Winter tires are now mandatory in Quebec!

 

Just chiming in to post that I LOVE my new snow tires and am so glad I purchased them and had them on for today's big snow in the north east!!!!

Came home from picking up our offspring from college in Maryland via NJ Turnpike, all fine until we hit the Saw Mill, Cross County Parkway and Hutchinson River Parkway - in NY, just outside of NYC.. Many cars were actually stuck, spun out and worse, but the MINI Clubman Silver Sleigh with her winter wheels went right ahead!

P.S. My Clubman is an automatic, just so you know.

 

I'm also glad I got winter tires for the new Clubman. As with my former and beloved MCS, it can climb trees with the right tires. Fourth day of ownership. The only thing I wish I'd gotten are roof rails. And maybe the Bluetooth.

 

the all season tires on the mini make it a death trap. PERIOD> buy snows or risk yoru life. this is the absolute WORST set of tread i have ever seen on a tire, i was stuck for 1hr in 2" of snow in a parking lot. i felt like i was in a m3 with race tires.
i have own 2 minis and the clubman is the worst in the snow, i could go better backwards than fwd.

dropped $800 on snow tires today. iam so pissed i wasted my time with all seasons, i should have got the sport tires and at least had fun in the summer.

 

I never felt like it was a "death trap," although the performance tires on my MCS were pretty slick. Although I had hopes that the all-seasons would carry me through the first winter, I just feel more secure with winter tires. Getting to work entails a steep hill, and I a wreck coming down it without them.

 

OK, I've been convinced that the MINI is NOT good in the snow with no snow tires! Mine was stuck and had to be pushed and not even a hour later....well, take a look at the pictures! ONLY, this is NOT my clubbie! It's a neighbors that got stuck in front of our house!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/...c0500d73_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/...b1a94728_o.jpg

 

Did that one get stuck because of ice?

I've always gotten snow tires for all of my MINIs. I, too, like the feeling of being just that much more secure with winter tires. Since it's my main mode of transportation, I felt it was a must.

I'd suggest if you're going to drive it in all weather, that you'd do well to get a winter set.

Glad you weren't in an accident laurendesigns!

 

I'm seriously amazed at some responses regarding getting stuck with the Clubbies on all seasons. I have the 15 inch all seasons stock OEM. Yesterday WI had a total of close to a foot of snow. My driveway is about 80 yards long end to end, not to mention more snow at the exit because of darn plows. AND the last plow had not gone through for about 2 hours(so my side streets had quite a tad of snow).

Firstly, getting out of the non-plowed-close-to-a-foot driveway was impossible even with snow tires. I shovelled as little as I can, reversed out of the driveway(this took multiple forward and reverse attempts) and drove onto the side roads. AT NO TIME DID I FIND IT WAS A DEATH TRAP. I'm not sure what you folks are doing in your Clubmans but even with all that snow, I didn't get stuck nor did I feel in any danger. I'm not generalizing my experience with other people's but seeing as how there's at least one Clubman owner who had a ton of snow but did perfectly fine, maybe there's something you could do to have the same experience.

 

Clubman in WI here with all 16 inch stock all season tires, and I braved the same foot of snow yesterday that IzzyG did. First, had to blow snow out of the driveway (duh!), but after that the going was fine on semi-plowed/drifted side streets and plowed (but unsalted, grrr) main roads. I didn't think it was dangerous at all either, but then again I never got much above 30 MPH.

Now, I will admit that my DSC spent a good portion of my 30 minute commute turned on, which did freak me out I have been considering getting snow tires, I'll have to check into them for next winter. I'm thinking the extra grip would be nice for the few heavy snowstorms we get, but I wonder about the cost of a second set of tires, plus the cost to get them put on and off (no, I don't have the ability, time, or equipment to do it myself).

