Bought my first Mini last week, a 2013 Countryman S All4 in Blazing Red Metallic. We're moving to Wisconsin in a month and I wanted something that will deal with the winters better than the RWD BMW I had previously. I've loved Minis since they were reintroduced but with young kids they weren't a good fit. Now that my kids are older I can play a little more. I'm looking forward to learning more about the car and personalizing it a little. Thanks for the great resource.

David

 

AWD certainly won't hurt, but proper winter tires are sooo much more effective than AWD alone. AWD helps you accelerate but does nothing for steering (when not on the gas) and very little for stopping. The good thing is that the winters are consistent enough to justify changing the wheels/tires each time. The upfront cost also goes away with time since you won't go through tires as quickly. I lived in Michigan but now am in Virginia, so it doesn't make sense to go through the hassle of winter tires. Given a day or to and the temp is back in the 60s. Also coming from the south before moving to Michigan, I was very fond of my Blizzaks.

 

Welcome

 

Will definitely get a set of winter tires (and wheels) because the car currently has summer tires. Considering Blizzaks but also looking at a Michelin and a Continental. All were well reviewed in a comparison by Tire Rack. Except for the last 5 years, I've always lived places where it snows. Can't wait to get back to seasons.

 

Welcome to NAM.

Thank you for taking the time to get involved.

 

Congrats and Welcome

 

Hi and welcome to NAM!