snow chains/cables

[treed2 at wsu.edu (T. Reed)]

So.. on Friday I'm going to make the 300 mile journey westward to see my
fam this thanksgiving-- there will be snow; at least its in the forecast.
At the bare minimum I have to go over the mountain pass which is always a
bit treacherous.

I have my studded snow tires, windshield scraper, window washer
antifreeze, warm clothes, extra food and water, Bob Marley CDs for that
tropical warmth effect, etc. so I should be all set to go.

(I should add that I'm more pleased than ever with my homemade heated
seats now that its so freakin cold around here. See Patrick's ATS site
under "other people's mods" for the writeup if you missed it.)

...

Because Washington State has strictly enforced "mandatory chain-up" laws
(when posted) I decided I'd better buy a set of tire chains. I paid a
visit to Wal-Mart (the largest retail store within 50 miles) and purchased
a set of $24 snow cables, which are like chains but according to the
manufacturer "easier to install, quieter and slightly less effective".
They came in a nasty blue case and are made by Peerless under the name
"Wintertrac".

The attraction for me was that they might have a shot at -not- carving up
the inside of my wheel wells because they have a much lower profile than
regular chains. I'm running the stock tire size (P185-60R14) with the
ever-popular lowered Bilstein + H&R combo; hopefully there is still enough
room for the cables (I think there will be; it's the side-to-side
clearance I'm most worried about.. ie. the cable on the inner sidewall
rubbing on the strut during sharp turns)

The last thing I want to have happen is for them to get loose at speed and
trash my fender, so I'm bringing some zip ties (and wire cutters) to use
as secondary securements for the loose tails hanging out from the
tightening mechanism. I don't think their little freely-swinging hooks are
going to do their job at 25 mph.

Naturally, I'm going to test-fit the chains before I get going.. but I
just wanted to probe the list for any good/bad experiences with
using traction devices on a Scirocco cuz a search on google turned up
nothing.

-Toby