 

let me rephrase that

the 17" all season tires on the clubman s are a death trap.

all the praise i have see is for little 15" and 16" tires which may allow for better tread

 

joshpuetz:Where are you located? Racine here. I was thinking of getting snow tires and using the stock 15 inch wheels-tossing or trying to sell the stock all seasons. However, this would eventually lead to a need to purchase dedicated summer tires/wheels. Which I wanted to get 17 inches anyways. Bleh, that would end up being a 2 grand total tire investment(the additional 17 inch wheels included)

I would think if you purchase a dedicated set of snows(with wheels), it would take no more than 15 minutes to swap out(just like changing a flat). I wouldn't switch tires on the same wheels twice a year though.

 

You know, here in Utica (in the lake effect snow belt) we've had a similar amount of snow, and I have a ridiculous hill to climb to get to work. My Clubman has been simply remarkable with its winter tires. I'm glad I have them, as we totaled an SUV in snow two years ago.

 

I agree with Jupiter to some degree. I have a Clubman with the OEM 17” run-flats. In St Louis, we just don’t get that much snow. Usually a few inches a few times a year and it’s gone in a day or two. I thought perhaps I would get by and just limit my driving during these times. We had a few inches earlier this week and I was shocked at how bad the tires were. No control and no idea when or where it was going to go when they let go.

I was on the phone and had some General HP 4 season tires on the car in about 4 hours. Now the big news wasn’t the performance of the General in the snow but rather the overall improvement in the car. Yea they did fine in the snow for an all-weather tire but the harshness and the noise reduction was a real plus.

I had read other replies about changing out the run flats but this was the single best thing I have done to the car since we bought it. I was surprised and delighted in the improvement.[/SIZEBTW, it did just fine in the 2 inches of snow. They spin and scrub in a predictable manner and I got where I needed to go. Not as good as pure snow tires but good enough for around here. Good money spent

Jim

 

OK, I'm giving in...we need a dependable winter car.

Now the ? is where do I buy? Is the only place online tire rack? I really like the Nokian's and the idea of studded (we travel to VT a lot). Wouldn't mind finding them locally but in Rochester not sure what my local tire dealer options are (several have closed).

Suggestions?

 

i'm w/ you izzyg...except i've got the 17-inch all seasons. earlier in the week, we had 3-4 inches of really icy snow, and i contemplated maybe getting some winter tires. i never got stuck, i never lost control, and i never came close to either one...but i wasn't able to take off from a stop like i thought i might be able to w/ winter tires.

then we got the foot of snow...and now i'm not contemplating getting winter tires anymore. the clubman plowed through all of it, no problems. had to plow through 14-16 inches for 25-30 feet or so piled up at the base of an on ramp, on an incline, and no problems. had to drive through 6-8 inches of unplowed roadway most of the way to work (13 miles) and no problems. this car kicks too much you-know-what in the snow.

the dsc works like a charm. no dtc (wasn't available yet when i ordered mine) and no lsd (ma convinced me it was a waste of money), just the stock 17-inch all seasons and manual transmission. piece of cake, no problem.

 

IzzyG, joshpuetz,

Here in Mass we got the same storm overnight that you had yesterday.

We totaled 9" when i got up this morning and the plowed road caused a pile that was 14"D and measured about 36" across.

Our driveway is only 53 feet long and with the BMW in the drive behind my clubman, I had only a slight problem just driving out of the driveway. Only had to back up once to get another pass at it.

I have Dunlop Winter Sport 3D runflats and they stick to the snow like glue.

I drove tot he local Walmart to get dog and car food this morning on roads that had a minimum of 4-5 inches of snow with little or no DCS/DTC turning on. The car just goes.

We have now had another 7" during the day today, and now the piles in front of the house where the snow gets piles are almost as tall as my clubman.

 

The storm has made its way to Maine. Pipra is tucked in and waiting for it to go by, as she's still waiting for her "snowshoes"

 

Clubman+Snow Tires=
So I live near Worcester, got 12 inches on Friday, had to drive to TF Green airport to get my dad in the middle of the 1st storm on Friday. Luckily I had just gotten Toyo Snowprox Winters put on the day before. Ok, today is Sunday and this is our 2nd storm and we are expecting another 10 inches today. I just got a new snowboard and was dying to try so, I left this morning and headed over to Wachusett (local ski mountain) in the middle of the snow storm. After having driven a total of 4 hours between both snow storms I can honestly say that the Mini with snow tires is the best driving non AWD vehicle I've driven in the snow. It is very stable, slides are pretty easy to recover out of, and the Toyo's just plowed through all the grunge snow on the highway.
Oh, and it is an absolute blast to do power slides with
Here's Brown, just after getting back from snowboarding. I'm proud of my baby she did VERY well.
For those wondering what roof box that is, it's the largest Yakima roof box you can buy.

