Looks like I'll be moving to the DC area in the near future... As I'm currently in SoCal, I've got summer performance tires on my 18" wheels. I realize I will at least need to get some all-seasons for the winter in the DC area, but do I need full snow tires (I've seen the Pirelli Snowsports look popular here) or will just all-seasons be good? I don't have a lot of experience (okay, none) in driving in the snow, so that should probably be a consideration too... I'm currently leaning towards trying to pick up a set of cheap 16" black rims (as I like black on my CR/B) with some runflat snowtires (I think Pirelli and Dunlop make some in that size). But this will probably be >$1k, so I'm wondering if cheaper options are available (i.e. used S-lites with all-seasons, or something similar).

Also, I have the JCW kit (06 MCS), so the JCW brakes rule out many OEM options (e.g. 15" steelies) as far as I can tell from the forums here...

Thanks in advance for your comments/advice!

 

I've lived in the area for the past 6 years and never had snow tires.

All-season and a front-wheel drive MINI with DSC is all you need... and some knowledge of how to drive in the snow.

Looking forward to having a new member of the DCMM club !!

 

I have cheap steelies and Blizzaks. Last winter, I had them on for a month. Two weeks of that month, I was in Pittsburgh and glad to have 'em.
DC area winters are tricky..either mild or polar. Blizzards tend to be the problem here, instead of general snow all winter. It's a crap shoot..

It probably wouldn't hurt to have snows, but you may not use them that much. I've had mine 4 years, and have less than 5k on them...way less.

 

Its the DC ice storms that I fear most. Not the snows. Not sure if snow tires would help with those.

 

Nothing helps in ice storms except staying home.

 

I must disagree re: nothing works in ice.

If you've ever had hydrophilic snow tires you'll wonder why anyone would drive in winter without them. They do work well in ice. Even glare ice in a freezing rain situation. Studs work too of course but they're not legal in MD or VA. (I do have a set of studded tires for my bicycle but that's a story for another forum.) The hydrophilics are made with a compound that is super soft even in cold temps and very sticky. As a result they don't last for long so you put em on just before the stuff flys for the first time in early winter and take em off as soon as the spring has sprung. At that you'll get two seasons at most. But they work by god!

If you HAVE to go to work no matter what I heartily recommend the Vredestein Snow Plus. I used them for about 10 years when I had to be at work no matter what. They used to be in short supply and if you didn't have them by early November at latest they were usually sold out for the winter already.

I now have the luxury of working from home or just not worknig if it's bad so the MINI stays safely in the garage and the E150 gets all seasons. If it's worse than that all the idiots around are hitting everything anyway in their cars with bald tires so it doesn't really matter what you run. I stay home!

Seriously if you value your car the best thing you can do down here is ride mass transit on days like that or stay home.

 

Can you get Vredestein Snow Plus in 215/35/18's? hehehe

 

I had a snow capable A/S tire (Nokian WR) and IMHO, it's not worth the tradeoff. I'll be back on A/S this year.

what was said about DC winters being a crapshoot is true. Back in '03, we got 30" in one storm out my way. My Wrangler with offroad package...well, umm, my wife got it stuck 10 ft out of the garage. Snow packed under the rear diff and lifted the axle up, meaning spinning wheels, even in 4Low with me standing on the bumper (I'm not a little guy ). A MINI doesn't stand a chance in that, studded snow tires or not.

 

blammo,

There's two trains of thought here. One, you use all-season tires all year around... or Two, you use summer tires from Spring through Fall, and you use "something else" in the winter. Summer tires will turn into hard bricks in the cold temperatures, so even if DC doesn't get ANY snow, I wouldn't recommend trying to use them in the winter here.

So that's the first question you have to ask... how important is it to you to use summer tires?

Here's my take:

• I want the best performance possible, because I love what the MINI can do... and it can do better on summer rubber than it can on all-seasons. So that means I will only buy summer tires for 3 seasons on my MINI.
• Since I don't have a "beater winter car" to drive (my old Mustang does -not- qualify... it's much much worse than the MINI in snow!), I have to buy another set of tires for the winter anyway... why buy all-seasons? Much smarter to buy snow tires, that way you get the best performance possible in the winter too... snow or not!

So there you have it. Compromise all year around with one set of tires (A/S), or best possible performance all year around with two sets?

As far as winter tires go, in my opinion you need to find a snow tire that balances dry pavement performance somewhat. The Bridgestone Blizzaks may provide some of the best performance in the snow, but they are terrible on dry pavement, both in terms of performance, and in terms of wear.

Therefore, for the DC area specifically, I can't recommend the Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSports highly enough. They're still really great in snow, and they are pretty decent on dry pavement too... with reasonable wear!

Considering you aren't used to driving in snow, I think you really ought to get some snow tires. You'll be glad you did, once it comes. Huge difference over all-seasons.Very slim pickings for snow tires in 18" sizes... 17 or smaller is where it's at (and, considering that the narrower the better... 15s are ideal, provided your brakes can clear them!)Snow-capable A/S, and not specifically snow tires? Still sounds like a compromise to me... when it snows this winter, we'll have to meet up so you can try my Pirellis. And again after it's dry, so you'll see that they're quite good then too. (mind you, I have never driven with Nokian WRs, so I'm going based upon what you just said... A/S you were unsatisfied with)

 

the Nokians carry the 'snowflake' rating, just like dedicated winter tires, but they're as good as Goodyear F1's in the wet, but dry performance is where they give up some room to others. They are an A/S tire, intended to be run year-round. Call them a hybrid in between winter and A/S. Nokian just released a new version that's supposed to improve the areas I wasn't happy with. I'd get a set, but they are damned expensive.

