Paul Rooney proclaimed:

> Anyone got experience of using snow tyres and/or snow chains?

Yes.

> Is one preferable to the other?

Yes.

> Anything else I should know about them?

Not even chains can make up for driving skills that lack slick weather
experience.

Snow tires tend to be of two varieties. The mud and snow will
typically have rather large tread voids in order to deal with
deep packed or loose snow. Deep as in several inches. A more
typical "snow" tire is really an ice tire...with tread compound
that stays soft at very low temperature, tends to be hydrophilic,
and will typically have a lot of small cuts or sipes to give more
gripping edges on ice. The best of these may be almost as good
as studded tires.

Chains are for severe conditions. Even the cable style will cause
a lot of vibration. Should be used at very low speeds only.