I'm getting ready to take my MCS up north for the holidays. There are lots of slick and twisty mountain passes that make me a little bit nervous. Has anyone driven their MINI in the snow and ice? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Yes. The MINI is great in the wet and very good in slippery conditions. But then again, I have the 17" All-Season tires and they stick to the road like glue in all weather conditions. In the snow, however, the MINI seemed more like an average front wheel drive car - not bad. I found it a lot easier to drive with DSC off b/c it was annoying to have the power cut off all of the time. In the heavy snow we had a week and a half ago, I drove the MINI in the morning and it was fine, but as the roads became covered pretty well with snow, I opted for my wife's all-wheel drive CRV for my afternoon trips to see clients. The only thing I'd be really worried about is if there was more than 6 inches on the road. With MINI's low clearance, that would probably cause some problems.

 

Thanks for the advise. I also have the 17" tires, but I'm used to driving ford trucks. I'll have to take it out for a spin on a nice snow-covered parking lot before getting on the freeway.

 

Welcome Yooneone!

If you seldom encounter real winter conditions (i.e., consistent snow, slush, ice), then I'd agree that you don't need to invest in real winter tires. Just keep it slow and careful when you do encounter dicey conditions...and of course be aware of black ice/ice in shady spots. Both of these can take you by suprise if you don't know the specific road on which you're driving.

But to add my own 2 cents to greatgro's opinion...I'd say that with the proper winter tires -- which ARE NOT in my opinion the 17" runflats -- the MINI handles great in the snow/ice. I haven't had much of an issue at all with the DSC coming on as the traction provided by proper tires doesn't promote the wheel slip that would activate the DSC. Thus, I tend to leave it on (unless driving up a very steep hill in actual snow) as it may save my butt if I get unexpectedly over my (my MINI's) head. After all, that's what it's there for!

 

The 17" performance tires (at least the Dunlops) are not very good in the snow and ice, but they're not designed for those conditions. We live in Western NY where there is a long winter so I got a set of Blizzaks and steel wheels for the nasty months. They make a world of difference. Not cost effective to get the tires & wheels ( > $500) for a single trip, but if you live in an area that has frequent snow / slush / ice then the money is well spent.