Well I already love my car, and think it is the best car I have ever owned, but the other night made me love it even more. I live in NY and was coming home late from a Xmas eve dinner party, a monster snow storm was in the works and it got really bad on the way home. I gotta tell you that the Mini was outstanding on the slick roads and not once did I feel any hesitation that the car would lose any control, and were talking heavy snow fall were lousy visibility. With the Xenons and my fog lights on, I could have given Rudoulph a run for his money!! And the DSC worked well on slick cornering.

 

I've never really driven in snow before this year and I have got to agree with what you have said here. I do not even have DSC and I had no problems....(of course we got less snow than you did, but definitely more than what was originally forcasted, which was none.) :smile:

 

>>Well I already love my car, and think it is the best car I have ever owned, but the other night made me love it even more. I live in NY and was coming home late from a Xmas eve dinner party, a monster snow storm was in the works and it got really bad on the way home. I gotta tell you that the Mini was outstanding on the slick roads and not once did I feel any hesitation that the car would lose any control, and were talking heavy snow fall were lousy visibility. With the Xenons and my fog lights on, I could have given Rudoulph a run for his money!! And the DSC worked well on slick cornering.


we got about 3 inches here. my MINI was a lot more confident than my previous car, a VW Jetta, which continually plowed through turns.

i'm not quite sure if the DSC was helping or not .. .

traction control sure does make it easy to modulate the clutch in the slippy stuff - just dump it like normal and watch it hook up...

 

I will be driving to Indiana at the end of January and I am a little concerned about driving on ice. This post certainly helps to comfort me.

Any tips on salt removal, I don't have the cold weather package so I'm a little concerned about corrosion.

Is the cold weather package necessary, would you drive your Cooper up north w/o it ? Should I brave it and fly ? (gosh I hate to fly).

Help !

Kesh

 

I don't have the cold weather package. I didn't think it was too necessary. I just make sure that I get my car cleaned off as much as possible when the roads are all salty. We don't get a ton of snow here, but when we do, the salt trucks are definitely out in full force and my MINI is pretty well covered now. Saturday it's time for a trip to the car wash (for the second time this week).

Driving on ice sucks no matter how you look at it. Whether you have a MINI or something that has 4WD it doesn't make a difference once you are on ice. But my parking lot was an absolute SHEET this morning. I nearly broke my a$$ going out to the car. But my MINI felt very steady. I have yet to slide anywhere in her, which has been a very pleasant surprise..... :smile:

 

L.-Mini,

Are you in Indianapolis ?

 

Nope I am in Baltimore.

 

She's a Raven fan didn't you know?

 

>>She's a Raven fan didn't you know?

*waves around purple and white pompoms*

 

I had a sheet of ice too. I have to agree I felt completely safe in my MINI. Excellent in ice and snow. Better than I dreamed!!

 

I had a different experience than most of you. I live in Michigan and to say that we get a little snow would be a laugh. Last week alone we have received close to a foot all together. About one week ago, the roads were extreamly icy, but I thought with the wide footprint, my MINI would be the best choice for the roads I had to bear. I jumped in, and pulled out into the road (primary road) and before I made it to the first stop sign, I was turning around to go home and switch cars. I don't have DCS, but nonetheless, it was not a very safe experience. I was slipping all over the place. So I switched into my other car (a Buick Park Ave) and it was still tretcherous, but I felt safer in the Buick. It just seemed to hold the road better, plus I didn't mind the salt getting on the Buick, and if I somehow got hit, I would feel "better" about loosing it than the MINI.

Re: the Cold Weather Package. Unless you live in a snow belt, or some place that gets icy, I wouldn't worry about getting the package. The best thing about it is the heated seats. Every woman that has sit in the MINI falls immediatly in love with the car, just for this fact alone. *hint to the single guys* But the package doesn't include anything that will make your MINI drive better in the snow. So, if you don't have it, you can still drive it through the north, you just may have a little issue with your washers freezing up, and having your tush a bit more cold. Just be careful on the snowy roads. The MINI can end up in a snow bank just like any other car.

 

>>Nope I am in Baltimore.

No sheet? Ice?

 

Thanks for the advice. I keep my Cooper very clean so I know I will be a washing fool once I get back home to make sure the salt is gone.

I never had a fear of flying until 9/11, now I try to drive on business trips. With that being said I have almost 13K miles on my Cooper S that I bought in late June.

I would hate to drive distances in any other car, the Cooper S is a dream.

Thanks again friends,

Kesh

 

My MINI is light years ahead of my old Ford Probe in the snow :smile: That car was the worst for traction. The back end always gave out.

 

I was gonna start a thread titled "MINI AS SNOWPLOW" - but this thread works fine.

I drove Xmas day in a 10 inch snow/windstorm for about 150 miles - Toronto to Kingston, Ontario. Lots of lake effect snow. The MINI was amazing in the crap and high winds.

I left the stinkin' SUVs in my snow wake. Just motored on. The DSC light flickered routinely when I hit slush pockets and during lane changes. I imagine the brake conernering control feature also kicked in somewhat, but there's no indicator for that feature.

