I agree with some fellows that MCS is not for winter. By living in Illinois and being in first year in MCS, I had many problems as well.

My main problems are spinning wheels, lack of traction in turns and ramps, won't able to move in 5+ inches of snow and had couple of car spins. Being front wheel drive, there shouldn't be much problem. My brother's 1999 Honda Civic coupe has superior traction in snow (as 4wd vehicle) than MCS and I drove it without any feeling of skid or spinning. I am veryyyy surprised from Civic but ain't buying it

In my conclusion, I think MCS do not come with proper tires, weight distribution as well as light-weight vehicle. Also, run-flat tires play a role in less traction.

Thanks God I leased MCS for 2 years until June 2010 and I am out of Mini Cooper S. Looking forward to Mini Crossman SUV, Range Rover or BMW.

 

How many times can we say this: GET WINTER TIRES.

Would you wear tuxedo shoes to hike in the snow? Every problem you've mentioned can be rectified with decent traction, and for less money than the cost of your insurance deductible.

A Crossman or Range Rover or BMW will be LESS maneuverable than your FWD Mini, since it'll weigh more, and with AWD/4WD may accelerate slightly faster, giving you excess momentum to deal with. (less is better).

LOVED it last winter when I safely passed a Range Rover who had no traction (almost-bald tires, go figure) and helped a Hummer H2 (yes, the Suburban Assault Vehicle) get unstuck then simply drove off in my little car.

 

I have not had one issue with driving in the snow with my MCSa. I actually enjoy it. I have the Continental Contipro Contact Runflats and I think they handle pretty well on ice and in snow. They are alot better then the Goodyear junk Runflats that I had last winter. My MCSa does sit alittle lower than it did last year due to the JCW suspension I had installed but I also thought about the winter time and how there are always ice chunks on the roads, so I had a lower engine shield installed. That was a smart move b/c we got ice the other day here in Lincoln NE.

Anyway, I agree with everyone else. Its all about the tires that are on the vehicle and some of it can be the person sitting in the driver seat. I for one hate ice and snow, but I know how to drive in it and I know how my MCSa will react in certain situations. Unfortunately most people panic and forget how to drive which leads to accidents, loss of control, etc. Before you change vehicles, try changing your tires to a good set of winter tires and see how that works for you. I bet you will be surprised.

 

Great tips on winter prep everyone!!!

 

OK, how about a list:
- Winter prep the driver: know yourself, your car & how both react in winter!

and secondarily:
- Winter tires (or at least all-seasons witha decent amount of tread)
- Winterized washer fluid (check the freezing point, keep full)
- Winter prep the car (maintenance stuff: air pressure, good coolant/battery/lights etc.)
- Winter survival kit in car - depends on area but: jacket/gloves/hat, water, a little food (Powerbars or equivalent works well), flashlight and good batteries, waterproof matches and candle, a 12+oz cup (multiple uses, not all for drinking), a small old sleeping bag works wonders... so does an old towel. Stick all of that in a small bag.
- Traction aid: sand, blanket, towel, small piece of carpet, floormats in a pinch
- Emergency overnight kit: toothbrush/toothpaste, spare skivvies (hey - ya never know...!)
- I always keep a 2-square-yard piece of cloth in each car as a combination luggage cover/seatcover/whatever (it matches the interior, of course). You can't BELIEVE the uses it's had. On a hike, when my wife fell in the river (don't ask), it even made a great Space Blue toga.

It sounds like overkill but I know regular folks in New Jersey that have been stranded overnight on their commute due to ice storms. It's not nearly as uncommon as you think, and your cellphone and AAA card simply won't keep you warm, hydrated, and alive...

Heck, I'm starting a winter driving thread again this season...

 

I've had my MCSA since 2006, and during last summer I switched to non-run flats. Yes, they're all-season tires, but they handle much better than the run flats that came on the car. (When switching to non-run flats carry a small air compressor with tire sealent incase of an emergency)
I've only had one problem with the MINI in snow, which happened to be yesterday when we had 10 inches of the fluffy stuff.

