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I dont know about "All Terrain" tires but with dedicated winter tires they are very good in 2wd form and excellent in 4wd form. I'm surprised anyone on this forum would even bring up that question.
I put winter tires on my R60 (ALL4) and my partner's F56 (FWD) every winter. They both rip through snow like bears and can still stop pretty well, which is a must in my region because most of the drivers here are complete muppets in the snow.
Good find. The reviewer remarks several times how quick the AWD kicks in. It should, because it doesn't kick in. It's on from the get-go and is actually a permanent AWD system with a 50/50 F/R distribution right from throttle tip-in. Funny how many car magazines and reviewers think that All4 is a "slip-then-grip" system. It isn't. Here's a link to a MINI engineer who clears up the misconception: http://www.motoringfile.com/2012/12/...ystem-revised/
Before we get into that, let’s quickly rewind to December of 2011, where we got to sit down with Heinz Krusche, the head engineer for BMW’s Driving Dynamics devision. Our seats happened to be the front buckets of the JCW Countryman prototype. While flying around snowy alpine roads, Heinz described the All4 system for us anew, and his description had some very interesting differences from how MINI and MINI USA had been describing the system. Heinz told us that the All4 system actually starts as a full-time 50/50 power distribution front to rear. Then as needed, up to 100% of the power is diverted to the front wheels. This can happen for traction needs, or as straight-line speed increases (the system goes 100% FWD at speeds above 80 mph).
The system is based on an electromagnetic centre differential and distributes drive force at continuously variable levels between the front and rear axle. In normal situations on the road, up to 50 per cent of the drive torque is directed to the rear axle – in extreme situations such as when driving on ice or snow this figure can go up to 100 per cent.
Last edited by eric.stewart; Jun 27, 2019 at 06:48 PM.
The various dyno videos of All4s shows a weird delay though.
You've probably done more research than I have, then. That aside, I choose to believe the chassis engineer. Besides, my butt-o-meter corroborates what he says. It feels every bit as sophisticated as the permanent AWD in my TT.
^^^
Yup. Weird. Funny that on throttle tip-in after the 1st run the rear wheels start spinning up (though slower) than the front wheels instead of waiting as with the 1st run.
We had an unusually hatsh winter here, so I got to drive is fresh snow, ice, slush and everything in between. I have Pirelli All Season run flats that were mid life when the snow hit.
It was great fun. The All4 system worked perfectly. While not a ton of clearance the car plowed through every challenge with ease.
The snow last year in Iowa was insane- first winter with my 2013 Countryman All4 and it drove very well through the unplowed streets. With how low the car is from the ground I was scared I'd get stuck. Having 4-wheel drive is the best thing to have during Iowa winters. Yes, they are good in the snow and I have just normal tires!
Snow
