Snow chains on front or rear?

Should chains go on front or rear tires of TRD Off-Road? Concerned about ice in SoCal mountains and deeper snow in Mammoth area. I’ve carried cables for years and never used them. Now that I’m a newbie to living in mountains, I’m going to get diamond chains since my road isn’t plowed regularly.
Appreciate recommendations on chains and where to place them when climbing hills/steep driveway with ice.
Also, open to any recommendations as I’ll be using 4rnr for snow performance that I’ve not needed before.

 

Front-wheel drive vehicles should put chains on the front tires. This is because the front tires are responsible for steering and braking. If the front tires lose traction, it can be difficult to steer and stop the vehicle. Rear-wheel drive vehicles should put chains on the rear tires.

Your 4Runer is rear-wheel drive (except when you put it into 4wheel drive), so put the chains on the rear tires.


EDIT: In regards to your comment about ice; it won't matter how many tires and how many chains you have on those tires. That's just more tires to lose traction. I have seen tanks sliding on ice before. So when you encounter it be extremely careful. Drive only as fast as you can, safely. Which usually means you'll be crawling...or driving under 10mph.

 

Chains go in the rear. There's typically no room around the front tires. (Hell the Pro even has a Toyota TSB to trim the front bumper to alleviate rubbing, this is with OEM design.)

 

Lived in the mountains of northwest Colorado for most of my life. NEVER put chains on for normal ice/snow driving. However, I installed snow/ice specific tires like Bridgestone Blizzacks on a separate set of wheels. The only time I used chains was if I was plowing snow in a dedicated plow truck (think beat up F250), that's because it's easy to break traction while pushing a blade full of snow. The rears were chained for normal plowing and I only chained up all four if it was REALLY deep. Chains are a pain in the ass. You absolutely need to take them off once the roads are clear. You drive a 4Runner. Hopefully it's 4WD (I don't know why someone would buy a 2WD). Invest in tires and and you won't have any problems.

 

Not that this thread is about semi-driving, but.. when I drove over the road semi, the owner of the company said, "when the weather is bad enough to have to put chains on, you don't need to be driving." Chains of some type are required by law for trucks during I thought it was Nov.- March or April, so we carried 'cable chains', but like catbrown357 , if you don't have to put chains on... don't! They are useful in some situations, but mostly a pain in the .. butt. Really good post by Borracho Loco also. Good luck in that snow!

 

OP: good tips so far, but I'd also add that there's more to living and driving in snowy, remote areas than snow chains. Especially if you're coming from southern California, and we don't know your experience.

Make sure you take normal winter driving precautions too, such as:
- always keep at least a half tank of gas in the car
- carry extra food and water
- blankets / sleeping bag (even 4Runners can get stuck, especially in heavy wet snow)
- maybe invest in some warm snow boots, in case you need to walk the last 1/4 mile to your house or something. I like the ice trekker or similar shoe spikes for getting around on snow and ice (busted my ass one too many times).

Also, make sure you practice putting your chains on in the garage or driveway, so you're not trying to figure them out while losing feeling in your fingers. My pro tip is to stick a set of work gloves in the chain case (even more important for taking them off, when they're full of grit and slush).

 

I have a proper set of chains (NEVER needed them with my last T4R and last winter with the 21) but have been pondering a set of these just to show chain control (just for the fun of it)