Snow tires and chains are only as good as your ground clearance.
I had chains on my old Jeep when I lived in Buffalo and they weren't as usefull as you think. The streets get cleaned up rather quickly. Unless you live in an area that doesn't get plowed, chains are overkill and a Z would be more than impractical. A good set of winter tires will get you home, but I wouldn't suggest relying on it. An Evo or Subie would be a better choice if you live in an area that going to see a ton of snow on a weekly basis. I don't know much about studded winter tires, but chances are its going to be noisy as hell on dry roads.