So last weekend was my first experience driving my Mini on ice. The roads weren't bad - at all - but there were some patchy areas that I hit while driving on the early morning roads. Especially over bridges.

What surprised me was how badly the Mini is on ice! Granted, I may have been traveling a little too fast, but I need to ask for some collective wisdom on what I need to know about driving on icy roads in a Mini Cooper.

Let's assume that I already know that the Mini is lighter than most cars, that ice forms quicker on bridges, that I should slow down and that snow tires might help (a little). Other than that, what are some things/tricks I should know?

 

I drive my Nissan XTerra 4x4 on those days

 

Here we go...

Snow tires. Biggest improvement in winter handling will come from snow tires. Ice... well, nothing's good on ice aside from a tank (if the ice supports it). Keep in mind, also, that you're driving a FWD car. You're asking the front wheels to guide, turn, and power the car. When turning, centrifugal force is "pushing" the car out, so if a drive wheel slips, you're now more likely to be plowing and not turning at all. I find RWD easier in winter...

 

Manual or automatic? There are huge differences in negotiating the slick spots. Just keep you mind between your ears and don't make any sudden changes in anything you are doing while on ice. Get snow tires, the extra nobby tread will help heaps. NEVER use cruise control, don't downshift to slow down. Your anti-lock system should help a lot, trust it and keep a extra distance between you and other drivers. Leave a few minutes earlier than usual so you don't have the impulse to have to hurry.

An aside: There is a short movie clip of a Sherman tank somewhere in Europe during WW II sliding, in what looks like dramatic slow mo, backwards down an icy street. Watching it is almost hypnotic.

 

just putting this out there
it's been raining and 35 degrees F all day here in central minnesota so glare hockey rink ice everywhere. I even had to park on the street because my R50 (with snow tires) slid down the hill, ebrake on in park. however, i've never had any issues driving on ice with winter tires.

so Winter tires
winter tires
if it snows and ices over where you live
Winter tires.

/thread

 

It does make you wonder how many cars get tagged as "lousy in winter" just b/c the tires being used are inadequate.

Ice is ice; it can range from tolerable to impossible, but real winter tires will help. A lot, usually.

My fwd CX-7 shoulda been a great winter driver: weight over the drive wheels, fairly high ground clearance. But it was nearly immobilized by the lightest snowfall...with the stock Bridgestone Turanza all-seasons. A switch to Nokians and it was extremely capable.

+1 on the winter tires recommendation. Blizzak LM-60s on my MCS, haven't had a real test of them here yet (in STL metro area).

 

Tires, tires, tires. if you're in a place that gets regular snowfall and ice, then a set of dedicated winter tires will go a LONG way towards making the car drive better in said conditions. The only other advice I can give you is the same things I tell a rookie who is autocrossing in the rain for the first time, drive like you have an eggshell between your foot and the pedals, and you don't want to break them. The name of the game is smooth inputs, and not exceeding the grip of the tires.

 

+1 Well said.

 

No car does well on ice. 4x4 or AWD can help if it's just patchy, and studed tires or chains can help too. You need to slow down for the conditions. Ice on the road is not a good place to test how well your Mini does. Find a parking lot.

 

Ive seen 4x4's slide down icy hills....Go S L O W.....

 

I put a set of Blizzaks on my Grand Prix GTP (about 300 hp after mods, 240 WHP), which was FWD, and they didn't help. At all. Touch the throttle in ANY snow at all (not ice, just snow on the road) and you're not going anywhere, but your wheels think you are. That isn't indicative of normal cars, however. I believe any Mini should handle fine in winter with snow tires. But as mentioned, there really are no cars/tires (tires that are legal here, that is) that handle well on ice.

 

Snow tires are also fantastic in very cold temperatures. The rubber compound stays soft even in temperatures like I had this morning:

 

My mini does great on ice....
It all comes down to tires...
Most higher performance tire don't do well in low temps....and often have tread patterns not suited to winter driving...that is why i use snow tires. Heck my car is MORE SURE FOOTED ON ICE than my wifes Awd highlander on allseasons....i CAN stop faster...simply more grip!!
I did run one season on UHP all seasons...kinda sucked...so got a second set of rims...
I can say winter driving is as much fun as summer, if not more so!!

 

PS
Winter tires are sold in a couple versions...studded tires are mostly gone...
so the two remaing type are good for either ice, or deeper snow...
First time you see folks RACING ON A FROZEN LAKE, turning like they are on gravel, you will believe!!
I run perrili p210 snowsports....a speed rated (yes, to 210 kph) tire...looks more like an all season tread, and it does well in the sloppy gunk, and better than most snow tires in the rain...which can be pretty bad. It has been discontinued i think, but the "snow carving" version, popular eith folks that drive in powder, like enrote to ski slopes is still around.
Snowtires do vary...one size does not fit all...heck the BLIZZACK brand has tires from both spectrums...get what you honestly need....since mini ground clearance is not great, i chose a tire that is better in slush/ice than deeper snow.....

 

Last weekend I drove from Charleston WV to Hunnington Wv and most of it was Ice. I stopped counting at 10 accidents, two of which happened right in front of me.

Having said that it was my first time on ice with my Mini. No snow tires, OEM tires. Manual transmission.

