My Honda CR-V EX is AWD, but Honda says to put the chains on the front only.
See my above post for tips about tire chains.
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The following is a Step - by - Step guide on how to install chains on the front wheels of a vehicle:
Try to find flat ground to do the install or removal chains, and remember to bring 4 bricks or 4 wheel chocks. Of course it would be easier to do this on dry level hard surface, but in the winter by the time you realize you have to install chains, that is not always available.
Set the parking brake. Install wheel chocks or bricks in-front of and behind, both back tires.
Turn the wheel all the way to the right, and turn off engine. Use the jack to raise the left front tire so it is a couple of inches off the ground. Lay one chain out on the ground beside the left tire so the link-latches of the chain are towards the back of the vehicle. Attach the end of the 2 foot solid insulated 12 gauge single strand of house wire to the inside chain free end that is all the way forward. Keeping the chain in this orientation, place the chain over the left front tire so the inside link-latch is positioned hanging down and towards the back of the vehicle, so that inside link-latch is touching the part of the inside sidewall of that tire towards the back of the vehicle, and about at the level of height of the center of that left front tire, on that part of the left front tire sticking out a little bit from the side of the vehicle. Check that the inside chain near the inside wall of the tire near the top of the tire is not hanging down too much, so you are sure it will not hit any brake hose or sensor wire, by checking that the outside chain along outside tire wall is hanging down enough along outside tire wall. Fish the loose inside chain back by pulling on the 12 gauge insulated wire ( usually part of this wire will pass under the bottom of the tire as you pull that inside free end of chain back towards the inside link-latch. This wire will help you feed the free end of chain, and it will easily fit under the tire as you pull on it, instead of having to put your arm in danger and reach under the tire where clearance might be tight and you would have to blindly grab that free end if you do not use a wire to fish the free end of chain. ) After you have the free end of the inside chain near the inside link-latch, remove the 12 gauge wire and put the inside free end of chain in the link-latch, being careful to chose how many unused links you allow outside of the link-latch, then close that link-latch. Tie down any free hanging unused links with 12 gauge solid bare copper wire, so they can not hit brake lines or sensors or sensor wires. ( Note this is harder to do with the chain on the tire, and easier to do if you test fit the chain and remember how many links you have to tie down and then tie them down after you remove the chain. So they are tied when you really have to use the chain. ) Then connect the outside free chain to the outside link-latch and close that link-latch. ( Usually you can let one or two outside unused links hang free because there is no brake line or sensor for them to hit. ) Now pull some on the chains that cross the tread so they are equally spaced around the tire. Then install 2 sets of tensioners ( keeping in mind that usually the section with the link-latch on the outside wall of the tire does not get a tensioner attached to it ) by attaching one tensioner completely then the other. Start by attaching the connections of one tensioner on the sections of chain along the side wall of the tire, at mid-points, that are between where these side wall chains connect to the chain that crosses the tread to go to the inside of the tire, skipping so these attachments are attached to every other side wall chain at those mid-points, trying to equally space the attachments of each tensioner around the entire of the tire. If required, again pull some on the chains that cross the tread of the tire so they are equally spaced around the tire. Then install the second tensioner to the side wall chains that do not have the first tensioner attached to it at there mid-points again keeping spacing equal around the tire. After the tensioners are installed, if required again pull some on the chains that crosses the tread of the tire as needed so all the crossings are fairly equally spaced around the tire.
Lower that side, start the engine and turn the wheel all the way to the left and then stop the engine, raise the right front side and do the same with the right front.
Lower vehicle and remove back wheel chocks.
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With the wheels turned all the way to bring the back of the tire sticking out from the side of the vehicle and using the 2 foot piece of single strand insulated 12 gauge solid copper house wire to fish the loose chain, the actual putting the chain on takes less time then it takes to raise the vehicle and lower the vehicle enough to get the tire off the ground using the factory scissors jack.
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Honda also says to only use a particular cable tire chain. But if you read the reviews those cable tire chains are junk and a waste of money on something that falls apart quickly if you ever manage to get it to work in the first place.
With two sets of tensioners, the twist link chains have plenty of wheel-well clearance. And they do not make as big of an object for the tire to roll over as some of the other chains, so they probably are easier on the drive-train than some of the other types of chains, incase that is why Honda went with the cable chain recommendation.
