List,

I'm getting ready to order a MCS convertible as my daily driver and want something which will handle the New England snow.

I've had 4WD for the last 2 cars...Audi A4 and Toyota Sequoia...and I've gotten used to being able to take it out in all weather.

Does it make sense to get Limited Slip if we already get traction control?

I don't want to overload the option list, for obvious reasons, but I don't know how well the MINI will tackle the snow.

Anybody know, or have ideas?

Thanks,
Jason

 

Hi Jason,

The MINI goes good in the snow. The 61/39 weight distribution puts 61% of the car’s weight on the drive wheels. I got my MCS at the beginning of January and had a chance to try it out in some pretty good snows. I ordered my car with performance tires and put snow tires on it for the winter. The deepest snow I ran in was about 5 to 6 inches. I never ran out of traction, which isn’t bad for a car with only 4.8 inches of ground clearance. The traction control works well in most situations. When it detects wheel spin on one side it applies the brakes on that side which transfers torque to the other side. If it is unable to control the wheel spin by applying the brakes, it cuts engine power. I learned that when the DSC light comes on, don’t get the accelerator any harder. I found that I could regularly pull away from stoplights faster than 4WD vehicles running all-season tires.

I don’t have LSD so I can’t comment on how much this might add to winter drivability. I suspect that the real advantage would come in a situation where wheel spin is needed (i.e., you stuck it in a drift).

IMO for winter driving:
1) snow tires (helps with acceleration, braking, and cornering)
2) LSD (helps with acceleration)

 

I pretty much second what NeilW says...although I'd also add DSC to his list of must haves for the snow.

My '05 MCS doesn't have limited slip either...LSD wasn't available when I ordered. DSC is more of a safety feature, but can definitely save your bacon in the snow.

I live in Maine and the car was a champ in the snow last winter. We had a lot of snow and I pretty much traveled to the mountains every weekend to ski. Also, I came from having an A4 (w/Quattro), and honestly with Blizzaks on the MCS (also had Blizzaks on the A4) in the winter, I noticed no difference in how the car handles to the way the Audi did.

 

RenaultF1’s point about DSC is a good one. I momentarily forgot about that being an option. I have it and would probably put it on the “winter” list before LSD.

 

Having lived through many a NE winter, studded snows with iron chains will get your through anything ... especially when towed behind a snow cat Just kidding. Listen to the other ppl here, they know more than me!

 

I would definetely get DSC and 16" rims.

 

4 snows on 16 inch rims and learn when to use and not use DSC.

I live in the foothills of Colorado at 7000 ft. My commute descends down to 5300 ft. (in 4 mies) and back up to 7000 ft on my way home. So, I need good traction ascending steep hills. On some steep and snowy conditions I some times need to turn off the DSC in order to get the power back to the wheels. When DSC detects slippage it depowers the wheels and I can't get up the incline. Assuming I have momentum, turning off the DSC can get me up the steep stuff. Don't get me wrong - the DSC does help in other slippery situations.

The low ground clearance is more of an issue for me in the snow. And that's when I put the snow plow on the mini.

 

Thanks folks,

I'm glad to hear these cars do well in the white stuff. It was a major concern of mine...That, and what's it behave like in a crash with a SUV.

But, what is DSC? Dynamic Stability Control?

Starting to feel pretty foolish...should probably do a bit more homework.

Sorry,

Jason

 

Jason ,I'm going out now the find a Caddy Escalade and do a head on, I'll let you know how it goes. Oh-don't buy the Summer performance tires, get the all season and a set of snow for winter.

 

Yes DSC is dynamic stability control.

There are many threads in this site about mini safety and crash info. Do a quick search on the subject and you'll find all sorts of info and opinions.

Here's one for example: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ght=crash+test

 

Here's some real world statistics from IIHS on DSC (called ESC in the article). Statistically, DSC reduces the likelihood of a fatal accident by 34%. Now, I realize that real world data contains all sorts of confounding effects like safer drivers buying safety-related options like DSC. But even if is is a placebo effect, it might be worth it.

 

For winter traction, forget about the LSD. The LSD offered on the 2005 MCS is a torque-sensing (a.k.a. torsen), not viscous design. Unlike a viscous LSD which tries to turn both wheels at the same speed all the time, the torsen differential normally remains open. It will only lock when there is resistance present (like the inside wheel when accelerating around a tight turn). This causes the gears inside the LSD to bind, locking the axles together. This is useless in winter because when you lose traction, there is no resistance to cause the gears to bind.

Get the DSC if you are really concerned. But having driven in NE winters with powerful cars with DSC, I have never felt the need for it. As "minisme" said above, it can actually be a hindrance in deep snow. The only times I have triggered the DSC on my cars were when I intentionally hit the gas hard, knowing what would happen. Otherwise, I drive with open differentials with no problem. Just feather the gas lightly instead of jabbing at it to prevent spinning your wheels. Best wishes.

 

It doesn't really make it run better in the snow, but I'd consider the cold weather pack. The seat heaters are worth the cost on the first cold morning.

Enjoy the ordering process, these cars are so much fun to spec to your needs.

 

I have the ASC not the DSC. Everytime it snows, I turn it off. Last time I had it on, I was going up a hill in the snow and with the "ASC" it cuts your engine power rather than transfering the power to other wheels (like the "DSC") and I wasn't going anywhere, I actually started to drift backwords. So i gave it alittle more gas, but nothing happened. Soon it was floored and i wasn't going anywhere. So I turned off the ASC and once the tire spun down to the pavement I got enough traction to get up the hill.

This is all just my opinon, and hopefully the DSC is better, but the ASC is just garbage.

 

Sounds like I'll be putting my money into DSC and some winter wheels.


Jason

 

I'll second the cold weather package. Seat heaters, heated mirrors, and heated washer jets (for both windshield and headlight washers).

Do not scrape your headlights, get some spray deicer for your headlights if you don't garage your car. This is per the owner's manual and it worked great this past January.

 

I highly recommend a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks!

I got a set through the tirerack.com, mounted on black 15" steel rims, arrived in perfect condition, balanced and ready to mount.

It couldn't have been any easier. Took 20 minutes to change all 4 tires myself. Tire Rack was great.

My '04 MCS handles amazingly in the snow! No problem with traction.

The biggest concern is the 4 inch ground clearance. Just watch out for frozen ice chunks any bigger than 4 inches. Your front air dam will constantly be pulverizing slush *****. Again, just watch for the frozen ones, they don't break apart--it's like hitting a boulder! Made it through last winter (in snowy Syracuse NY) without incident though!

Good luck.

 

I did the same thing and had the same experience. The steel wheels feel good driving, but they are ugly in the driveway.

 

Yes, I have to admit, even though they were inexpensive, easy to swap, and the fact that I don't care if they get damaged from salt, I still grew very tired of seeing those ugly black painted steelies each day in the winter. I was getting REALLY anxious to swap them with my 17" S-Lites (heavies) by the time March hit...

The convenience of having the Blizzaks mounted to a second set of rims made swapping them out so very easy. But living without the nicer look of alloy rims does test your resolve!

 

Do the 15" rims fit over the brakes? That sounds pretty small.


I was wondering if there was a clearance issue going to the 15"...should we use the 16" rims instead?

Jason

 

the stock MCS brakes fit just fine underneath the 15" steel rims. Again, Tire Rack knows what they're doing. They wouldn't sell these rims to Mini owners, if they weren't going to fit properly.

Besides, there are 15" wheels available for the Mini from your dealership!

So no, there aren't any fit problems at all.

The biggest decision you have to make is alloy versus steel rims... Only your ego and wallet can make that decision for you!