I live in Colorado...

I met a man today that has a 2009 Mini S coupe. He told me that he doesn't drive it in winter since his mini's performance is "downright dangerous" in snow. He has all season tires on his coupe.

What is your experience in snow with your Coupe or Clubman?

 

The all season tires will help but the front air dam scrapes in just a few inches of snow. This is one of the major reasons I so in favor of a Crossman. MINI/BMW needs a vehicle to fit into this niche and from the spy videos, it has no trouble in the snow.

 

As posted elsewhere on these forums, many of us with real snow tires found this extra snowy winter to be no-problem. I live in a northern Michigan snow belt, and we had about 6 months of it to deal with this year, but December to March was ridiculous! There was one day, after a 15-incher, that I missed another inch of ground clearance, but, I was happy and safe all the winter long. Now, I don't have the S scoop issue to deal with, and I do have the automatic with DSC, and some really good snow tires on 16-inch rims- and heated seats!

 

I live in Switzerland... I have "winter tyres" on my Clubman and it was perfect !!! I also did a security training on an ice track without any trouble... very fun for a front wheel drive...

Perhaps the "all season tyres" is not the right solution... use "summer tyres" and "winter tyres" and you would't have any problem...

 

I live in New England and we had about a dozen good storms this year with 6 plus inches of snow for each dump. I do a ton of snowboarding so you bet I was out in the storms chasing powder with my Clubman. With snow tires on the Clubman I can honestly say it is the best none AWD car I've ever driven in the snow. It's feels very planted and doesn't wobble/wag when your switching lanes on the highway in sludge snow.

I give the Clubman if you put snows on it. Snows with studs you'll get for performance.

Schatzy had a great post during the winter about a AWD pick-up truck getting stuck at a stop sign on a hill. He just pulled around the truck and asked the guy if he needed help

 

It doesn't snow here, so I didn't have snow tires to deal with all the snow we got this year
The Clubbie did awesome. I was extremely impressed. Only issues I had were, 1. starting on deep or slushy snow
2. hitting bottom when the snow drifts were greater than about 4".

I put a foldable snow shovel in the "secret compartment" and dug out about 6 ft tracks to get started on the few times I had the first problem. Once moving, I was super impressed.
Next year I may either get snow tires or something like this.
http://www.snobootz.com/return.php
probably the latter (if they start making them the right size), since, as I said, it "doesn't snow" here.

 

mbu,

This is the best performing car i have ever driven in snow. The first snow we received here in Massachusetts was about 7-8 inches and when the plow came by and cleared the snow from the road it piled up to over 14" of the stuff at the end of my driveway. My clubbie was parked approximately 4 feet from the end of the driveway. When I i went out that morning i said to my self "I wonder what this Mini Clubman can really do?" Well rather than shoveling i got in the clubbie and started it up. I then procedded to drive right thru the 14" of snow piled at the end of the driveway. No questions asked it went right thru.

Now I do run Dunlop Winter Sport M3 "Snow" Tires. So that helps greatly.

And as Geoff stated I have pulled up behind more than one 4-wheel drive truck/suv on the hill I live on and stopped and then just pulled out and passed them as they sat there spinning there tires in the snow.

I put over 9,000 miles on my car this past winter in the snow driving to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine Skiing. Never once did i worry about getting stuck. The car handles superbly in snow as long as it has proper SNOW TIRES.

Al season tires are nothing more than a compromise for those that do not want to change tires twice a year. I put my snows on right around Thanksgiving and take them off in mid-late April.

Snow Tires wear very quickly in temps above about 40-45 degrees F due to the tread compound so having them on the car in warm weather can wear them out quickly. Summer tires on the ohter hand harden up and lose traction below 50 degress and All Season tires start to harden and lose traction at lower temps around 20-30 degrees depending on the compound. True Snow tires keep traction down well into the single digits and below and have a tread pattern that is designed to give better traction on snow than on dry roads where the all season tires try to compomise between the summer and winter.

Get your self a good set of SNOW tires and you will be all set to drive a MINI thru winter storms in any part of North America.

 

If that isn't enough, visit http://www.arcticmini.com

 

Ditto Schatzie; I live in wetern MA and replaced the 17" wheels with 15" wheels with snow tires from Thanksgiving thru March for the past 5 winters. Never been stuck. During one storm the guy across the street was stuck in his 4wd pickup and I drove away. Now I have a clubman S, so I'll be buying 16" wheels.

 

I found that full-blown snow tires (I have Pirelli SnowSport runflats) work well in Utah Snow. On occasion, I have found that turning off the DSC to get a little wheel slip is useful when the car tries to bog down when it is super slick and steep.

I put the snow tires on the factory SLite wheels, and have summer tires and wheels that I swap with.
for the Pirellis. Ordered from Tire Rack.

 

ParkCityPhil,

Love Park City, was there for a week skiing in February. I did not see a 05DS but i did see a BRG Clubman parked downtown one evening. Some of the other people out there with us have not seen my car yet and when i told them mine looked like that but in Hot Chocolate they had to stop and stare, then look thru the windows etc.

Had a great time out there and plan to get back there hopefully next year.

 

get winter tires.. it makes all the difference..
pushed some snow a little up here in Toronto, but it was MUCH better than the winter before (with less snow) on my 'all seasons'.

 

From Mount Evans CO. With snow tires you would be fine for driving around most of Colorado. I think I had one or two days this year I didn't even try to get it out because we had 8+ inches. I wouldn't use it as a ski car all the time (also have a Subaru for that) but truth is we only have too much snow on the roads in Denver a few times a year. Growing up in Buffalo NY and driving front wheel drive Hondas I didn't have any worry about the mini in Denver.

 

MBX5

Great pictures there.