Hi all...

Bob here! I live in Palmer Alaska - a little town about 1 hour north of Anchorage.

I'd never considered a Mini until I lost my modified '08 Subaru Forester Sports XT to a stop sign runner.

As it turns out, my son who owns Element Automotive, an automotive repair and performance shop, was selling a '06 MCS JCW. He needed the capital to purchase an STI to convert to a shop race car. I obliged!

I autocrossed my FSXT for a few seasons in SM. I plan to AX the Mini too. I think it is going to be a blast.

My wife and I have many plans for the Mini especially on the exterior.

So far, I have found this NAM to be a very useful and it is much appreciated.

 

Sounds like a great find! Please share more pics of you have them.

Mike

 

How has your mini been in the snow. I got my mini about the same time you did and I live in Minnesota. We've had record snows this year. I've heard the mini's are fine in snow but I stored mine anyway. Are you using yours in the snow?

 

It does great. I had new Blizzaks installed when I got it and they work very well. We haven't had a lot of snow but have had lots of ice. The car handles it all very well. Not as well as the Subaru I lost but better than any FWD car I have driven in Alaska.

 

Good to know. I see mini's out in the snow with no problem. I would like to see how it handles. I have to weigh the downside of all the salt and sand damage done by road crews to clear the ice.

 

Very little salt used here. It's gravel on the highways and chemical deicing in town.

The car has a full frontal clear cover wrap so despite 60K miles, there is one or two dings and that is in the chrome headlight rings.

Windshields take a beating here though. That's why I carry "0" deductible Comprehensive coverage and just get a new windshield every 1 to 1-1/2 years. The added annual cost is far less that $100.

 

Hey I live in the north east. Thus far this year we haven't had a crazy amount of snow however the one storm we had my mini performed like a champ. I have a standard mini cooper non turbo. I put yokahama envigor tires on in the fall and I'm very impressed with these tires. There even better than the stock dealer tires. Over all I couldn't be happier with the results.... hope this helped Motor On :D

 

I have heard good things about the Yokohama Envigor as an A/S tire.

If you ever need a dedicated studless winter/ice tire, Blizzaks, Hakapelittas and X-Ice are the bomb.

 

The tips on tires are helpful. I would need to get the snow tires for sure. That front clear cover sounds like a really good idea as well. My Mini S is a 2003 but has been stored most winters--only 43K mi. All the dings are on the front hood area.

 

Hello, and welcome to NAM from another fellow Alaskan MINI owner.

Be sure to check out the MINI Motoring Club of Alaska if you haven't already...they're a great group of people!

I love driving my '04 R53 in the winter. It is by far the most sure-footed FWD car I've ever driven here in the winter...I've currently got a set of 15" Pirelli Winter Carving studded tires. They are basically wanna-be Hakkapeliitta 7 tires. Went with studded tires mostly because I haven't had the greatest of luck with studless tires on the "wet" ice we get here in Kodiak. Studless tires worked wonderfully when I lived in Fairbanks, though.

 

Kodiak huh? I lived there for 6 years. 1996-2002

I retired from the US Coast Guard and settled in Palmer.

 

Wish we could wear studded tires in Minnesota, but I do have to say, the road crews are very good here about getting the roads quickly cleared, salted and sanded. Basically, anyone with a front wheel drive car is okay to drive unless it's snowing hard over ice.

 

My dad retired from the CG in '96. I worked at the CG base (motor pool) for the base contractor from '01-'06. I can think of a few Coasties who settled in the valley once they retired from the CG and I don't blame them...the weather on the rock can be challenging, as I'm sure you're well aware.

You'd be surprised how many MINIs are driving around Kodiak now. The number varies from year to year as people get transferred in and out of here...but seems to hover around 10-12.