So I got stranded in the snow this past Friday night as the east coast blizzard swept through Northern VA. I went to see a movie with friends around 8:30 and it had just begun to flurry. By the time I left the theater around 12:30am, there was five to six inches on the ground and it was steadily falling. I needed to get 10 miles home on a route that has numerous hills. It was a pretty hair raising experience and as I attempted to climb one last hill that would have led to a flat road I could have pretty much coasted home on, I became stuck in the middle of the road.

Luckily it was late and not many cars were on the road. I was able to safely pull into a neighborhood (after turning around and driving down the road the wrong way for about 500 feet) and park the car. I dug it out on Monday afternoon.

I searched the forum for people who have used tire chains in the past (I know, call me crazy) but it doesn't look as if A) anyone has wanted to bother with chains as they can damage your rims and are a pain, and B) most people buy snow tires. I have a hunch that this winter may bring some of the heaviest snowfall we have seen in a while (at least in VA) and I would like to be prepared for the next snow storm.

I currently am not looking to drop close to a grand on snow shoes for my xfire (Don't call me a cheapskate I just finished school and haven't made any money yet), and I hope to be avoiding driving in the snow whenever possible.

That being said... I am starting work January 4 and will be commuting 20 miles round trip daily. I would like to have a set of chains for the rear tires to keep under the trunk bed in case of emergencies. I have been looking at these emergency sets on tirechain.com (see link):

V-Bar Emergency Strap On Chains

But I figured that if your going to chain your tires, you might as well invest in a real set. This newer model from tirechain.com called "Diagonal Cable Chains" seem like they might be the best bet for the xfire's low profile tires (see link):

Diagonal Tire Chains Cable

I have Conti All-Seasons. Am I correct in assuming the sizing on the rears is 255-35-19? If so does anyone know if these chains would fit on our tires?

Lastly has anyone used tire chains in the past?

Please save the comments about me desecrating my crossfire, being too cheap to buy snow tires, or telling me I shouldn't be driving in the snow anyways - to yourself.

I really appreciate anyone who has feedback on this and hopefully this thread might help somebody on the forum in the future as I don't think this topic has ever been thoroughly covered.