Best 2021 Subaru Outback Wagon Tire Chains

Quality product. It fits. It got here right when they said it would. Perfect. I ordered the PW1038 low-profile S Chains for my 2014 Subaru Outback. They fit, using the 2nd from last locking link from the end. They do not rub the shock absorber. Great. etrailer gave an estimated delivery date, and they arrived exactly on that date. Tip: They ship using UPS, but then hand it off to USPS, meaning it arrived in my US Mail Box, not on the front porch. More secure. I doubt I will every have to use them in a snow-chain Level 3 condition (in which ALL vehicles, 4WD or not, have to chain up), but in CA, NV, and OR, you have to be able to show the police that you HAVE the chains in your vehicle, even though you are not using them on the tires. I recommend this solution for my fellow Subaru owners.

I have not had the need to use the tire chains yet. I have an all wheel drive Subaru and I carry the chains just in case the road conditions require chains. I like to compact carrying case. The chains fit perfectly where I stow the spare tire.

These chains actually fit the front wheels of my Subaru Outback. (225/65-17) Unlike the "EZ" chains I'd previously bought from online-retailer "A," these chains have inner and outer cables with a sufficient length (circumference) to sit at the widest part of the tire as opposed to the other chains I'd ordered from brand "A" that, at the cross-link points, fell inside the 17" wheel diameter, and therefore interfered with the suspension components of the front wheels. I'll admit that the split chains that DIDN'T work for me were much easier to install, and they appeared to be of a little sturdier constructions, than the PW1042 chains that I now have, but I couldn't get circumference information for the other company's chains, or confirmation that they'd fit my car, not just my tires. The pw1042 chains have equal-length inside and outside cables, and they are adjustable, so I can make sure that the inside cable is snug enough, but well clear of the car's suspension. The other company's "EZ" chains offered no such adjustment. I'll probably be using the second notch on the inside of the tires, and then the third or fourth notch on the outside of the tires. The rubber adjusters that I also bought will take up any (not much) slack that there is.

Expensive but worth it I think. Very similar in design to other less expensive versions from a different mfr but these do appear to be of a higher quality. Easy to install once I figured it out during a trial run in the garage and will probably be the same in real conditions. You would not want the first time you take them out of the box to be when you need them on the side of a road in freezing weather. Excellent customer service as others have mentioned, and super quick free deliver.

I received the Thule chains and installed them to make sure they fit my car. They fit great and were easy to install and remove. Even seems like these chains might not be too difficult to install ~after~ getting stuck in the snow (bring a shovel). I know myself ... I probably won't be proactive and put them on before I get stuck in the snow. Ease of installation ~after~ getting stuck is an important feature. My first impression is that these don't look like "heavy duty" tire chains by any stretch of the imagination. I'm hoping if I do ever need these it will only be for a few miles or less. I'm thinking about ordering a spare pair because if something breaks (particularly if the self adjusting ratchet mechanism fails) I won't attempt a repair on the side of the road in a snow storm. But if I have spare chains with me I'll be able to swap 'em out with new and keep going with a full complement of chains. The chains did come with some replacement links in case a chain link fails. I think I'll keep a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and some gloves in the case with the chains. The main reason behind my purchase is that if I'm prepared to install tire chains then it's unlikely I'll ever have a need to install them. But without them I might be stuck in the first snowdrift of the season. :-)

Delivery was on time, packaging is good, too yearly to comment on the chain functionality

Easy on after untangling. Safely up the mountain with no problem. Easy off. Found that individually bagging each chainset reduced tangling and eased storage in the provided carrying case. Hope this helps. Thanks etrailer.com for being there.

The chains were very easy to install - particularly for a first-time user. My wife and I were able to quickly understand the installation process. The chains do tend to get tangled during storage and presents the biggest challenge. But once untangled, you can install both sides in just a couple of minutes. Now we wait for an opportunity to use them....

Great chains. I use a set of four on a subaru outback. Living at elevation, snow and ice. Not uncommon wintertime scene. Pretty easy on (have a pair of leather gloves and headlamp), five minutes ideally to get all four on in the dark. Practice with them before the storm. Very easy off. Will vibrate your teeth out if travelling on plowed roads, but that's not what they're intended for anyway. Take them off and throw them in the trunk.

The chains came in and fit perfectly and they also store under the back storage area. Cannot wait to be able to use them. Will post pics after the first snow.

Great service. Haven't needed to use these yet but I did practice installing them on my vehicle. Everything looks good and the fit is right on. The instructions were good and easy to follow. Nice to have in an emergency.

The tire chain works as advertised. However there're some iron wires were not wrapped in very well, they stuck into my fingers while I was installing the chain.

I give these chains an excellent from my limited experience using them. I never did use them. I did however do a practice run once and put them on. It was very easy. I then took it off and placed it back in the carrying case. That too was easy and it fit back in nicely. Construction seemed solid. I just bought a new pair for a new car from etrailer.

Product fits as intended and came in quickly!

Review for timely delivery. Not used yet to confirm the usefulness

Works well for vehicles with minimal wheel clearance. Provides exellent traction for a low price.

Got chains delivered sooner than estimated. Chains are a great product for the price, and performed great while driving up in the Big Bear Mountains.

I live in Dallas, TX so we don’t get snow but ice and sleet and available a couple times a year. I put these on my Subaru Outback and was able to drive around the local neighborhood streets that were iced over. Stopping went well a and starting did not have any wheel spin.

