Hi,
I am relocating from sunny so cal to wintery mn. How does a mini do in the snow and winter driving condtions. I have dsc and I am curious to hear how it works on snowy/icy roads. Should I just sell my mini and buy an new m3?
thanks,
mark

 

The M3 is going to be a LOT worse...RWD and more HP is a bad thing for snow.

Get snow tires for the MINI and you'll be fine.

 

Last winter all I did was grab some holies and smack Dunlop Winter Sports on. Mini is actually quite fun in the snow, never worried as much as I have with other cars. (exception being the quattro of course)

 

I'm anxiously awaiting my MINI and I live in MN. It'll be my year-round car. I got the DSC and Cold Package since it was recommended for the weather.

 

Buy snow tires, put them on, and drive.

 

i LOVE the snowy badge pic !!!!!

 

That isn't snow, that is salt, the bane of metal.

 

Illinois here. Winter is no prob w/ the right tires and a bit of common sense ... there are some drifts a MINI can't get through ... My first winter on OE Dunlop runflats was not nearly as good as last winter on Bridgestone Blizzaks. Winter weather doesn't stop me from motoring! Have fun in MN

 

that looks horrible!!! i live in boston but just recently bought my mini in april. it will be interesting to see how my mini will handle bostonian winter season. it looks like you need to wash your car more during the winter because of all the salt.

 

trippy,
Awesome ride!! I have a question for you: What rims are you sporting there? Looks like steelies with hubcaps; if so where did you get the steelies and what size etc... I live in NY and the last few winters here have sucked and I not going to be sporting Quattro/4Motion for the first time in years so I definately want a set of good snows but do not see the point in buying a spare set of alloy wheels if steelies are out there, I have looked on tiretrack but they are only offering alloys at $110 a pop plus tires, also I am getting an MCS do you know if the steel rims will accept the run-flats I think I am going to need unless I decide to cart around a spare in the back seat.

 

Just go online or give them a call (or go to the tirerack-sponsored section if this websire) and they will get you setup.

I ordered steel wheels with Arctic Alpin rubber mounted and balanced with hubcaps delivered straight to my door.

 

Oh, I wash it all right.

 

No, and NO!!

Just look to buy yourself a set of dedicated wheels mounted with a set of contemporary snow tires (I run 16" Sport Edition Fox 5's fitted with Bridgestone Blizzak's - cost me about $1,100 from TireRack, delivered & ready to bolt on) & look forward to learning how to handbrake turn!

 

This is an excercise in common sense here. Lower power front drive or high power rear drive...uhhh, this is a tough one now [rubs head], uhhh, hmmmm.....

 

Up here north of the 49th,I drove my first winter,and it was a hard one,on the stock all weathers.It was alright,but I'm going to get snows on steelies this winter.But geez it's funThe car handles like a champStarting was never a problem even at -47Ya I know we use celsius,but -40 is -40, F or C.
Did have a problem with the door handles freezing,but the tech at my dealership figured it out.Snow was getting into the outside handle and not letting the hardware cycle,so the door would not open.That was a pain,but now I just hold the handle and give it a swipe or two with the snow brush,end of problem.
Oh, and you can back up,crank the wheel and spin on a dime
And cornering useing the e-brake can be fun too.Just make sure there is no dry pavement :smile:

 

>>uhhh, this is a tough one now [rubs head], <<



A car with great control is great in the snow, 'nuf said.

Dogspeed.