People all over the world drive these cars, you need to be skillful and know the MINI's limitations. Oh, and when there's 10 inches of snow, don't drive.

( I really wanted to listen to my new Alta CAI)

 

As jonnieoh said, buy some SNOW TIRES!

I have the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2s, with studs, mounted on 15" rims. They are now on their third winter and they are still fantastic. I fact, yesterday I was able to do a direct comparison between an Audi A4 AWD with brand new all seasons and a MCS with snow tires, with two seasons of wear.

On hard packed snow, no sand or salt, sub-freezing temps, both cars accelerated similarly. The huge difference was in turning and braking. The snow tires were far superior. The MCS would consistently stop much more quickly, up hill, down hill, around corners. Direction changes were much more surefooted with the snow tires.

I'll take my MINI Cooper S with proper snow tires over anything with all seasons, thank you very much! In fact my wife elected to take my MCS instead of her Audi when she had to go out yesterday. Which is why I had the opportunity to do the comparison test.

 

Bilbo-Baggins how could you let your wife buy an Audi!!!!

 

I have no idea what you're talking about. The MINI has traction control, the Civic does not, so what wheel spinning are you talking about? The 99 Civic Coupe is not 4WD, either, so I'm not sure exactly what the point of this post is.

Like most MINI drivers, I am finding that my MC is handling this New England winter better than any previous FWD car I've ever owned (including a 99 Civic Coupe).

 

We have a BMW 330XI and the Mini does as good in the slop. However since I installed real snow tires on the Beemer, it is a snow monster and the Mini would not be able to keep up! But the Mini controls better and is more fun as it is smaller ,less wieght and less overhang(lessens the car's fishtailing).Get real snow tires, they will have little snow flakes on thier sides.

 

jonnieoh, thanks for the Trico Winterblades pointer. Once I saw them it took me all of about 3 minutes to locate an online vendor and get a pair on order. They look sweet.

Last winter on one cold and snowy occasion, I developed a bit of ice build-up under the passenger side wiper and was too lazy to pull off the highway and knock it off. Lo and behold, that ice was rife with sand that had been applied to the road surface. Later I discovered that I had etched scratches into the windshield. I managed to get them out with glass polish and a PC later in the spring, but it was a lot of work. I like the preventative route much better.

BTW, I run non-studded Hankook iPikes on stock holies in winter and my MINI can go anywhere in any condition (as long as the snow is not prohibitively deep).

 

Good to hear the Contis are doing well. So far so good for me as well.

I'd also like to call shenanigans, but this time on uniqueMR. Absolutely ridiculous reason to hate a car, because you don't know how to drive in snow or you're likely driving on the performance OEMs?. And you call yourself a "proud owner" of an R56 in your sig??!?!?

Get better tires, or learn how to drive in snow. It's definitely not the car's fault. BTW I REALLY hope the Crossman flops. Call me a purist, but the idea of a MINI SUV is just plain wack.

 

In 40 years of driving, I can honestly say that the MINI is the best handling car in the snow of all that I have driven. Yes, you need snow tires and yes, you must know how to drive in snowy conditions. We had almost a foot of wet snow last Friday and I went out in it on four-year old Blizzaks to pick up my daughters from school. My '05 MCS is lowered and only has about 4 inches of clearance but I had no problem driving through 8-10" deep, un-plowed and rutted snowy streets to get them. In fact, the girls were laughing out loud on the way home at how much trouble everyone else was having in their big Detroit boats. I am convinced that most people just don't know how to drive in adverse conditions. It doesn't really matter what kind of vehicle they are driving.

 

I'm with you, Big Daddy, with one addition: The best handling front-wheel-drive snow car I've driven. The good handling translates very well to all-conditions handling.

Let's face it, while AWD Subarus and Quattro Audis don't have Mini style, nor are they as sharp, but on 4 winter tires they're pretty well unstoppable as all-weather interceptors, and are pretty nice cars as well.

