How Many Wheels Do I Put Tire Chains on 2017 Subaru Forester?

Question:

I own a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Touring. Would you recommend getting a pair of spring chains and putting them on the front tires or getting two pairs and putting them on all four tires?

asked by: Sofia A

Expert Reply:

You'll want to consult your owner's manual to see what it says about using tire chains at all, as some vehicles do not recommend it.

With that being said, since your Subaru is an AWD, I would recommend putting chains on all 4 wheels to maximize your traction and handling. I see that you were looking at the Glacier Cable # PW1046, but I would instead recommend going with the Titan Chain # TC1553 because they are designed with a diamond pattern to provide you with much better traction than the ladder pattern on the Glacier Cable chains. The other drawback to the Glacier chains is that they are not Class S compatible-which is for cars with clearance issues in the wheel wells, so they would not be a great choice. The Titan chains are Class S compatible and come with a 30 day warranty; they would be good for emergency/occasional use.

If you plan on having to use your snow chains fairly often, the spring chains that you mentioned would be a great choice in terms of ease of use and the generally higher quality associated with the manufacturers of those types of chains. The spring chains I recommend going with are the Konig Premium Self-Tensioning Snow Tire Chains - Diamond Pattern K45 # th02230k45. These chains are going to be a bit easier to install than the traditional snow tire chains and come with the diamond chain patter to help provide superior traction. In addition to the diamond chain pattern, these chains have ice spikes for added traction when road conditions are especially treacherous. These Konig chains are Class S compatible, for tight wheel clearances.

As a comparison, the Titan and Glacier chains have a 30 day limited warranty where the Konig chains have a 5 year warranty by the manufacturer. It looks like your 2017 Forester Touring 2.5XT came with 225/60r17 tires, which all of the above listed chains are designed to fit; if you have a different sized tire please let me know what the size is and I can help you find the appropriately sized chains.

I've linked some review videos about these products for you to have a look at, that I think you'll find helpful.