hey all, i look in search but could not found any info...my car only has ASC and i knwo its still early for snow driving..mine is 2005 mcs and it has stock runflat...

1. will i be bale ot drive in snow with what i have?
2. do i need ot change to snow tires?( i hope not to avoid extra cost)

thxs so much again..

 

Unless they are SNOW TIRES you will not be able to drive in snow. The SUMMER (dry weather) tires that are normally supplied with your Mini are not made for driving in snow.

One Exception to this is if you live in an area that gets less than 1 inch of snow a year then i would not bother changing but if you live in an area that get winter snow regularly then you will need to consider buying snow tires.

I have one set of rims and tires set up specifically for winter driving. The rims are 1 inch smaller (ie summer tires are 17's winter are 16's) and i just change over to them in mid november and change back in late march to the summer tires.

 

AFAIK Mini's come with either all season or summer ("performance") run flats. Summers are not the only option. The summers will not be a good idea in the snow, the tread desgin and the compound will result in little traction and worst of all terrible braking distances. The all seasons should be OK, but don't expect much. Tread depth plays a significant role.

Central CT can get decent amounts of snow, I've been using snows on all of my cars (mosly awd) in southern New England for the last 9 years. One accident and you'll wnder why you didn't pay for the right tires.

 

Tires are one thing you shouldn't skimp on. Buy a set of Nokian Hakakpelitas for winter.

 

1. No.
2. Yes.

I live in CT, put four Blizzaks on my MINI and can go anywhere a car with all-wheel drive can go. With the runflats you'll have no issues as you'll likely not make it out of the driveway.

Dean.

 

I was able to survive 1.5 winters with the all-season runflats (Eagle RS-A). You really need to drive very carefully if the snow has any sort of appreciable depth. But if you can, get dedicated snow tires, as they can only help, not hinder.

 

One thing to consider if you do get snows, is that your not putting any miles on the summer tires, so they will last longer, so cost is not a huge factor.

But if you do get snow, get them mounted on dedicated rims. First reason is the cost of having the tires changed, plus the damage that can occur to your rims. Plus then you can swap them yourself when the seasons change.

Mark

 

oh no.. just got this car in spring and my area does get SOME snow last winter..so i have to get a set of rim and snow tires.. are thye expensive?

 

i live near hartford....last winter we had a few snowstorm...so all season not good? i should just buy snow tires and are rims necessary too? can i use existing stock rims? where to get and are they expensive?

 

kewl.. a local ... are yr blizzaks all season or snow tires? where to get and is it expensive? do i need rim or use existing ones?

 

hhhmm... is it expensive for these tires? are they mounted on existing rims?

 

thta makes sense.. but how muhc are they? rims and snow tires>?

 

They are dedicated snows and I got them in 15", mounted on wheels. From tirerack.com the 4 tires and 4 wheels + shipping was about $600. It takes me about an hour to change them over.

Well worth it for peace of mind in the winter and your summer tires will last longer. Definitely get them on rims so you aren't paying to have tires put on/off every season. At $25 per tire that's $200 a year. So,the wheels would almost be paid for the first season.

Here's my MINI all bundled up for winter with the snows. Tirerack has several styles of inexpensive wheels to choose from. As for the Blizzaks, I've had them on several cars and have been very pleased.



Dean.

 

If you are trying to save some money, an option is to go with a set of used 16" wheels - check the marketplace here on NAM, there are some good deals. That's where I got mine.

 

what type shouldi go for? all seaons or winter? i tihnk almost those on sale none are winter tires...

 

Most people mount winter tires on dedicated rims (usually 15" or 16"). The tires I would buy a new set and (if you live in a place like me - NYS Capital Region) I would go with winter - if you check the tire and wheel section there is some great info.