Since you live in Sacramento, CA... it's really a toss up for you. For those that live in cold weather states, I would recommend the rubber to use in the winter months when you take out your custom COCOMATS.

 

Rubber is good but I tore my rear one on the edge so don't be too rough with them. It would be much tougher to tear a carpet mat.

But carpet mats get all dirty and don't clean up as well or wear as well.

After four years I can clean my rubber mats and make them look fairly new.

For any kids or dogs, rubber is best.

For looks (car shows and special outings), carpet is nice or something non rubber of your choice.

 

I have ruber mats. Ruber mats are a must if you live in a cold climate that's likely to get snow and slush, but I like them in the summer too. i go to the beach a lot and i imagine cleaing sand out of carpet mats would be a pain.

 

R U B B E R !!!!!!
The carpet are more $$$ but more importantly they don't wear as good as the rubber ones! The cocomats look GREAT but don't even last like the rubber ones do.
I wish MINI hadn't changed & made the 07 rubber mats ALOT thinner than previous years...

 

Cocomats. Hands down. I have rubber mats also, but I'll never use them again.

And GOOD, REAL cocomats last as long as the car... or nearly, anyway. But there are lots of cheaper inferior quality mats out there that claim to be cocomats, but are really just sisal or some other inferior rope fiber...

Jeff at cocomats.com rocks.

Not cheap. But worth it.

 

<<coughcoughbullshitcoughcough>>



If I were home, I'd take pics of one year old rubber mats (from the PW MINI and one year old Cocomats (from the CR MINI) and prove you're wrong. Both cars have 20,000 miles on them. The rubber mats have worn spots on them from the right heel and the cocomats look as beautiful as they day they were received.

 

I received carpet mats free and added clear mats over the carpet so I wouldn't wear out the carpet. Kinda overkill I know. My rear mat is Hexagon rubber from auto sport. I had the choice of rubber or carpet from the dealer and my MA said most people think the rubber stinks (smell). I took this with a grain of salt but wanted the carpet mats. When I got the rubber boot mat, the smell is pretty strong so I understand now what she was saying. Rubber all the way around may be real stinky but I don't know. They will obviously wear better than carpet though.

 

I will confirm CR&PW&JB on the wear of the rubber mats. My stock ones have a large wear pattern where my right heel goes. At MoT the rubber mats were $10 more than the carpet mats.

 

This discussion reminds me of when I used tgo go to my aunt's house as a child and all the furniture was covered with plastic slipcovers. Yeah, it kept the furniture clean, but what a drag.

As far as being easier to get sand out, I would think that leaving sand on a rubber mat would drive me nuts grinding around under my feet. And if snow melts and gets under the rubber mats it has no way to get out. I assume the carpet will breathe a little.

And mats can always be replaced (or removed entirely) when you sell the car. I've never had anybody remark about what good (or bad) condition the mats are in when they get in my car.

 

ding ding ding... winnar!!!

 

Actually... the factory MINI carpet mats are very thin. very unlike what a factory BMW mat. I've been able to keep BMW mats looking great for years (periodically throwing them in the washer). Then, as they start to wear out, replace them for $80 a set.

Is there another place to get PLUSH Mini mats... that maybe say "Cooper S" without all the checkerboard or random patterns? I like the clean look.

-s

 

The rubber mats look good and are very effective at keeping the floor clean .. BUT .. make sure they are installed correctly. My dealer provided them at no cost. I thank them for that. But for months, almost daily, I had to slide them down away from the pedals where they interfere. Then one day, on this forum, it was mentioned that there are two discs that are supposed to hold them in place. My service department said they would take care of it. When I picked up my car I was told the salesman came in and made them right (something about drilling a couple of holes for mounting).

 

Ditto. Easy to keep clean. Jeff's Cocomats are heavy duty and fit perfectly.

 

hmm... im still kinda torn.. i guess i will just have to see them in person. Thanks for all the replies though!

BTW, does anyone have pix of the cocomats installed in their car?

 

Well, I don't know what colour you'd be interested in, but there are plenty of Cocomat pics that I'm sure people will share. These are the dark blue with natural dots.



After 20,000 miles, it's hard to tell the difference between the driver's side and the passenger side, even though I virtually never have a passenger. They don't show dirt, and all I've done as far as cleaning them goes is to vacuum them every other month or so. I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

Here's black with blue dots:



And Black with red, from the cocomats.com site:

 

I bought rubber to replace my carpet and am happy I did. They look sportier and feel great. Let me know if anyone wants to buy my carpets.

 

I have two sets of those. On in the CR Cooper and one in the JB MCSC. Next, I'll be ordering a set of Black w/Blue dots for the PW Cooper (has the Space Blue checkmate package).

At the rate my first set is wearing, I expect those mats to still look good 10 years from now when we're trading in the Coopers for a pair of R98 Coopers.

 

ndmyr - pm sent

 

The rubber ones are great looking....big and thick and very sporty! I would expect them to be more durable and look good longer.

 

The rubber mats are nice, and the quality is superior to any other mats I have owned in my other cars. They will not slip if you use the velcro parts that come with the mats.

 

Hopefully they've improved the rubber mats for the R56. My driver's side mat for the R52/R53 had the smooth top surface wear off in the general area where your feet rub after several thousand miles. So they just look worn... noticeably. This drove me to move to the cocomats - which I love.