How does mini handle in the snow? My friend had a bmw and it was pretty bad. Snow tires a must for bmw. Since mini is front wheel drive, I'm assuming it'll be like most other honda/toyota cars. Do I need to get snow tires or the stock all season run flat are good enough in Boston/NewYork.

 

We had a terrible winter last year here in Ohio, but except for the big snow that shut everyone down right before Christmas, my Cooper ran really well on the stock Continental 175x65x15" wheels and tires. I have even heard people say that the 16" runflats are doing ok in the snow. I don't have the fancy front end that many of the S drivers have, though, so maybe that's why my car does so well [it doesn't plow thru the snow].

 

on my perf runflats, i got stuck more times than i can remember. i should have just driven around on the back or a flatbed last year, it woulda been easier!!!

 

2004 JCW MCS on GoodYear All season runflat 17" S lites---No problem up in Western Massachusetts Last year..


Now I'm down in hell with humidity, Fayetteville NC, longing for some snow, or just 20 degrees cooler.


Paul

 

A move to the South would get rid of that problem. Snow? What does that look like?

H

 

Check out this thread, especially post #11.

This is a fairly popular topic.

Your friend's BMW sucks in the snow because it's rear wheel drive. MINI handles at least as well as any other small FWD car.

I live in Boston, and I do just fine with the stock 15" Continental all-seasons.

 

I live in snowy central Mass....the all seasons were good in the snow......then got pirelli snow controls...real real good.....my MC wheels are the 15" which I chose because of being better in the snow as the skinnier the tire, the better in the snow

 

So from what I hear the stock all season run flats tend to do moderat to good in the snow. Now to some this may seem obvious, but how much worse are the performance tire in the winter?

My question comes from the fact that I may have to go a year or so before I can get a second set of tires for my MINI and I need to make a choice between the two stock run flats. I am swayed a little bit towards the all season, but if there is not much difference in the performance tires in the snow and ice I may just get those and be able to handle better during more dry times.

 

I had trouble using the performance ones in Ohio snow storms....they really werent up to it. They could get some traction, but not much. Snow tires are cheap, and i think they would be a good investment. The steel wheels only cost about 35 dollars

 

This past winter I watched SUVs going off the road while I cruised by. Don't get cocky in one, but an MCS holds its own on wet or ice. Not to mention being insanely fun in an empty parking lot with 6 inches of untouched snow.

 

Me too! I was coming home to Boston from a weekend in Woodstock, NH, and I saw at least 4 SUVs off the highway in the ditch within half an hour. Most of them had done 180s and were backwards up on the bank in the snow. I kept my steady 40-50 mph up on the snowpacked highway (I-93), and got home just fine. Winter driving is 90% driver and 10% vehicle.

 

If you are doing well in the snow. What car, wheel size, and type of wheel did you have?

I'll be getting a MCS with stock 16inch all season.

 

I do very well in the snow, with 15" snow tires. I can pull through a 6 inch dump. I get to see a lot of SUVS, sedans, 4x4s, and many other vehicles in the ditch in the winter. I don't end up in the ditch because I motor in a MINI, but because, I SLOW DOWN, when it gets dicey out there.

If your have snow, get snow tires, then you can have some real fun.

 

Do not try to use performance tires in snow / ice. It doesn't work. You'll be sorry.

 

I live in Baltimore we only get about one or two good snows a year, but last year was the test. I had dropped our dogs off at the kennel for a bath around 8am (in my wife's SUV btw) and was told they would be ready around 3pm or so. No worries, right?! Wrong. It started snowing in sheets and within two hours after I had dropped them off we had about 2" of snow on the ground. Then the kennels call at noon saying the dogs are ready and "oh, by the way, we are closing at 1pm." Crap

To top it all off my wife had taken the SUV to the mall and I was stuck having to drive Zelda on ice and snow covered roads to pick up two freshly groomed animals. I've got the all-season run flats and the car did awesome! I was much relieved. Although I can not tell if it was the additional 140lbs of animal in the boot or the performance of the car that got me home safely

The best part of the trip was a little sidetrip to the local school parking lot. It truly is amazing what a little tug on the emergency brake will do on a snow covered, wide open, asphalt parking lot! Cheers.