 

further evidence i don't need to worry about getting snow tires (just yet)...

below zero all day today, roads were generally drifted over with icy tracks, no evidence of salt or sand anywhere on most roads, and so just for kicks and giggles, i decide to take the chicago st. hill in racine both up and down, and no problems. not sure the exact incline, but i would guess ~30 degree, but feels more like 45 degree when driving on it. stop sign and the base of the hill, so on the way up, there's ~60-70 lf of flat road before the incline starts, all of which was icy tracked. dsc kicked in a little bit on the flat road, not at all on the hill, and shifted to third gear at midway just to see if it would start slipping...nope, piece of cake, no problems.

 

I think a lot of it comes down to winter weather driving style as well. As soon as I start to see snow, I start taking my corners and lane shifts a lot slower. We had massive blowing and drifting here in Madison, WI today (along with a -30 wind chill, just lovely). The county has decided not to salt the roads this year, so I'm DSC'ing whenever I initially turn onto an icy road, but turns off after a max of 2-3 seconds.

I'm a very moderate driver in my Clubman, and certainly don't ever push it near it's limits. I can see how those who are used to motoring more spiritedly in the summer and want the same experience in the winter would definitely need snow tires!

 

Wow, three Wisconsin posters in a row! Was out today in Racine and I swear my fingers nearly got frostbitten(wear gloves next time!). Anyways, conditions exactly as jpp described. Decided to take turns more aggressively today. In two situations I started sliding during a turn. However, in both situations it was a manageable slide-I could stop sliding easily if I let off the accelerator. It was actually a fun maneuver, albeit unsafe. The surprised looks of other drivers were priceless. :P

I found a nice deal on winter tires and am leaning towards getting them. It's more of an excuse to get 17 inch summer tires though. :P However, just like joshpuetz said, driving habits and driver's abilities trump the tools(all seasons vs winter tires)->I am excluding the 17 inch all seasons since quite a few are having a hard time with those.

 

Let's make it four from Wisconsin. Yeah was cold...I'm in Kenosha, and I put on 16" rims with 205/55/16 Yokohama w.drives. They handle great in the snow, and the braking is great as well. They actually ride better than the summer performance run-flats from the factory.

 

Hearing all the posters from WI,makes me appreciate the weather in CA. We are getting rain today,no big deal. My mother grew up in Racine. Her parents owned Ronsholdt's stores both on the west side and downtown. I remember summers there,but no winters. My Dad grew up in Madison and they met @UW Madison. I still order the Kringle from Bendtsen's every year...

 

real danish kringle...nothing else like it. can only find this in racine, wi and denmark. i work in madison, and what the natives there (and most of the rest of the state) accept as "danish" is just sad. i typically go to o&h myself, but i digress.

wondering if anyone out there has dsc + dtc + lsd + winter tires?

 

Excellent pic & story, geoffv! I added snows a few weeks ago and love them.
Certainly the debate will go on regarding the need for snow tires. For me, it boils down to this: Snows are safer and reduce the risk of getting stuck. Can you survive without them? Probably, but as long as purchasing them does not totally destroy your budget, why not get them? My wife got stuck in ~6" of snow with the OEM all-seasons, while I recently had little difficulty navigating unplowed roads and crossing over >12" plow banks with Michelin X-ice ii2's. In fact, during a stretch of deep snow driving my daughter started laughing because her feet were "tickling" in the back seat. She then explained the snow on the road was hitting the floor panel and causing it to vibrate. Meanwhile, the car didn't show even a hint of slipping. I highly doubt my all season's could've performed anywhere close to this. It is not as sure-footed as our Jeep, of course, but better than any other 2WD car I have owned.