Three weeks ago I switched my 17" runflats for 15" Champero GTs (knock-offs of Nokian ice/snow tires). The tires worked great, and the car was steady and true. One of the best bad weather vehicles I've ever driven. Even felt like I could stop safely. At times I was even able to do the speed limit - and felt safe and solid.

Toronto area and Canadian winters won't stop this baby! Next stop is the ski hill!

 

>>
>>Re: the Cold Weather Package. Unless you live in a snow belt, or some place that gets icy, I wouldn't worry about getting the package. The best thing about it is the heated seats. Every woman that has sit in the MINI falls immediatly in love with the car, just for this fact alone. *hint to the single guys* But the package doesn't include anything that will make your MINI drive better in the snow. So, if you don't have it, you can still drive it through the north, you just may have a little issue with your washers freezing up, and having your tush a bit more cold. >>>>>>


IMO, the heated mirrors may be worth the price of the package alone! SUre the heated seats are great! Got them for my wife, didn't think I'd use them much but since I'm in my car every morning before sunrise, I end up using them almost daily! Love 'em. But the heated mirrors REALLY help in snow and icy, sleeting weather. We had our CRV yesterday and one mirror was completely covered in hard ice and snow that I could not remove. Once on a previous car I tried so hard to remove ice from my side mirror that I fractured the mirror in pieces! Heated mirrors are great if you get a lot of ice. B/c I leave the house before my wife, I can't effectively use the garage. And being a BIT in the mountains (for Jersey, anyway), I have ice on my car from late October to late March. So having clean, ice-less mirrors at 5:30am is really nice.

 

I've been slippin' and slidin' my way around west suburban Indianapolis for two days now and have come to the conclusion that the MINI does just fine. Sure, it holds the road very well and the DSC and ABS do there thing without fault, but the low ground clearance makes it difficult to get from secondary to primary roads. If I didn't have the skid plate, I'd fear for everything underneath. Otherwise, it just scurries about the county/state roads with vitality and vigor; brake only for crossings.

 

Our MINI is still tucked in the garage after the snow that hit Indianapolis on X-Mas eve night. We didn't have to take it out yesterday or today, but my wife will probably be out in in tomorrow (cabin fever). Roads are pretty clear around us now, with the occasional ice patches where people drove before the plows came thru. I've got confidence in our MCS, but my wife was uneasy taking in out, not because of us, but rather the others in central Indiana who so rarely drive in snow that they completely melt down when the weather turns. We've got a Durango as well (go ahead with the SUV boos, but its a great vehicle, and I'd rather take it to a mud hold job site than I would a MINI), so we weren't too concerned about the snow. We'll probably take Alice out to a vacant parking lot to get the "feel" for the car in the snow and ice.

 

I had my MC out on Christmas day... 60 mile trip that usually takes me about 45 to 60 mins. took me almost 2hrs. The freeway was a mess in most places down to one lane sometimes. MINI ran great and handled much better than any other car I've had. I counted at least 20 cars (including SUV's HE HE HE!!) which had ran off the road into the median strip... but MINI hugged the road. As for the cold weather pkg... I must say the heated seats are great and warm up very fast and the heated mirrors never get iced up or fogged. Windshield stays clean due to the heated washer jets, a real plus when faced with all that road spray. The front end of the car was coated in ice when I arrived home but a quick wash off with warm water quickly melted the ice and built up slush. I was kinda worried about the low clearance... how difficult is it to install a skid plate??? If anyone has installed one, I'd sure like to hear from you. Thanks, Paul.....
MC cold weather pkg, premium pkg. chrome, cd changer, anthrocite dash with r-speed chrome trim. Jet Blk. white top and mirrors, emerald green leather interior.

 

This is a very interesting thread- I've ordered my MC (scheduled build date 1/10/03) with the sport pkg and have been afraid of what the 17" runflats would be like here in central Connecticut. Has everyone with the 17" runflats switched to winter tires (and wheels)? If you haven't, what is it like? Is it driveable? I'm sort of reluctant to take delivery of a car that I either can't drive until April (I have a '67 Lancia sleeping in the garage so I don't need another car I can't drive) or that I have to buy new tires (and wheels!) for before I put a mile on the OEM set. Give me advice!
Thanks!
Donald

MC Silk Green, all 3 packages

 

I have to agree with all the winter Mini drivers out there who love the handling in the snow, ice and slush! I put Dunlop Winter Sport M3 run flat tires in size 195/55-16 on my S Cooper in place of the 17" originals for the winter here in Massachusetts and for my Vermont ski trips. Talk about a "bulldog"!!! My beast (Goldfinch) took to the winter roads in our Christmas nor' easter like a fish to water. The DSC light came on a few times, but not a quiver. AWESOME!
Jim

 

I am driving around with my 17's, I do however have 5 years of Maine winters driving experience. I am not having any problems navigating harsh road conditions with these wheels, but a larger profile on your tire will always improve snowy roads.