Hi everyone... I am a hopefully soon to be owner of a mini cooper. The only thing is I live in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and I am a bit worried about:
- the 8 months of winter and it's effects on the car
- how it performs in the snow
- not having a dealer within 2200 kms

Any advice?
Janet

 

Try this link for some video on MINI's being test-driven in Canada:

http://www.mini.ca/en/More_MINI/Wint...g/default.aspx

This sold me on getting a MINI for Minnesota where we tend to gt a bit of snow.

I went with 15" wheels and all season tires year-round, but many fellow motorers recommend a dedicated snow tire for the heavy snow. Might be the way to go for you.

MINI's handle amazingly well in snow and will surprize you and the control they give. The low ground clearance is an issue, so if you get more than about 8 inches, it might be best to wait for the plows!

Search the treads, too, for more, and likely better, snow advice.

Be safe and enjoy your MINI!

 

I can't comment on conditions as extreme as you must have in Yellowknife, but when I ordered my MCS, winter driving was a concern, even here in Iowa.

When I ordered the limited slip differential, it was primarily for winter traction, not for racing. With the standard all-season traction control, antilock braking, and optional dynamic stability control, and engine-over-drive-wheels, I am thinking it will be fine.

In deep snow, I'd probably be in trouble because of relatively little ground clearance, but for ordinary snow/ice/winter hard-surface roads conditions, I think it will be good.

 

Thank you for your posts! Can I ask you how well it runs in the cold? Yellowknife is in the sub arctic so we can have periods of a month with -30 dec C.

 

Your MINI will do fine in the cold.
We get some sub-zero here...I've seen -25 F but it's been a while.
Hopefully you have a garage, if not you'll need plugs for oil & water if you plan to leave it outside for long at that temp.
(Mine has a unheated garage so I don't need to plug her in for the night)
When parked outside in sub zero you'll need a good battery for cold starts.
Also, she will be a bit stiff steering but let her gradually warm-up and get her fluids moving.
You'll hear some crunching sounds from the suspension etc, but that's OK.
Hope your new MIN has the Cold Package(Heated seats, washers, very nice!)
The cabin is so small that MINI's heat up very quickly inside, too.
The only other concern is salt, don't let it sit on the paint or underside for long.
I confess, this is the only time (below freezing) that I don't hand wash my MINI.
I'll use an automatic drive through touchless wash, with a good rocker panel blast.
Happy motoring, you're gonna love it!

 

Get 4 good snowtires on 15" rims. Your MINI should do fine. I take mine to the ski slopes and it does fine...

However, I don't think I've spent much time in -30C before.

I think there is a magazine article somewhere (MC2 maybe) that did an arctic drive to Hudson's bay in the winter. That might be good reading.

 

they did cold weather testing here in Yellowknife a few years ago - i remember one in every colour rolling through town. I was in awe but never thought I would be getting one. I found the woman in town who owns a 2002 and took if for my first drive the other night which was amazing! She's never had a problem so I will be careful and will hope for the best. I can't wait to get down to Edmonton to pick mine up - it's sparkling silver with the premium package! Thanks for your help!

 

I had my MINI in Calgary for a winter and it was worked fine even in -35C temps. I had a block heater installed and Michilen Pilot Alpins on 15" steel rims, and it motored through the snow, handled great. I left it unplugged for two days at the Calgary airport in sub -30C and it started fine.

 

Having had a MINI in edmonton through the winter, I can say that they do fine in plowed/compact snow. More than 6" of snow that you drive -IN-TO- (as in not compact) and they get stuck (happened to friend of mine). The idea is the front of the car works like a ram and will take the tires off the ground while the center of the car sits on snow.

Another issue with the cold is the lift-gate/hood springs. I've had both rear gas springs(trunk struts whatever you call em) replaced twice now -- I think it's the cold, but MINI insists im unique in having problems with them.

Heated seats are a must.

Other than that, when the mini loses traction it does so with all four tires. Never had it lose just two, so you can expect not to fishtail, but you may find yourself unexepectedly performing a scene from tokyo drift =P

Disable DSC when driving in traffic on snow (eg starting from a yield lane) as with it on it will rob all your starting power to prevent the wheels from slipping. This will also stop you from going and can lead to some dangerous situations.

Other than that, the MINI heats up super fast, so you dont need to remote starter it, just get in and go, 2 minutes and you'll have heat.

 

I'm in Kodiak Alaska and just thought I'd add my $.02

The first thing I'd invest in would be a set of dedicated snow tires and wheels. I went with a set of 15" studded Pirelli Winter Carving tires and some el-cheapo aluminum wheels from tirerack.com. (See gallery for pics) I could not believe the difference these made!

I was so impressed with the MINI's performance on the ice and snow that my 4x4 Jeep Cherokee sat most of the winter! These cars are a blast to drive in the winter. Just watch out for deep unplowed snow. You'll end up knocking out the plastic bits underneath the bumper, not to mention possibly getting stuck. Not exactly the easiest cars to dig out once they've been high-centered in the snow - they're pretty low!

And definitely turn off the DSC if you're trying to get going from a stop in unplowed snow. The DSC won't let you get enough wheelspin to keep the tire tread clear of snow. Just remember that too much wheelspin can be very bad too!

It isn't nearly as cold in Kodiak as it is in Yellowknife, so I can get away with not having a block heater and oil pan heater. I went to college in Fairbanks, AK (which probably has similar weather) and if I had my MCS up there - I'd most definitely have a block heater, oil pan heater, and battery pad installed.

Like the others have said, be careful, and most of all - have fun motoring around in your new MINI! If it's properly outfitted for the winter, I'm sure you'll have a blast in it!

 

My 03 Cooper saw 3 Manitoba winters, lots of snow and -45c temps. The car ALWAYS started, even before I had a block heater installed. Snow tires are a very good idea, but now that I live in St.Louis I no longer need them.

Mark