I bought my Mini S in July, thus haven't experienced a central Ohio winter in it yet. Any opinions on whether snow tires are necessary in the Columbus area?

 

Do you have all season tires or summer tires on your Mini? If you have summer tires, then you should probably not drive in the snow with them. If you have all seasons you can probably get by. But winter tires do make a difference in snow and ice.

 

I did fine with all seasons last year.

 

I'm not sure if they are all season or not. They are SP Sport 01 Run Flat, 205/45R17.

 

I believe the Dunlop SP Sport 01s are summer tires.

 

Yep those be summer tires, not good for snow!!!

 

So now that we've determined that I have "summer tires," any suggestions on where to get the snow/winter tires? I know I can go to MAG, but is there any place else that might carry them? Thanks!

 

www.tirerack.com offers the best pricing and pretty cheap shipping, too. They also have a list of installers who have the necessary tire-changing equipment to keep your rims from getting bent [the runflat sidewalls are pretty stiff].

 

The other option would be getting a dedicated winter set up (new rims and tires). This would allow you to go to a smaller tire that might be better for winter driving. I think that Tire Rack as winter packages to chose from as well.

 

I second B.A.D.'s advice on buying a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. All-seasons are generally a more expensive tire to buy and are known for offering moderate to poor quality performance in every season.

Several websites have packages with brand new 15" winter tires mounted on black steel wheels for around $400-$450 shipped. I don't have much first hand experience with snow tires on a MINI, but I have heard from many people they are exponentially better (in the winter) than any all-season. And with only seasonal usage, I would expect that the tread would last for as long as you own the car.

 

I'm not sure if there are 15" steelies that fit on the R56, but check out tirerack to see what they offer. I run 15" steelies on Blizzaks for the winter and they work pretty well. I paid about $500 brand new, mounted, balanced, and shipped, and that was about 3 years ago.

 

If you see a place that has a discount for the second set let me know I have been considering a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires.

 

There are 15" MINI wheels available all the time on ebay. People in NAM also get rid of theirs from time to time. I got 2 sets from ebay, each less than $200, shipped. Personally, I like the MINI wheels a heckuva lot better than the steelie look, and, they do not rust.

 

I did this with my 2005 Cooper S. Check eBay - you can often find a set of wheels with tires for $500 or less. Lots of people buy the car with stock wheels and rubber, and then soon after put on upgraded wheels and tires, and sell the OEM ones for a pittance.

My set were All-Season run-flats on X-spoke wheels and had less than 1,000 miles on them. They cost $400 plus shipping. I put them on in late October or early November, when the wet stuff really begins.

Good luck!

 

I bought a dedicated winter set up for my mini. It is called a VW, I don't want to put any nice car on the road when the weather is bad. Just my two cents.

 

I'd also recommend Tire Rack for a set of dedicated winter snow tires mounted on rims. Use them through the winter, be safe & make your other tires last longer by not using them through the winter. Once you drive in snow & ice on real winter tires you will wonder why you waited so long to get a set. Snow tires are way cheaper than body work.

 

Not mine ....
http://www.minineo.net/forums/view_t...513&forum_id=6

In Hudson Ohio

 

Someone from the Cleveland area just posted 4 Holies for $250 this morning over in the Marketplace area. Great for snow tires.

 

I just ordered my snow wheels and tires!!! My forecast no snow all winter :(

 

What kind of snow tars did ya order? I love the snow, hate the salt.

 

Pirelli 190 Snowcontrols they were on sale and have mostly good reviews, one person did not like them, but I figure they just had unreal expectations.

 

I don't know about those. I'm sure they will be very good. Heck any real dedicated snow tire is going to be great. On sale even makes them better. I'll expect a full report on my desk after the first snow.

 

I had a couple inches going into work this morning ... Little slick with the summer tires on ...

 

Tire Rack is closing those out at $57 each.

 

Yep and I ordered on Wednesday and they arrived on Thursday. Snow tires on steel wheels are heavy!