set to avoid wear issues.

Higher psi can improve fuel economy but negatively effect traction. I usually inflate tires closer to 34 to 36 when they have a max pressure of 44 for example. You can experiment in 2lb increments from the suggestion on the door, making sure the handling of the vehicle is not compromised. You can also use Flex Trax. If you are unable to use tire chains or cables on your car GoClaws and SnoClaw provide the much needed traction you need. Easy to install and can be put on in 5 minutes or less after your first initial installation.

Do you know if that product has been approved by any department of transportation, if so do you have any documentation? Just bought a forester and live in Portland, OR. To help avoid damage to your vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or remove the device if it is contacting your vehicle, and do not spin your wheels. Damage caused to your vehicle by use of a traction device is not covered under warranty. Make certain that any traction device you use is an SAE class S device, and use it on the front wheels only.

Always use the utmost care when driving with a traction device. Overconfidence be- cause you are using a traction device could easily lead to a serious accident. Hey Little Billy, did you use the z6 tire chains? I have a Forester XT model. Just glancing around, it looks like the brake disk and calipers have enough room. I could take one one, or all of them and put them on to see how they fit, but what should I look for to make sure they are clearing safely? Before I drive around on them, I want to make sure that it is safe to do so.

This issue is confusing. I am going to spend 3 days in Yosemite for Thanksgiving. It can snow like crazy there that time of year or not. I have a Outback. Cal trans does require chains be carried at the elevation we go.

Am I good carrying a set of cable chains and installing them on the front tires and going very slow if they are needed? Hopefully they will not be needed but 3 years ago the area we are going to got 2 feet of snow in 2 days and they were required on all vehicles. I do appreciate the comments. If you choose to go outside of the recommendation you do so at your own risk. Hi Justin, thanks for your sharing your knowledge.

I too also live in California and required to carry chains for emergencies. I have a Subaru Forester XT and was wondering if either of these chains would be good to use? Thank you!. Thanks again Justin. I just purchased a Subaru Impreza Sport 2. I am aware that standard tire chains can damage the vehicle due to the clearance.

Would either of these chain alternatives still run the risk of damaging my vehicle? If these aforementioned options could still damage my car, what does Subaru recommend I purchase in lieu of standard chains? Thank you in advance. I need to research out that option a bit before I can really comment on it. I recently purchased a brand new Subaru Impreza Sport 2. I am aware of the clearance issues inside the tire for chains and have been searching for a viable, safe alternative since I live in California and am required to have chains.

Do I still have a chance of damaging my vehicle since this alternative chain does not go behind the wheel? And if this is not a good option, what would you recommend? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! I have a impreza hatchback. These are SAE class S, so will they present any clearance issues for me that could damage my vehicle?

I have always like the Blizzak brand tires, not sure if you have looked at those, and yes some may look like a regular tire but its the composition of the rubber that makes the tire work the way it does. WAC Agency filings affecting this section Use of tire chains or other traction devices.

When traffic control signs are posted by the department of transportation it will be unlawful for any vehicle to enter the controlled area without having mounted on its drive tires the traction device specified by the sign, which must also meet the requirements of WAC For vehicles with dual drive axles, one tire on each side of one of the drive axles must be chained.

For vehicle combinations including trailers or semi-trailers; one tire on the last axle of the last trailer or semi-trailer, must be chained. If the trailer or semi-trailer has tandem rear axles, the chained tire may be on either of the last two axles. For vehicles with single drive axles, one tire on each side of the drive axle must be chained.

For vehicles with dual drive axles, one tire on each side of each of the drive axles must be chained. For vehicle combinations including trailers or semi-trailers, one tire on the last axle of the last trailer or semi-trailer must be chained. Chains must be applied to a minimum of four tires on the drive axles. On the tandem axle semi-trailer, the chained tire may be on either of the last two axles. For vehicles with dual drive axles, all tires on one of the drive axles must be chained. In addition, one tire on each side of the additional drive axle must be chained.

For vehicle combinations including trailers or semi-trailers, one tire on the last axle must be chained. For vehicles with tandem axle trailers or semi-trailers, the chained tire may be on either of the last two axles. Plastic chains will not be allowed. Baker highway between MP Vehicles making local deliveries as indicated on bills of lading and not crossing the mountain pass are exempt from this requirement if operating outside of a chain required area.

Statutory Authority: RCW Now I can oply speak to the laws in the State where I reside, but here a AWD does not have to have chains on when chains are required. This is a great resource, thanks! I have a Forester that says not to use chains in the manual. I live up a very steep mountain road and have been unable to go up it twice already this season due to ice and some snow, with the stock tires.

What are my other options to get the most amount of traction. Any suggestions that would be safe for the car? Thanks, Molly. I have to stress however that its technically the aftermarket cable or sock component company is really the one telling you it will or will not fit.

So, I was readying myself for the drive up the mountain this morning in my Outback, when I became a bit nervous due to impending snow arrival, etc. Now, I have driven this car a few times in the snow and felt comfortable, but, this storm has potential, so, I want to be safe. And they are Siped. So, my dumb question for you is, when looking at used, or new for that matter, must I look for and get the exact same size, or will a different size work??

