I hate the chattering of my OEM wiper blades, even when new. I checked the PIAA web site and the only blades they recommend for the Mini are the Si-tech blades which are frameless. Has anyone tried these? Seems like most people here at NAM that have switched have just gone to the regular PIAA super silicone with frames.

 

I have these on my 08 Clubman.
I think they're an improvement over stock but maybe not over the super silicones with frames.

I've found that they have great contact on the glass in the middle 80% of the windshield and not on the far sides where it gets really curvy.

So on the driver's side, this isn't too bad as the blade is vertical as it goes in front of you and it has good contact there.
On the passenger's side, it means that the far edge of the blade doesn't get as close to the sill as it with the stock blades.

In the rain, its not a big deal but when dealing with snow, slush and road spray it adds up to reduce the visible area out front by a small amount.

I had on them since the late fall and never thought about taking them off though! They held up really well during all of the snow and ice and i never had to worry about ice forming and keeping them from touching the glass.

Oh, something else about these blades is that they deposit some sort of water repellent stuff as they go back and forth. It works well but it makes it quite obvious where they don't reach and so when it rains, those areas have poor visibility.

I didn't try adding rain-x or something to the whole windshield to see what happened. don't know if someone else tried that...