See my above post for tips about tire chains.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a Step - by - Step guide on how to install chains on the front wheels of a vehicle:
Try to find flat ground to do the install or removal chains, and remember to bring 4 bricks or 4 wheel chocks. Of course it would be easier to do this on dry level hard surface, but in the winter by the time you realize you have to install chains, that is not always available.
Set the parking brake. Install wheel chocks or bricks in-front of and behind, both back tires.
Turn the wheel all the way to the right, and turn off engine. Use the jack to raise the left front tire so it is a couple of inches off the ground. Lay one chain out on the ground beside the left tire so the link-latches of the chain are towards the back of the vehicle. Attach the end of the 2 foot solid insulated 12 gauge single strand of house wire to the inside chain free end that is all the way forward. Keeping the chain in this orientation, place the chain over the left front tire so the inside link-latch is positioned hanging down and towards the back of the vehicle, so that inside link-latch is touching the part of the inside sidewall of that tire towards the back of the vehicle, and about at the level of height of the center of that left front tire, on that part of the left front tire sticking out a little bit from the side of the vehicle. Check that the inside chain near the inside wall of the tire near the top of the tire is not hanging down too much, so you are sure it will not hit any brake hose or sensor wire, by checking that the outside chain along outside tire wall is hanging down enough along outside tire wall. Fish the loose inside chain back by pulling on the 12 gauge insulated wire ( usually part of this wire will pass under the bottom of the tire as you pull that inside free end of chain back towards the inside link-latch. This wire will help you feed the free end of chain, and it will easily fit under the tire as you pull on it, instead of having to put your arm in danger and reach under the tire where clearance might be tight and you would have to blindly grab that free end if you do not use a wire to fish the free end of chain. ) After you have the free end of the inside chain near the inside link-latch, remove the 12 gauge wire and put the inside free end of chain in the link-latch, being careful to chose how many unused links you allow outside of the link-latch, then close that link-latch. Tie down any free hanging unused links with 12 gauge solid bare copper wire, so they can not hit brake lines or sensors or sensor wires. ( Note this is harder to do with the chain on the tire, and easier to do if you test fit the chain and remember how many links you have to tie down and then tie them down after you remove the chain. So they are tied when you really have to use the chain. ) Then connect the outside free chain to the outside link-latch and close that link-latch. ( Usually you can let one or two outside unused links hang free because there is no brake line or sensor for them to hit. ) Now pull some on the chains that cross the tread so they are equally spaced around the tire. Then install 2 sets of tensioners ( keeping in mind that usually the section with the link-latch on the outside wall of the tire does not get a tensioner attached to it ) by attaching one tensioner completely then the other. Start by attaching the connections of one tensioner on the sections of chain along the side wall of the tire, at mid-points, that are between where these side wall chains connect to the chain that crosses the tread to go to the inside of the tire, skipping so these attachments are attached to every other side wall chain at those mid-points, trying to equally space the attachments of each tensioner around the entire of the tire. If required, again pull some on the chains that cross the tread of the tire so they are equally spaced around the tire. Then install the second tensioner to the side wall chains that do not have the first tensioner attached to it at there mid-points again keeping spacing equal around the tire. After the tensioners are installed, if required again pull some on the chains that crosses the tread of the tire as needed so all the crossings are fairly equally spaced around the tire.
Lower that side, start the engine and turn the wheel all the way to the left and then stop the engine, raise the right front side and do the same with the right front.
Lower vehicle and remove back wheel chocks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the wheels turned all the way to bring the back of the tire sticking out from the side of the vehicle and using the 2 foot piece of single strand insulated 12 gauge solid copper house wire to fish the loose chain, the actual putting the chain on takes less time then it takes to raise the vehicle and lower the vehicle enough to get the tire off the ground using the factory scissors jack.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honda also says to only use a particular cable tire chain. But if you read the reviews those cable tire chains are junk and a waste of money on something that falls apart quickly if you ever manage to get it to work in the first place.
With two sets of tensioners, the twist link chains have plenty of wheel-well clearance. And they do not make as big of an object for the tire to roll over as some of the other chains, so they probably are easier on the drive-train than some of the other types of chains, incase that is why Honda went with the cable chain recommendation.
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