I drove home last night in a major downpour and, once again, my new MINI handled incredibly well. I have noticed the car grips well and never seems to feel like it's going to hydroplane, something I've often felt in the other cars I drive, which includes a 4Runner. I'm still on run flats and they do so well in the rain I don't want to swap them for regular tires! I'm curious; why is my MINI so good in the rain?

 

you're just lucky…. had OEM Conti run flats and Conti DWS' and still hydroplaned on the first 5k miles when new. Switch to Michelin AS3 and never hydroplaned. again, consider yourself lucky - all boils down to if it ain't broke why fix it.

road contour and camber setting may have played a role on it also.

drive safe always!

 

I thought maybe it was the car being lower, lighter or how far apart the wheels are set. It feels so solid in rain. I love it since we get really hard rains a lot. I guess I am lucky!

 

Performance in the rain or other inclement weather all comes down to 90% tire choice.

 

Well England is a very wet country

My MINI handles like poop in the rain. I'm 100% sure it's those Hankook tires the former owner installed. I wish they would wear out

 

I agree with Zillon as I'd bet most would. Tires are THE most important reason for stickiness or slipperiness. Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of trying 20 different tires on the same vehicle before we actually buy them. You got lucky with your car. I researched tires online prior to getting replacements for the runrocks that were still on the car when I got it last year. I'm blanking on what I bought and the car is 200 miles away right now so i can't check them out, but they are like you describe. They stick on wet roads far better than any tires I've ever owned on any vehicle over the last 45++ years of driving

And the Mini adds a bit to the equation too~~

 

The Conti DW tires are very, very good in the rain, but they're summer tires,
unlike the DWS all-seasons.

 

I put Conti DW's on my last car, and those tires were phenomenal in the rain.

I currently have Advan Neovas on the GP, and they're surprisingly decent in the rain for the lack of tread.

 

I have the ContiSportContact 3 SSR tires. They're a summer tire and we're going into winter so I guess I'll be looking for either an all season or a winter tire. I live in NC and we get snow, but I've kept my Toyota for when we expect lots of snow. Still, I don't want to get caught in unexpected weather in a summer tire, do I?

 

Same reason Motorcycles are , good suspension .

 

I just remembered to check the tires I have. Continental Extreme Contacts. 205/45 ZR-17. I think I will give up long before the tires themselves will!

 

its tires. you got some good ones.

i put pilot super sports on my mini for a bit; could take huge sweeping turns at 40mph in the rain with no issues.

after i blew through those, put on cheaper Nittos (fwiw, dont EVER buy these for the mini) and now i skip across the water like a smooth river rock; it blows :(

 

I raced in the rain last Sunday, and my codriver posted the second fastest RAW time in the wet (Region is decent, not full of national champs obviously). Only got beat by a STU-prep STI, who DID trophy at nats. Very impressive

 

+1 for Pilot Super Sports. These things stick! Even in 45 degree rain we had this week!