I'm big on minimalism and light weight, and an AWD Mini would outdo the above (Crossman as winter beater? ), but AWD does have its place.

 

The one vehicle I had that was un-stoppable in snow was my 86 Audi 5000 turbo quattro. This was before torque sensing differentials, the Audi had a switch on the dash. When left at the 0 position, you basically had open diffs all around. When moved to the 1 position, it locked the center diff, giving you a 50-50 torque split. When moved to the 2 position, it locked the rear diff.

I could fly through 4-6 inches of snow at about 60 mph with just rock solid stability. But, this was with proper snow tires. I really loved that car, way ahead of its time.

 

if anyone can offer guidance as to effective windshield/side window defrosting using the auto CC system--beyond turning on the A/C--please advise. last night I had to keep the little arrow up to get anything done effectively, and at times had to crack the moonroof to get the windows defrosted. the system just seems weak, but then it could be operator ignorance

 

Agreed. I've never had the pleasure of driving an AWD Subi or Audi.

 

My wife has an '08 Subaru Outback AWD. With it's OEM all-season tires it's a pretty good winter driver, but there's no doubt--based on direct comparisons--that my MINI on its snow tires actually has a better grip on ice and packed snow than the Subie does.

Granted, if I'd mount snows on the Subie it would likely run rings around the MINI but we just haven't felt the need since it does well on its existing tires. The other factor where the Subie is far superior is ground clearance. It can run over the largest ice chunks and road kill without even disturbing them, whereas in the MINI I'd have to maneuver or hope the aftermarket skid plate protects as advertised.

 

Make sure that you do not have it set on "recirculate". That will keep all of the humidity, of your exhaled breath, trapped inside to coat the cool windows.

Granted the settings are a little different between an R53 and an R56 but I have no problems keeping my windows clear. I never use the recirculate position and just change between the "defrost" setting and the foot or cabin positions. Seems to do a good job of keeping everything fog free.

 

It is a 2001 A4 and they were not importing MINIs then.

 

You never mentioned what tires and wheels you are using, also how much tread is left on them. If you have less than 4/32"(3mm) of tread left, then you really should not be expecting much in the way of winter traction, run-flat or non run-flat. As for the "spins" make sure that you do not turn off the DSC. If you do not have the DSC, guess you should have ordered it as it would have helped you.

 

Bingo. I had on recirculate, no wonder. Operator ignorance indeed. Thanks a bunch mr baggins

I should also add my Conti Pro Contact RSC A/Ss do very well on snowpack and ice, but then they only have 1500 ez miles of wear on 'em.

 

No car is made specifically for ice and snow. Certainly not the MINI. But with a set of proper tires and skills, you can def. take on the snow and still have fun doing it. I drove around in heavy heavy snow in Boston for the past 2 days, and I can see there are plenty of cars that shouldn't even be in snow. Some got stuck and some were striding just fine. Most people that don't have money to buy extra sets of snow tires, or a winter car just drive more carefully and they make it through the winter, and that's how they've been doing it for years. Even with snow tires, don't expect miracles.

 

As much as I love my MINI - there's one car I wish I would have never gotten rid of: 1987 Audi 5000 CS Quattro, in nautical blue w/ BBS wheels. With a proper set of winter tires, that car was simply amazing.

It was such a sleeper! 5spd w/ a turbo 5cyl and a killer 4wd/awd system as described by flyinlow.

I'd love to get my hands on another one...or possibly a '91 Audi 200 turbo quattro 20v.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my MINI. It might be my favorite car in 40 years of driving, but it's not a snow car. The snow we get in NE Pennsylvania is usually deeper in the road than the underbelly of my MINI. It's a game little car and with no one else on the road (most of the problems with winter driving are due to the other idiots on the road) I can usually get around, but there is no comparison between it and the AWD vehicles I've owned. Toyotas may be boring and uncool, but my RAV4's and AWD Matrixes got through virtually any snowstorm and even got up my 30 degree angled driveway. When it's snowing or icy the MINI stays in the garage and the AWDs come out. In the spring, summer and fall the opposite occurs.