I have an '08 MCS and live in Northern Vermont...last winter (my first with the car) I went without snows, which was a bit scary. I've lived and driven in snow country for close to 30 years, but getting around on those all-seasons was NOT a good idea. So I'm out looking, and the quotes I'm getting for the tires, mount and balance are around $725-$800. I checked the TireRack website and they have the tires for a considerably cheaper price than any of the local tire places, but I'm a bit wary about buying tires online. Anyone buy through them...good experience, bad experience?? Any other suggestions? Other online sources? Thanks!

 

I didn't see their (TireRack) prices till I had already ordered my wheels and tires from somewhere else. Had I seen the sticky I would have ordered from Alex right away. I did however get an extra set of tpms sensors for the winter set of wheels/tires from Alex and he was very professional, helpful and friendly about it and they shipped very quickly and arrive the day he said I should expect them.
I am planning on ordering my replacement summer tires from Alex (as long as he is still there) when they are worn out. Hope this helps.

 

I would highly recommend tirerack.com as it is a great source for tires. I have used them for over 18 years.

 

I'd also give tirerack two thumbs up. I've used them several times in the past and have always received great service, quick delivery and the best prices around. You can't really go wrong with them.

 

snow tires?? what are those?

 

I bought my Michelin Pilot Alpine's from TireRack and couldn't have been happier with the service. I'm only in Boston and although the Pilot Alpine's are a winter-performance tire and not a deep-snow tire driving with them is night and day.

I had my tires sent to me so I could then decided where to take them to get them mounted, but I think TireRack can also suggest shops where you can have the tires directly shipped to.

 

Where in Northern Vermont are you?

I've run Dunlop Winter Sport M3 215/45-17 tires for the last three years on stock R85 S-Lites. Purchased from Vermont Tire in Williston. My rallye commute is over the mountain from Milton to Westford which can be very gnarly if you've driven this. These worked very well.

This season I've got a set of 15" steel rims fresh back from a total media blast and then epoxy painted black with silver and clear coat. These came equipped with Blizzak Revos and were previously off a 2006 R53 with only one season on them all for $150.

Best thing I'd do is order from Vermont Tire talk to Dave, tell them Thompson sent you. Keep Vermont green. Next would be to Waxoyl your MINI before the snow starts to fly.

 

The best snow tires on the market are Bridgestone Blizzak's. They are not the cheapest, but cheap snow tires = crappy snow tires. Also keep in mind that it is often cheaper to buy smaller, narrower steel wheels already mounted and balanced from tirerack than outfit your car with 17" wide snow tires. Narrower tires also cut through the snow better and get better traction as well. Hope this helps.

 

TireRack was great to me. I just picked up a full set Wheels/Tires/TPMS/centering rings for about $980 shipped.

I don't think steel wheels are an option for the R56 because of the TPMS?

I ran the Wintersport M3s on my Audi for a couple of seasons. Take a look at your commute. If you do a lot of higher-speed dry road traveling between snowstorms you're going to want a "sport"-oriented winter tire. If you're spending a lot of time on back and mountain roads, you'll want something more winter oriented. My experience with the two sets of Blizzaks I ran was that they were good in the snow and great on ice but the car felt like it had jello for tires on the highway. $.02

 

I have been using tirerack for well over 20 years and i have Never had a Problem, Not 1. Call Alex and he will set you up with the best tires for your needs and they will come ready to go with in a few days

 

Tire rack has great prices. Heck my local tire guy even said i should check them out. I ended up buying my tires from my local guy because the price difference was only $20 in the end. But if you are buying wheels/tires premounted tirerack is a great deal.

 

I've been buying tires from Tire Rack since my first car in 1987. Great service, never had a complaint. While you can do all of your buying on-line and I've done so many times, I prefer to call and speak with a live person, ask questions and get suggestions. I've been most please this way.

IMHO, your best move is to order tires and a dedicated set of "snow wheels". This will save your regular rims from constant mounting and dismounting and from the harsh road salt. For my last sporty car (GTI-VR6) I purchased a set of Pirelli snows mounted to steel rims from Tire Rack. Best move I'd made with that car. Now, I'm thinking about a set of Blizzaks for the Mini.

 

Just go to Tire Warehouse (I don't know where in VT you are, but I use the one in Barre) because they get their tires from Tire Rack (they have a special dealer log-in) and will get better prices than you can get. If you're buying run-flats, they're not going to be cheap and the selection is pretty limited...if you don't need run-flats then you have a much wider selection.

 

I'm in Burlington...I did go to Tire Warehouse and the tires they quoted were about $60 (a tire) more than TireRack. I had purchased my last pair of tires from Tire Warehouse and was very satisfied with the price, but these runflats are so pricey I'm just trying to get the best deal.)

 

Tirerack is the best tire spot anywhere. They know their products and they know your car. The actually do their own testing and their prices are always very fair. I have bought many sets of tires from them, and I have been impressed every time.

 

I would not say that Blizzak's are the best snow tire on the market. I put them on my 03 BMW 525 and took them off and wnet them m back after one week in the snow they were horrible could not even get me out of my driveway. Went back the the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 and the car will go anywhere.

As for TireRack. I have not found anyone that can even come close to their price near where I live in MA. I have been using them since 2000 and have purchased over 20 sets of tires from them and 5 sets of rims. The one time i had a bad rim (damaged in shipment) they sent out a new rim and tire combo and i had it the next day no questions asked, they even provided a pick up ticket so the UPS driver could take the bad one back when he dropped off the new one. Great customer service.

 

Ask them to price match. I have had luck with that in the past with local tire shops. Better for them to make a little less money than none at all..

 

OP try to find some MINI oem 16" Bridgespokes to run your winter tires on. there may be brake clearence problems if U go any smaller, and I know the spokes take tpms.

 

I'd like to do this (get a second set of rims). The ones I have now are the cheapy 15" standard rims that came with her. I'd prefer to use those for snows and get a new set for my summer tires, probably a bit bigger.
So my question is, when you order from Tire Rack, what do you have to do, find a local shop who'll mount and balance them? Doesn't that eat up much of the savings?

 

Tire rack will list installers near you along with pricing and customer reviews of the shops!

 

Last year was my first year on snow tires and wow, what a difference. I bought General Altimax winters from the TireRack and they were great. Those tires were much cheaper than Blizzaks and were awesome. They got me through 8" snows better than a lot of my neighbors with 4 wheel drive trucks. Great tires, and you can spend the money you save on go fast parts!