 

Although the MCS came with 17" all-season RF's, we were paranoid about hitting hidden pot-holes so take-off Conti's mounted on 15" Holeys were purchased before the first Winter. For one season the Conti's did well, but were replaced with Pirelli snows for last season. So equiped, the MCS was awesome in the snow. The 17's have since been replaced with 16" performance non-RF's and at the first hint of snow I'm in the garage swapping wheels.

 

You don't mention which MINI you have and which wheels. I live in southern New England and have a MCS with the stock 16" wheels and all-season runflats. After the first snow I was looking for real snow tires before the next storm. What I settled on was a set of 15" 7-hole MC wheels and Conti all-seasons, these can be found on e-bay at a reasonable price. They were a remarkable improvement over the much wider 16" or 17" wheels.

Now that the Conti's are worn out I look forward to replacing them with some real snow tires from Nokkian, complete with studs.

I guess it depends upon how much winter travel you do and how well your town plows the roads. There is no comparison between the traction offered by a dedicated snow & ice tire and an all-season tire. If you want to be able to go anytime with confidence, get a second set of wheels and snow tires. It is just plain good insurance.

 

BMW's can handle the snow.

But...you are right here:

A properly equipped BMW, or other RWD car can perform well in the snow. With good snow tires and traction control - AND a competent, calm driver - it can be done. RWD cars are making a bit of a comeback these days, and the modern traction control systems are to thank for that.

 

My MCS has the 17" S-Lite run flats and I really don't have a confident feeling about them despite what my sales guy told me at the dealership...

Studs are not an option here in the tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT) so the next best thing is a set of SNOW tires. I did that with my old Saturn SC-2 and it did amazingly well combined with its "traction control."

I can't wait to see how my MCS does - especially after four years of driving a Jeep Wrangler with BFG All Terrain tires. That Jeep would go through ANYthing.

I will be buying some 15 or 16" steel rims and SNOWS (Blizzaks probably) for my MCS. I have a 50 mile commute through some pretty hilly and often slick terrain and I don't want to take any chances.

 

Mine was great last winter with DSC and 16" all-season runflats. I only got stuck once and that was in my own driveway because I'm too lazy to shovel!

 

Switched out my rims last winter for the steelies with snow tires. One of the best decisions I think I've ever made with a car. The car just went. Did a fantastic job. Coupled with the DSC it was pleasurable driving in the snow for once.

One thing about that DSC though. You have to be careful if you do get some slip going on, since the wheel slip will cause the engine to cut back you may find yourself moving very slowly at first. There were a couple of hills and some times when I pulled into traffic that I just shut it off till I got going.

 

Thanks, what I might do is get the performance run flats and use them for the summer, and get a set of snow tires on steel rims (never knew they could be that cheap) and use them for the winter months. That sound about right? While we are on the topic of traction, hows the MINI on wet roads (rain)? Do the performance tires hold well here or are the all seasons a lot better for wet roads?

 

I don't know why, but no one has posted this yet... Mini Canada website has 5 'Winter Mini Driving' videos from an event they had up there:

http://www.mini.ca/en/More_MINI/Wint...g/default.aspx

 

those cars are definitely running w/ 15" skinny snow tyres!!

 

If I lived in Boston/New York as the original poster indicates, I'd get snow tires.

Down here in the Baltimore/DC area, I plan to keep using my all-season run flats. For the 3 days out of the year where there's actually snow on the road to worry about, I can just take the day off. I've lived here for 5 years now and haven't had snow tires on my previous vehicles, either. So far so good. Just gotta be careful. (The reason so many SUVs go sliding off the highway is because the drivers are overconfident. 4 wheel drive and snow tires won't mean **** when you try to change lanes on solid ice.)