The MINI's offroading capabilities are nearly non-existent
 

I found that out the hard way last night.

As part of my job, I sometimes have to go out to some out-of-the way places. Where the roads are hilly, twisty and fun as anything in the summer, but in the winter, they are often snow covered and rather dangerous. I have Blizzaks on the car though, so I really wasn't having many problems until I made one wrong turn and tried to get myself turned around. With my questionable driving skills, I managed to back myself into a snow drift. Completely stuck in snow that came up to my knee.

Luckily, there was a house nearby whose owner had a 4x4 pickup. Nice guy. Probably thought I was an idiot though. The little tow hitch that plugs into the little divot on the back bumper works very well. Very easy to hook up even with very little light. My little adventure only took about 10 minutes. I continue to be impressed with this little car.

Just wanted to share. :grin:

:lol: I sympathize. As a native North Dakotan who is used to winter driving, I was very surprised when I got stuck in what I consider very little snow. Big blow to my ego and made me realize that when negotiating ANY kind of snow of ANY depth...turn off the DSC (assuming you have it...will completely suck your power and embed you in the snow). Since I've begun to do that....MUCH BETTER. Although I won't be 4 wheeling in the MINI soon.:smile:

Bull! These cars can go in the snow:thumbsup:
:cool:

I doubt that there is anybody that knows more about the MINI in snow than lot15 and Poco.

You may be right,but you need coolant:mad:
:cool:

The little tow hitch that plugs into the little divot on the back bumper works very well. Very easy to hook up even with very little light.


Where is the tow hitch/tie down eyelet?

It should be in your tool kit that is provided with the car. In an MCS, it is in the battery compartment, and I figure that in a MC it would be in the spare tire area.

??????And totally negate the safety aspects of DSC?? This is when DSC is BEST utilized. Kinda like saying seatbelts will always slow down exiting the vehicle, so never use them!! :eek:

Poor lot15. . . he thinks his MINI is air-cooled :wink:

I'm guessing he meant to turn it off when you're starting from a stop. There has been a couple times in snow that I needed to do that, since it saps power from the engine. Needed to because I was on a slight hill and the car just wouldn't go, and sometimes when pulling into traffic on a slippery road, the engine would be sapped for too long and I'd almost get hit. Once you're going, though, turn that back on.

Snow....hehehehe.....

You can only get a little bit stuck in a MINI.

To REALLY get stuck, you need 4-wheel-drive! :grin:

Two words - SNOW TIRES!! Skip the DSC altogether and get a nice set of Dunlop Wintersports. I've driven into and out of 4 foot high snowbanks all winter. Have never gotten stuck. With snows on, the Mini performs better than any 4WD vehicle I have owned.:thumbsup:

(me explaining myself)

The MINI has plenty of power; I don't dispute that...I will post my own story of finally kicking it down after break-in recently on another thread. The DSC, however, robs the MINI of MOST of its power when it kicks in.

The first time I negotiated a small snow bank at the end of my driveway and the DSC kicked in; that's where I stayed..shoveling. (The SUV's and 4 Wheel Drive pickups that seem to mainly populate my state all chuckled as they whizzed by).

Now that I have a few winter storms under my belt, I understand a bit more how to handle the DSC: ON for most light snow...OFF for the bad roads.

Lott has a lot more experience at this winter driving in a MINI thing...but the few times that I have started to lose power when I need it most (I.E. snow) has taught me to turn off the DSC or carry a shovel. As for winter tires...immediately next winter! That and I'm paying a visit to Winnepeg for a block heater!

Pfft... snow. Move down south, that's what I did :lol:

Yeah, snow? I am sure I have seen pictures of this substance, somewhere ;), just not in person ;)

Doug

My take on this is you have to KNOW how to drive in snow,and you learn this only by doing it.If you have to drive in snow,get out there and do it.
Go to empty parking lots when it first comes down,been doing that every year for 35 years now,gets you used to it.Play around,get used to starting and NOT spinning the tires,and steering while braking. For me the MINI handles snow like a champ,with snows on. On hard pack snow this car just loves to motor,so much fun,drifting on turns,using the e-brake to snap out the back end,get pointed in the new direction,and going to WOT,is so much fun:grin:
And it handles snow storms and blizzards,just stay home when they say to, and you will be fine.
:cool:

Uhhh....I would maybe buy 1-foot tall snowbanks, but 4 feet would be up to your windsheild.....can't buy that.. :roll:

Have any picts?

P

my my my my......you have no idea

I also don't think a MINI would go through a 4 foot drift,but I do go through drifts that are 2 feet,just turn off the traction control,hit'em at a good clip,and your through.
:cool:

well it's been snowing here at least once a week up in maine and i've had very few problems getting around, even with the stock runflat all seasons. i've been very impressed. only problems i've had is when i attempted to go up a yet to be plowed hill (natually that didn't work!), and this morning, when my door handles stopped working!
as for dsc, you really do have to turn it off when driving in an inch or more, and especially uphill otherwise you just get no power whatsoever.

These little guy will show there own somethimes , i was going to a dove field and hit a lil mud turned the dsc and spun it like crazy, kinda fun {but muddy}.:lol:

liljack and matchbox

Better stay east of Hickory! We picked up a little dusting the other day but the last storm dumped about 6 to 7 inches. I've got the "change the tires to snows" routine down to 15 minutes. :thumbsup: Not quite to NASCAR standards, but then again my lugs aren't glued to the rims!

Yup, DSC off when starting out and when climbing hills.

I turn the ASC off when ever I need to plow through deep snow,then I use my right foot to figure out how much throttle to use.
Does the traction control,either ACS or DSC work in reverse?I know to turn it off to "rock" the car to get get going if stuck,but I was just wondering if it does.Mind you I can do 180 reverse spins,from a stand still with it turned on,and never noticed the light flash:razz::thumbsup:

I have a bit of a problem with this thead being called"off-road".We seem to be talking about motoring on roads,and the only"off-road"I do is to park Poco on some grass for a photo op:wink:
:cool: