Should Snow Chains Be Installed on All 4 Tires for Vehicle Traveling through Mountains

Updated 12/14/2017 | Published 12/13/2017

Question:

Going to be traveling in mountains with steep roads and switchbacks and icy conditions. Local law enforcement requires chains on all vehicles. My question, with my car being AWD, do I need chains on all 4 tires to protect the transmission, or would just putting them on the front tires be ok? I ask because my mechanic said when I bought tires that the tires had to be withing a certain wear or that the unevenness would cause transmission problems later. Would just having chains on the front cause too much unevenness between front and back of course, Ill be going slow, if that matters. The Escape has... I forget the name of it, but the AWD is automatic, it primarily uses front wheel drive and the AWD kicks in if needed.

asked by: Chris

Helpful Expert Reply:

Ideally you run chains on all four tires to be the safest. Some people get away with one set, but if you are going to be travelling through snowy mountains with tight corners you are definitely a candidate for chains on all 4 wheels. That said the traction is so low in snow that running only one set is not going to damage the transmission like different size tires would on dry pavement.

What is your tire size? With that I'll pick you out the correct size chains and give you a couple options to consider.

A common size for your 2013 Ford Escape is the 235/55-17 which best option is the Easy Fit chains part # th04115240 as they install in a matter of seconds and will give you great traction and fender clearance. I attached an install video for these on a similar 2014 Escape.

expert reply by: Jameson C