The issue with snow is twofold for the MINI - FWD and low ground clearance. My car got stuck in the driveway with 5 inches and Nokians. My Subaru with Nokians never had an issue (it was low too but 300hp and AWD do fun things in the white stuff)

 

Is getting a tire replacement warranty worth it when buying snow tires?

 

I'd say that depends on the cost, the cost of the tire and what labor costs you (and if it's covered....probably not)

 

Thanks everyone for all the great comments and experiences. I realize that summer tires don't work very well in cold temperatures, hence I know I need to get (at least) all-seasons for the winter out there.

I also have a 2001 Subaru Forester for the wife, which I could potentially use on bad snow days (although it will only have all-seasons, not snow tires). However, we're thinking to get a minivan in the near future (Mazda5), as the Subaru is tight with 2 carseats...

So, here's my options as I understand it:
1) Get dedicated snow tires on separate rims (probably 16" or 17"). Keep my current wheels/tires for the other 3 seasons.
2a) Get all-seasons to replace my summer tires - no new rims. Selection may be limited for 18x7 wheels though.
2b) Pick up some used 17" S-lites w/ all season tires. Use these in the winter, and keep my current wheels/tires for the other 3 seasons.

At this point, I'm leaning towards option 1, based on my limited experience driving in the snow / bad weather. My concern is that I may only be out there for 1-2 years (on rotation), although it could go longer if I enjoy the job/area more than L.A. I could always sell the winter tire set if I move back to L.A. in a few years, but you always take a loss on that...

On a related note -- are all-seasons on a Forester (or Mazda5 minivan) enough? No performance driving in those 2 cars, but safety is important... My wife probably won't be driving as much, either (a few times a week), so I'm hesitant to pick up a whole new set of wheels/tires for her car if it's not necessary.

 

Not decided yet, but I have more comments on option 1... I've been thinking to go with 16" for this route, as the wheels/tires are cheaper. I also like this option as I can get runflat winter tires (as I'd hate to have to try and fix a tire on the side of the road in snow/rain...). Any comments on these tires:

195/55 R16:
Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 S SSR
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D ROF

For wheels, I'm looking at 16x7 Rota Slipstreams in flat black ($480 shipped from JLB Motosports).

I realize the Pirelli SnowSports are highly recommended, but it's $25 more per tire (from TireRack), and I'd have to find some cheap 17x7 rims that I liked... Are they really better than the options above? And even with the 16" option its pushing >$1k for the package...

 

You can get runflat winter tires in 17" too... my Pirellis are Have you considered just buying some used S-Lite wheels (with no tires, or already worn tires)?Well, opinions vary on what is best. I think the Pirellis are the ideal winter tire for DC conditions, but that's only one opinion. They do sell them in 16s too I think.

As for the $1000 cost, keep in mind that's only because you're buying wheels as well. In future, you'll already have the wheels & only need to replace the tires, so that cost is somewhat misleading in the long term. Of course, you stated you'll only be here a year or two, so that affects things as well.

 

you can get a 16" wheel/tire combo from tires.com for $380/shipped right now. 16" LiquidMetal Static and stock size Falken A/S tires. I'm going to get a set for my car as my RE01R's won't cut it below 40F

 

As one that used to reside in the area I feel confident in interjecting.

Depends on where in the area you live and how you drive.

If you live in DC proper and use public transportation to get to work and do not do much spiritied driving then by all means stick with a set of all seasons. The close in areas like Old Towne Alexandria, Crystal City, Wheaton or the People Republic of Tacoma Park all could be considered DC proper...

Now if you are outside the beltway and commute downtown not only do you have my sympathies, unless you use the GW Pkwy and or Spout Run at off hours. I'd give some serious thought to getting snows for the winter.

Since you are coming from So Cal the best thing you can do when the snow flies is find an empty lot few hard obstacles and get out there to toss the Mini around.

Given enough snow and a non-essential position you'll be loving snow days

 

instead of snow tires- i would put the money into a driving school!
for both you and your wife- im assuming you have never driven in the snow- like my mom when she moved here from Cali- learn to drive in the snow/ ice or stay home- plain and simple ! its the best investment you can ask for and you get great returns (you dont have to shell out for more insurance or bumper replacements ) and all seasons work fine here... thanks to global warming

 

do they have their own snowmaking equipment?

 

just ordered 17x7.5" wheels with 215/45/17 Falken Ziex-912 for my winter set. $536/shipped, ready to bolt-on.

 

this can be true..and I'll bet our winter will have above normal temps.

There's also the issue of the dreaded "other driver(s)". They panic if there's 2 or more inches...and they do not know how to drive in the snow. They think SUVs are impervious to ice. Just an FYI.

When in doubt, turn on the Weather Channel. Or just stay home.

wow..cheap.

 

As a native upstate New Yorker, I am a strong believer in 2 sets of tires. One for summer and one for winter. Down here, an excellent set of all seasons might be ok for the winter, but I'd still prefer dedicated snow tires, as they are best designed to work in cold, snowy conditions. I will be purchasing a set of 16's and some dunlop wintersport m3 tires for this winter.

And the narrower the tire the better for the winter, they cut through the snow down to pavement better than wider tires.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm still leaning towards picking up a set of winter tires/wheels, as with my limited experience, it's probably best to get the best tires possible (for winter/snow driving). I'll be keeping my eyes open for some used 16" or 17" rims, but if I don't see anything I like that's reasonably priced, I may just go for something like the Rotas... As I won't be moving out for another month or so, I'd like to avoid buying them now and having to ship/move them in the big move (and I have the Forester for the first few weeks if the temperature is already below summer tire use levels in mid- to late-November). Who knows... if I end up moving somewhere close to a metro station, I may just end up commuting that way (although I'd really miss driving my MCS...)

 

No comment.

 

summer tires eh?