Yes, I felt the ice and slippage, but the key to driving on Ice is slow and sure. I could not tell if I was on ice most of the time, but the car was moving about in the lane so I knew I was on ice. When I did have to apply the brakes I started to slide. I immediately let off the brakes and down shifted, which brought me under control enough to change lanes and get around the accident.

I live it southern Virginia, and snow tires really aren't needed here. I feel that the clue is slow and sure throttle, and keep off the brakes when on ice, you will slide.

 

Occasionally on the Military channel during episodes about the Battle of the Bulge they will show a scene of a Sherman tank sliding helplessly down a frozen street. Gotta put a capital G in the 'grit your teeth and hold on' mode plus an urgent wish to get the H out of the way. Nothing is immune from the vagaries of icy conditions.

 

bcoday,

winter tires!

if you go to tirerack.com and search around, you will find that winter tires fall into 2 sub-classes (disregarding studded winter tires as most states have banned them), "performance" or "studless ice and snow"

i bought studless ice and snows for my cms all4 and the performance on ice is nothing short of amazing

scott

 

No car is going to do well on ice. And any variations in ice performance has more to do with the ice itself (texture, road coverage, etc.), the driver, and to a very small degree, the tires. If it's really smooth ice and covers the entire road, just about any vehicle is going to be totally out of any real control.

 

I just bought 15" blizzak tires mounted on steel rims mounted and balanced delivered from Tire Rack for $660. Have had a bad couple days here in Erie. The tires performed excellent. Night and day driving my MCS. Gripped as well as my Jimmy minus the ground clearance. Brian.

 

Tires are Everything

My Base Hardtop was delivered with summer only tires. It's horrendous in any sort of frozen liquid. I swapped in a set of Blizzak WS-70's and it's now a snowmobile. A skinny width is the best when selecting snows so the tire cuts down into the snow verses floating over the top with a wider tire choice.

Our side roads in my area are snow covered with many patches of ice. The car is exceptional in these conditions with the Blizzaks.

+1

I had a friend trade off a nearly new Lexus AWD car claiming it was horrendous in the snow. Little did he know the car was equipped with summer only tires.

+1

My wife's Mazda CX-9 (a full sized, 7 passenger, heavy, all wheel drive SUV) was delivered with the same above mentioned Bridgestone Turanza tires. What was a very capable SUV in the summer in rain, was a nightmare in the snow. We swapped in a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1's and the SUV is now simply unstoppable in the snow and does very well on patches of ice. Rain traction (such as 36 degrees and a full downpour) is better with the dedicated winter tires than any all season tire.

I'd rather have a light front drive car with dedicated winter tires on it over an AWD SUV with all season tires.

 

The tire rack site has extensive testing on video. Showing BMWs on an ice rink doing Maneuvers. The ice and snow tires stopped 2 car lengths shorter than all season tires at 30 mph. That's the difference between a near miss and an accident. $600 tires over $6000 in damage and injuries. It's what's important to you. My wife drives the Mini more than I do. She is going to hospital every day for cancer treatments and can't miss her treatments. I have peace of mind knowing she has best tires I can find. We are going to a winter driving course next weekend that is sponsored by Pgh Mini and a local Mini club. So if something bad should happen, we will have been as prepared as possible. Brian.

 

*Update* My MINI, running Blizzak LM-60s saw its first snow action early in February (actually, about 1 year to the day when I ordered it!).

About 3-4 inches, no challenge, and it did fine.

No ice experience yet, though an ice storm is forecast for later this week in STL region.

 

Saying the Mini does bad in snow/ice is just inaccurate. I drive on one of the most dangerous 30 mile stretches on road in the US 2 twice weekly. The car does great.

FWD is one of the best things for snow. RWD it the worst. AWD is the best if it is balanced right, 4x4 is good at lower speeds. All has to do with power distribution.

Learn when to and how to break including E-brake, as in where in a corner to break and where to accelerate. Think weight transfer.
Smooth pedel movements
Left foot break,
Giving the car power is generally better then breaking
snow tires
Balance speed with handling.
Turn of DSC, once at speed

 

i disagree 100%

3 weeks ago we had freezing rain here

i got to go out on a 500 foot x 1/2 mile empty airport ramp that was like an ice skating rink, in fact later in the afternoon, there were iceskaters out on the ramp ... the ice was about 1/2" deep and very smooth

my cms all4 equipped with dunlop grandtrek sj6 studless ice and snow tires was incredible on the ice

i was able to do 180 degree turns at 40 mph with about a 150-200 foot radius

stopping from 40 mph was under 120 feet

i was able to use full throttle acceleration with minimal wheelspin and only occasional DSC intervention, usually between 4000 and 5000 rpm where the power peaks

my buddy went out after me in his buick century FWD with all-season tires and he could hardly move at all

he went out aBOUT 50 feet, turned around and came back ... it took him over 5 minutes to do that ... i thought i was going to have to tow him off the ice

so my personal experience negates what you stated ... have you even driven with dedicated winter tires?

scott

 

^^^^^ Agree

Physics proves that tires are the most important thing on the car (only thing providing a centripetal force when cornering). It all comes down to the coefficient of static friction. With my summer tires on any amount of snow it is like driving on glycerin.