Has anyone lowered their Mini in an area that gets a lot of snow? This car may be used up in Idaho, and I don't really wanna lower the car, only to find out that i've turned it into an undrivable snow plow for 3 months out of the year! . Input would be greatly appreciated, as i've never owned a car in a snowy climate.

Feedback on both lowered suspension setups and stock suspension setups. Thanks!

 

Yes, I would also welcome any posts about this as a new MINI owner and new manual driver. Thanks

 

Its great in the snow with snow tires but don't kid yourself. It is a snowplow in unplowed snow over 4 inches so don't lower it!

 

LOL, how much lower can it go?

I'll find out about the snow soon enough. I just moved to Grafenwoeher Germany.

 

I have heard a lot from guys who have the aero kits and lowering springs really complain in the wintertime when their MINIs were "snowplows". But, gee, doesn't it stand to reason that that's gonna happen, especially when a car has been lowered to about 2 inches off the ground and the snow is 4" and higher deep? Common sense should tell you that, and ya don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.

The original, unlowered Classics got around just fine on ten inch wheels and skinny 5.20" wide tires. I know this because I owned one and drove it to school daily when I lived in snowbelt Ohio. That said, I'd imagine that today's new MINI, unlowered and running with standard 15" wheels and tires, should perform equally as well.

 

Ground clearance is the MINIs Achilles Heel come snowfall. It's great in winter driving conditions as long as you're on plowed roads. I'd consider JCW suspension (-10mm) if my Morgan project wasn't consuming all automotive discretionary spending, but nothing lower. Snow tires are also a must.

 

btw, not helping your post exactly - I have heard that it is a LOT of fun to drive your rear wheels over two cafeteria trays, set the emergency brake, and let your front wheels pull you thru the snow....

Me, I wouldn't know as I live in Southern California...

I guess the snow is always whiter somewhere else

 

I have 16" runflats. They are ok in winter, but when the snow gets deeper than 4", I switch to 15" wheels with 175/65 Continentals that were original stock and have around 2000 miles on them. When the 15s are on all is well and I do not worry about getting stuck, due to the thinness of the tires. The key to getting the Classics out of occasional snowdrifts was to put the car into low gear [forward or reverse...whichever you preferred], get out of the car, keep the driver door open and push while the engine lugged the gear. It worked well back then, too.