Will Running Snow Chains On The Front Wheels Of A 2012 Toyota Highlander Damage The Vehicle?

Published 12/15/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Glacier Cable Tire Chains - Ladder Pattern - Roller Links - Manual Tensioning - 1 Pair

(1102)

$123.69

Titan Chain Alloy Snow Tire Chains - Diamond Pattern - Square Link - 1 Pair

(513)

$135.17

Question:

My question is: When I had a broken tire, the technician always told me that I had to change four tires to new ones because of the axis thing. Otherwise, it will hurt the engine. Therefore, my question is: Do I need to buy two pairs of snow chains because it will make four tires be balanced? If I only use one pair on my front tires, will this hurt my engine? Thanks!

asked by: Yan

Expert Reply:

Using only one set of chains on your 2012 Toyota Highlander will not hurt the engine. Typically just one set is used as you really only need chains on the drive wheels. If your Highlander is a front wheel drive model, this is where they should be used. However, if you have an all wheel drive model, we do recommend using the chains on the rear wheels. This is due to chains not lasting as long when they are on front wheels as turning will add some stress on them and wear them out quicker.

With all that being said, if you are going to be in an intensely snowy area, you can also run chains on all 4 wheels. It isn't completely necessary, but is not going to hurt anything either. If you are going to be in this kind of area/situation though, you will want to go with a chain style set up, like the Titan Chain # TC2324 for a 2045/55-19 tire, and they are going to give you better traction than a cable set up, like the PW2029C (for the same tire size).

expert reply by: Lazer S