Snow Tire Chain Recommendation for 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i

Published 10/25/2018

Question:

We will be pulling our tear trailer to Yosemite over New Years this year with our 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i. We have the stock size wheels on our Subaru. We are from Southern Arizona and do not have snow tires or a desire to buy snow tires for one long weekend. I know that we are required by California law to carry chains in our vehicle. I have read conflicting information about the chains we should use and which tires should have chains. Do we need two sets of chains? If we get one set of chains, do we put the chains on the front or rear wheels? Do we need chains for our tear trailer?

asked by: Sarah L

Expert Reply:

The stock tire size of your 2012 Subaru Outback Wagon would be P215/70R16 which for a one-time use, mainly to get through California check points, we recommend using tire cables like the Glacier part # PW1038 which is a confirmed fit for your tire size and would require a minimal amount of clearance so they are a great option. We had a chance to install these on a similar 2012 Outback like yours and found they fit and worked well. Check out the install video link I attached to this page that covers that.

expert reply by: Jameson C