It is a new product,so time will tell. As I drive a Subaru, I really don't expect to ever use them, but I'm in Ca and the cops rule.

I bought, hoping never to use. But, if in a pinch, I wanted something that was simple to install and self tightening. I installed once just for practice, and to insure it was the proper fit. The Town & Country does not have a lot of front wheel well clearance, and this choice fits well.

In shopping for a chain cable, I was impressed with the video of Ed demonstrating how easy it was to install your product. That demo inspired me to order from etrailer. The online order system and prompt shipping went smoothly and delivery was on time. The carrying bag for the cables is a quality product, too. The pictorial instructions will help a lot.

I've used these chains several times in this winter and it works only on flat roads with light snow. My 2015 Subaru Forester wearing these chains couldn't climb 10 - 20 degrees road with around 3 - 6 inches snow. I was expecting my Subaru could climb that road because it wasn't steep. No issues with clearance. I should have bought diamond pattern chains.

Ordered this set on Monday, received on Wednesday! No extra costs on fast shipping. Came with everything displayed, as well as a nice soft storage bag! Compared to many other sets of cables I have had, these look to be superior quality, I have not used them at this time, though the installation looks to be simple by design.

This review is more about the product delivery and service from etrailer.com itself. The product from etrailer.com arrived on time and matched the specifications exactly (a problem that I had with tire chain shopping in sites like (another site) was that the received product did not match the tire size given in the (another site) site product description). With etrailer.com, the transaction was clean and I am happy with the purchase. I didn’t get a chance to use these chains so far, so I can’t comment on the quality of the chains itself, but I will surely come back to etrailer.com for my future automotive shopping. Thanks.

These chains are great.

My Titan Chain Low Profile Tire Chains arrived on time and fit great. They were exactly as described. Luckily I did not have to use them at all last winter, but I did a test run and they were relatively easy to install and tighten. Having these in the trunk of my van allow me to stay in compliance with state "chains required" regulations and provides me with peace of mind. I would highly recommend this product. Customer service has been great.

While I think this could be a fantastic set of chains, I believe the manufacturer could provide better instructions as to buying replacement parts. I tried installing these chains and one of the hex head bolts broke while tightening it up. I tried to find a replacement all over their website and also on etrailer but didn't find any. etrailer team was very kind to help me get in contact with the manufacturer to provide me with a replacement but they never responded back or appeared at all, and ended up just returning these because I could never use them but in the garage to test them one at a time using the same bolt for each set. I'm sure these could have been awesome in the snow plus they looked fantastic on my Kia Sorento 2022.

While I have not actually used them in the snow yet, my test installation in the garage went well.

The chains were great, however the blue tensioners broke at the worst time and I didn't even use them for more than 10 minutes before the tensioner broke.

Hard to put on and would not stay centered on the tire. Ended up taking them off as they were coming loose and knocking the wheel well

purchased for my daughters car...have not see its use but can comment on etrailer customer service as excellent. they fixed and order glitch quickly and kept me informed of progress all through the cycle

We have a BMW X3 in the foothills of the Sierras and need to have chains on hand. Normal chains are not an option for the BMW X3. On the surface theses seem like a very slick product. In reality maybe for some. There are limited Choices for the X3, The K-Summit Size: K45 seem OK but I have issues and concerns. Once received you have to fit the chains to your tires. DO HIS IN THE GARAGE BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE. Doing this on the road in the snow would be a pain. If you like IKEA you’ll love the instructions. (Well maybe not that bad). Go on-line and look at some videos. I needed to remove 4 “regulation elements” on each chain to fit our tires. Tools are provided but I used a metric socket and a cordless drill to help with this and it took maybe 5 minutes. With hand tools the 8 total “elements’ would have taken 20 or more. Now basically shove the chain more or less in place with plastic “pads at 10:00, 2:00, 4:00 and 8:00 O’Clock positions on the tire. Next make sure you have the correct size lug nut adapter and the proper spacing from the rim. Supposedly just put the adaptor on a lug, with the indicating tip toward the rim center and tighten the bolt with the supplied wrench. I found issues with the 17mm lug adapter and the 17mm BMW lug. The BMW lug is not very tall and the adapter never felt very securely seated to me. (Yes I made sure the adapter is seated correctly in the “cup”; instructions mention this). This may be better on other vehicles. Lastly, pull the crank until you see the red line on the nylon strap. Dive forward 50 feet or so so the chains will move onto the tire. We got out of the car to check and it still required a couple of short toe kicks to fully get them securely on. In summary they seem to “work OK”. I didn’t find any better options available for the X3. Once set up they are fairly easy to install with the exception of the lug nut connection which I found insecure and fussy on the X3. The plastic components give me concern for durability. Will they become brittle and break in cold temperatures or over extended use? Time will tell. Very costly if there is a failure on the road warrantee not withstanding.

I have a 2019 Subaru Forester. I purchased these based on the recommendations and information provided by this site. The Call Center rep was extremely helpful in finalizing more order by making sure it should be compatible with my vehicle and discussing shipping options. As for the tire chains, they fit well once I figured out how to install them. They are very easy to install once you get them adjusted for your tire and find the right fit combination between the lug nut size and the spacers. The only main issue I have is with the tire size and the recommended sizing of the tires. The instruction manual recommended removing one of the pins to allow for more chain radius. However, I had to remove six to get the chains on properly. However, once that was complete, the chains are incredibly easy to put on. The winch works well pulling the chains snug to the tires and is easy to adjust. Releasing is a little harder, but still easy.