So much for the simple drive up the mountain. Btw, I do like your advice of adjusting, ie, dropping the tire pressure a bit for the snowy,icy roads. I will follow that! Thanks in advance, Justin! You need the same size tires whenever possible, the Speedo and speed sensor inputs will be off if you deviate from the factory tire size. I have a question with regards to my Subaru Forester and what Washington state law requires in wintery conditions.

But then we have the law that says chains must be present in the car in the case of highest restriction even if it is an AWD car. What type of chains do you recommend to have in the back of the car and how many sets of them just so that I have something to show to the police so they will let me pass?

All-wheel drive vehicles are exempt from chain requirements when all wheels are in gear and are equipped with approved traction devices, provided that tire chains for at least one set of drive tires are carried in the vehicle.

See WAC Now putting a set of something you will never use in the back of the car seems silly to me, so here is a possible solution. Here is a link to another post, Traction device alternative for Subaru. Since my original post I have used them on our Outback one time on Stevens just to test them out, no issues. I know this is an old post, but wondering what you recommend for a Subaru Outback.

We will be going to sequoia national park this winter and they require tire chains. After the snow and ice on the road here in Bend this past week I am not feeling very confident with the tires that came on it either I was sliding a lot. Anyway, I am thinking about the Super Z6 chains that are made for limited clearance vehicles. Of course this would be for an extreme situation where I would only install the two up front and drive very slowly.

Just want to know your thoughts on this and if you have any experience with that chain. After retirement, I bought a Subaru Outback so that I could visit the National Parks and other such places with rough roads and snow. Reading these posts, it appears that I have made a bad choice, and I cannot go to places that I have previously been to in a 2-wheel drive sedan. For example, I am planning a trip to Yosemite Valley. I know there will be snow on the ground.

I checked the Subaru website and found out that chains cannot be used on my vehicle, as there is not enough clearance. What a terrible design flaw, on a vehicle that is supposed to be able to go to places that are likely to require chains!!!!!. Cars are built with a differential gear to allow 2 or more drive wheels to rotate at different speeds.

If one wheel slips on ice the worst that can happen is that you will totally lose traction temporarily. If so, that is a fatal design flaw. I have driven 2-wheel drive cars for many years in snow and icy conditions and never had an accident or transmission damage.

Sure I have had wheel slippage, but I know how to handle it. Any time chain controls are in effect, all vehicles must have chains in possession, including four-wheel drive and rental vehicles. Their policy just like every other one I have read is that you must posses chains, but you do not have to have them installed. This means you buy a set of chains and put them in the cargo area…. This includes many Jeep Models….

The AWD system on the Outback is one of the best Subaru has built, you can enhance it with a set of Studless snow tires it will be even better. You will spend much more time using your brakes, and taking for granted how well they work, then you ever will in the snow wishing it could use chains.

Justin, With the low wheel well clearance in my Subaru Forester, I am having problems with snow compaction. Any ideas? Mazama WA. I would just be careful with the water idea also, knocking it off with something would be a better idea. This happens to a lot of modern vehicles I will add. I have been searching for a compatible set of chains. Your advice is NO. So, more sand and cross fingers. Great post and thanks for getting back to everyone.

Just purchased my first Subaru, a Forester, and am planning a trip up to our local southern CA mountains that are getting slammed at the moment with storms. My main question: do the same rules apply that you gave to Amanda Outback about using only Auto Socks instead of spring chains? More as a precaution to show the CA highway patrol.

Your confirmation on the best method to go with on my Forester is much appreciated. Thank you in advance! Every State is different, so consult that states DOT website. I have read some of what you have written and the queries regarding chains on front only, rear only, both front and rear, clearances, studded tires et cetera and am beginning to understand the issues involved.

So if her Outback may very well work better without chains how do we convince the California Highway Patrol, who may not let us pass without having them with us?

You will see the law is you must carry chains , it states no where that a AWD vehicle must have chains installed. This continues to cause confusion, but if it were me Id print it and have it in my Glove box with the section about chains highlighted if you are worried about a ticket. Justin, This is a very informative forum. Just one correction on the law in CA. While the link you provide states that AWD only need to carry chains, it looks like there can be different levels of chain requirements CalTrans can use and some levels require chains to be on AWD vehicle.

Thanks for the link, I do try and stress I only post info about Washington State typically, and drivers need to follow which ever state they live in rules.

I just bought a Crosstrek with CVT. The car came with the Yokohama Geolanders. They seem to have mixed reviews. Not in the budget right now. I have mile of bad road mostly steep grades getting out of here. What about cables or even tire socks? Winters can be pretty rough up here on the mountain. If you live in an area with harsh winter driving conditions, the Subaru is a great choice, but Tires are also a big deal, I would rather see you spend the money on Winter tires and know you wont have any issues.

Tires Socks are more for a emergency and to get the DOT off your back when a mandatory chain message is displayed on your roadway. Cable chains are just not an option for most modern cars. So my question is, can I run cables on my car or are they essentially non-optional? Good all season tires have provided adequate traction in all but extreme conditions; e. Then the diamond chains come out.. Location, Southern Washington Cascades. Im a new sube owner and I had a question for you.

