So being that im a younger kid (20), I love obnoxious winter set ups! Im currently painting some steelies that I picked up, Ill be sure to post pics when Im done. Is anyone else into this? If so post up your cars ready to battle snow!!

 

pre winter mode:



Winter mode:

 

I know, not obnoxious at all lol. I was looking at getting the obnoxious Yellow R84s off the classifieds at one time... I think that would have been sweet

pre



post

 

I'd like to see red steelies with chrome dog-bowls on a black, or black/red car, as a winter setup!

 

I know of a Mini's running green rims for winter..bright green!!
Pics are posted on mass motoring club I think...he might post here too!!
Looks pretty cool!!

 

Damn! he took my idea haha


Btw- the a4 next to the mini is my friends and she has bright pink stock wheels on for winter haha

 

My winter mode is just how I control the clutch and gas, being more gentle in the cold, with the occasional gentle addition of the hand brake. 4th year on summer tires in the winter, and the one before that was all seasons. Colorado, Wisconsin, New England...my car has seen some snow; it's the nut behind the wheel that gets adjusted for me.

 

lol. that looks so cool though

 

Motor On- I agree, this is only my second car ive ever put snow tires on, and Ive owned about 10 cars HA.

iwash- I did it just be different, but it actually turned out alot better than I thought it would haha. Do you raise your car back up at all for winter? I cant tell if its just from the different tires or if you raised it.

 

ya sort of. I put different coilovers on since the first pic and left them raised up a bit. Had it at a stock height for a while, but couldnt stand it.

 

Haha I know what you mean! I am ordering mine soon. I was going to go with the bc's like you said but a friend of mine owns a shop and can get me a great deal on ksports so I might go with them. But whichever I decide to go with it will definately get dropped for the winter because I cant take it anymore!

 

k sports are absolutely horrible, BCs are much better. and i don't really like BCs but they're still miles better.

EDIT: by horrible i mean they have really shitty damping resulting in really stiff ride and poor handling, leak after limited use, and are very inconsistent. i've been on them for subarus and EVOs and have known a couple people who have removed them.

i wish i had room for an extra set of wheels. :(

 

Meh...i had ksports before and I liked them and I read a few good things about them on here. So I'll give them a try

 

Over the long haul snow tires cost a relatively small amount as the miles you put on them in the winter extend the life of the tires you run in the summer. If course, if you buy a second set of rims, the cost does go up, but you save the tire change costs. If you plan on keeping the Mini or a mini for 10 years, the rims end up costing $40 per year. My whole setup, rims and Blizzak WD-60s cost about $850 mounted and delivered from Tire Rack. All I needed to do was jack her up and change out the tires.

I drove my MINI with all season tires before my winter tires showed up. There is a huge difference in traction and performance on ice. It turns a decent winter performer into an excellent winter performer. If you live in an area of the country with small annual snowfalls, winter tires may not be a good investment. But in Madison, WI we had two winters out of the last 3 with annual snowfalls over 100". In an environment like mine, they are close to an essential.

As for obnoxious colors, to each his own. My all seasons are on 17" rims while the winter tires are on 16" rims, so my look is certainly different in the winter. Put bright green wheels on a new 2011 Mini that is a few weeks old? I'm not ready for that. My burnt orange is a pretty classy color. I have difficulty visualizing it with bright green wheels. But again, to each his own.

 

Yeah where I live in Pa its like hit or miss for winters, so winters we get nailed, others its like there is no winter. And as for the colors I know its not for everyone but some people are into it. I came from subaru and stuff so over there winter mode is like for everyone ha.

 

Which would you say would be more effective in snow, a Subie with all-seasons or a MINI with winter tires?

 

There is no comparison there, sorry to tell you, I drove my subaru with BALD potenza re92's(horrible tires) all through winter, making multiple trips to a mountain that was covered in snow and ice undernearth and I never once get stuck or hit anything. Then when I thought winter was over I put my other wheels on with kumho ecsta mx's( summer performance tire) and got hit with two more storms and never had a problem. Id vote suby all the way here.

 

4 wheel drive helps you get moving...
Snow tires help you stop...and get moving. Both cars have 4 sets of brakes.

 

For the last 5 years I have driven a 05 Legacy GT (lowered) with all season tires (Conti DWS) and it was considerably better than my MCS with dedicated snows. Especially in the deep slush at moderate/high speeds where the Mini can feel a bit unstable with its short wheelbase. The Mini is no slouch, but the AWD, rear LSD, good all season tires, better ground clearance, and longer wheelbase the Legacy GT was alot better in the snow.

I like the green wheels.

This summer I am going to paint/powdercoat these gloss black. I'm too old to drive around with florescent wheels. lol

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ith-snows.html

 

I would have to agree on the Suby to MC comparison. I've owned 3 AWD Subarus, one of which my daughter is still driving. With the exception of my Avalanche, the Subys are the best snow vehicles I've ever owned in spite of the fact all had all season tires, not dedicated winter tires.

 

I have black steelies on mine and bought some hubcaps that I wanted to paint.

I already have the checkered-flag motif with the side mirrors, and was thinking of doing the same to the hubcaps, but never got around to it.

Maybe over the Xmas break...

 

raising your car up for winter an action reserved for only the biggest of sissy girls.

 

plowing FTW!

My workplace should pay me for the extra snow I plow for them lol

 

Ha i cant wait to plow!!!

 

Those of you in the snow belt. Do you have to replace your power steering fan after winter? Especially you plow drivers. So far that is the way it works for me.