Hey fellow JCW people:

Wondering what others are doing for Winter tires. I've got a brand new set of the Pirelli Sotozero 3's that arrived from Tire Rack last week. Just have to find the right time to make the switch (70+ here today so it's too early).

Tire Rack finally got the measurements on a JCW Clubman and also has wheels they think will fit it. Having had some ill fitting winter wheels in the past (that Tire Rack also said were a good match) I'm planning on switching the winter tires onto my existing wheels and picking up some wheels in the spring for summer use that are reviewed by someone i can trust (leaning toward NM Engineering's wheels that others on the forum have had and liked).

 

I ran those last year and, not to be negative, really don't care for them. I'm leaning toward Nokian tires in a +1 for this year: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...on-t-suck.html

I'm not sure what sort of snowfall you see where you live, but we had a mild winter last year and these were definitely the worst tire I've had advertised as a snow tire on any car (MINIs included) when the weather really warranted them. Altimax Arctics are, in general, my favorite price:perf tire for snow but there's no option in that model that's a run flat for these cars that I could find.

--Matt

 

Mattkosem - thanks for the feedback. I'm probably stuck with the Pirelli's so I'll let you know what I think of them. Even a bad Snow Tire is going to be vastly better than the summer tires on the car now. I'm running with All4 anyway so I'm sure they I will get through the winter fine. I ran Dunlop performance snows on an R53 JCW for several winters and never had trouble.

I honestly don't love the Pirelli summer tires I have now either BUT they seem to of worn okay and are decent in the wet too. I would love to try some Nokian's but studded aren't legal in Michigan to my knowledge.

What sort of snowfall we get here? Michigan can get slammed, or get very little. It's late October and highs are getting low enough that summer tires aren't going to be practical soon, trying to figure out when to make the change now.

 

Yeah, the R2s are the closest fit I could find that aren't studded. We're allowed to run studs in Ohio for a few months, but not long enough to safely make it from the end of summer tire season to the start of the next.

If you've got an All4 car, you'll overcome their worst problem (traction from a stop on slush or ice). My wife has Sottozero Serie 2s on her All4 Countryman and they work well. You'll probably be fine.

--Matt

 

For snow tires I use Goodyear LT245/75R16/E Wranglers W/Kevlar belts... On my Suburban!
The Mini doesn't leave home in the snow, at least not on purpose. I did however get caught in a blizzard on my way home from the Dragon a few years ago. The Goodyear F1 A/S worked just fine on I-40 at least. Wouldn't make a habit of it though. High pucker factor.

 

Meh, we've had 4 MINIs between my wife and I and we've not had any troubles whatsoever in them in Northeast Ohio with appropriate tires installed. They're perfectly capable of navigating any winter surface as long as there is not so much snow that they're dragging deeply in it. The Countryman, with it's 6 or so odd inches of ground clearance, does better than lower Coopers in those conditions.

​​​I've certainly had fine luck with the R55 and F56 I've had through 3 or 4 winters. As good as any snow tires equipped VWs I've had before it at least, and maybe somewhat better thanks to the higher end stability and traction control setups on the MINIs. The diff on my JCW probably deserves at least some credit too, but it's not a necessity.

--Matt

 

I run the winter sottozero 3 run flats and love them. And that is in Chicago winters with a 60 mile round trip commute. Smooth and quiet at high speeds and can tackle the deep stuff well.

 

i ran the sottozero's last year and liked them. fwiw, we had a relatively mild winter by mid-atlantic standards. I chose the non run flat option

 

an update. This winter of '17-'18 is definitely a real winter. We've had way colder temps with much more snow. I'd have to say my assessment of the sottozeros has gone down. They are very good in cold dry or wet conditions. They hold well on ice. But they are disappointing in the snow. I would go in a different direction if you can find blizzacs or pilot alpins that fit our stupid 17" wheel size

 

I just put a set of Blizzaks on our Countryman and it may not be a fair assessment being AWD but this thing is a freight train in snow. Super impressed. Ours are kind of loud as they do have pretty large tread blocks. I do highly recommend them though! Very soft as well, which is good for the snow.

 

It only seemed logical to go with Cooper tires. Weathermaster ST2. So far they have been excellent.

 

Currently using Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 RFT, we have not had any snow yet but they are quite sure footed in the rain that we have been getting.
Noise level is quiet as well

 

We got 11.4" yesterday (why I moved from Texas to Minnesota is beyond me) and my Blizzaks were incredible! I didnt get stuck one time and Im still on my summer ride height

 

We have mercurial winters here in Kentucky and generally not much significant snow. I have found the all season michelins work best for me. If we do get some nasty snow, more than 3-4 inches, the mini and other toys sit in the garage and my venerable 4wd pickup with posi lock rear wheels is brought into action, but since I retired I usually just stock up supplies in advance and hibernate!

 

The Nokians have been fantastic in anything we've seen in Ohio this season. Best non studded winter tires I've had on any car. Awesome in snow, awesome in slush, awesome on ice, awesome in the dry. They're squirmy above 30 or so, but not any more than any other legitimate snow tires I've had.

--Matt