We have a Ascent, the owners manual says no tire chains, you can use spring chains, but only on the front. We are planning to buy a set of Autosocks to be in compliance with traction laws. Should we only use them on the front or put them on all 4 tires? I would just plan on Autosocks in the front.

Ive ran them on my 18 Outback that way without concern. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email. We have a lot of snow on the slopes this year and a good time should be had by all. Justin Follow up to an older article: Most newer Subaru models just dont have the room for chains, as we have made the braking systems larger the wheel size has increased to allow for clearance, this also increased the size of the tire. Here is a link to a product that may help. Share on facebook Facebook.

Share on twitter Twitter. Justin Stobb. Justin has been providing Subaru Owners regardless of where they live , with tips and advice about their Subaru since Make An Appointment Now. Subaru manual book only recommending using front tires with chains.

Thanks -Justin. Hey Alf, Thanks for posting. Hey Eric, Studless snow tires and an alternative traction device such as the Autosock in the cargo area. Hope that helps -Justin. Hi Kate, I cant answer this question without more information.

Which Subaru do you have? Heather, Really It all depends on how its going to be driven. Sorry Justin. I am not suggesting to drive it at speeds over 15 mph or for any extended period of time.

Hi Justin I stumbled on your website searching for an answer to the question of snow chains on a Outback. Hello Seedy, I am not familiar with the rules in the UK.

Which is a big reason stud less tires have become so popular What I was pointing out to the owner of the 09 forester was even if they chained up two wheels instead of 4 the only way they would damage their AWD system was to let the unchained wheels slip. All the best Justin.

Hello David, Thank you for your kind words. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. Regards, Steven. Orlando, Sorry it took a bit to reply, crazy busy at the shop and snow on the ground.

Steven, Sorry to take so long to respond. All season should be ok but if you want the safest set up go with Studless. Hey Linda, I am guessing you are in the great N. Hey Nina, Yes the Saab model you own is a Saabaru. It has the exact same drive train as the Impreza. Hi Justin This is a great site. Lots of info. What about the ice.

Does all-wheel drive make a difference. Thank you Jenny. Hey Jenny, I am not a big fan of the spiders and I also am not sure they will clear especially in the rear. Deanna, Chains just dont clear very well on a lot of newer cars all that well especially on the back, and driving to fast with only one set of chains on can damage the AWD sysem. Is it possible to notch down to a R16 and then use chains more easily?

Hello all, and yes this site is a great resource. Any feedback or advice would be much appreciated! Thanks much, Marea. Hey Marea, That area is very difficult in snow and ice even with a Subaru.

Hey Peter, Thanks for the feedback on our site. Hi Brian, I know you want to me to tell you your set up currently is ok, but I just cant in good faith tell you that.

I know money is hard to come by but it could cost you more in the long run Justin. Thanks, John. Hope that helps Justin. Thanks Justin for the info and great site! Neil, Most of the time you will get around just find with out Snow tires. Hope that helps. Gabriel, Wow thats great, all the way from Romania! Bruce, It is a popular thing to reduce the width of the tire for winter driving, as a narrow tire may give better traction in snow, same vehicle weight distributed over a smaller footprint may help some with traction in the Snow.

Berk, Chains should really only be used at very slow speeds, and in extreme situations. Do you have any experience with the Thule summit K series tire chains on Subarus? Any comments? Cauck37, We are currently looking into a few different chain options. Mike, Yes clearance is one of the issues, I cant really comment on the chains your are calling out in your question, I am just not familiar with that brand.

Thats just the best I can do right now Justin. I am not aware of any chain options for the Tribeca as of right now. But stay tuned. Hello Chris, There are so many different tires out there, I would encourage you to try looking at the tire rack for the best user reviewed tires and take it from there.

Hello Katt, There are many choices for chains for the Forester. Hello Debbie, Same advice as for Katt. Anne Dont Stay home! OP hit one of my pet peeves. Scrabbler makes a good point. They have 17" low profile alloys? They have some new products out that are promising tire socks etc. Keep an eye on them and reviews. Something may turn up in the next year or so that you could substitute for in a pinch only.

I actually bought a set. The one and only time I tried to use them, they came off, and one went to parts unknown. Amazon reviews were mixed—some people really loved them and others had problems with them coming off.

Basically rubber and metal cleats that attach to your wheels with velcro and fabric. Consumer Reports had difficulty putting them on and other reviewers had a great deal of difficulty taking them off.

Consumer reports said they were excellent on ice and hard packed snow, but not as good as all season tires in loose snow. Supposedly can be driven on dry pavement for short periods. I did mean winter tires, not snow tires if by that you are referring to the all season tires that come with the car. That said, cable chains seem to fit ok, and I will carry them with me. I am shocked! I owned an AWD Legacy station wagon for 15 years.

I did this a few times, in conditions where the snow melted in direct sunlight but froze in the late afternoon, and we had to get back to our lodging. So I never imagined that a new Subaru would not take chains.

If you really need chains on your AWD Subaru you probably should not be driving.