R56 How Are Your MINIs in the Rain?
They are OK if your climate allows for little or no wet/cold weather. The noise supposedly becomes an issue with increased mileage.
I am not a fan of any run flat so they were gone no matter what brand. I also removed them from my 04 Cooper and used Pirelli M/s P Zero Neros (excellent tires but noisy as they aged). The 04 Cooper had a spare so no issue.
I was all set to go with P Zeros again on the O7 MCS but my guy at Tire Rack said he thought the Bridgestones were even better and had a better size match. I like them better than the Pirellis. Quieter..similar ride and handling. Like all non RFs they "feel" squishier than RFs but I prefer the ability to feel what the tire is doing. I removed the RFs from my car at 800 miles but for my driving, I can push the car harder due to the increased communication of the tires on non RFs so I THINK they handle better.
I carry a Conti kit in case of a flat. I recently destoryed a wheel and tire in a major pothole. Nothing would have precluded a ride on the flat bed from
road side assitance for that debacle.
Check out tire rack's review on the Dunlops--not too good. My friend has them on his BMW 550 and is afraid to drive the car in bad weather. He is buying new tires in the spring even though his car has 3000 miles on it.
Some Venting about my drive in the rain today
I am in the San Fernando Valley area, and the roads have been pretty bad. I was driving on Ventura BLVD. at 7am this morning and some guy in an F-150 decides that since he has a truck, he can drive on the third lane (farthest to right) where there is a considerable amount of water. What he doesn't know (or probably did) was that everybody was being blinded because of the water splashing from his truck. It looked like someone threw a big bucket of water onto my windshield and i had to come to a stop until the wipers cleared my vision. 
Anyway, I noticed smoke coming out of the hood, thinking about the posts I've read about minis drowning in water. I stopped to checked, but eveyrthing seems fine and normal (based on my experience of 1 wk's driving, just got the car). It was coming out of the grill. Was probalby just water vapor?

Anyway, I noticed smoke coming out of the hood, thinking about the posts I've read about minis drowning in water. I stopped to checked, but eveyrthing seems fine and normal (based on my experience of 1 wk's driving, just got the car). It was coming out of the grill. Was probalby just water vapor?
well... my '06 MINI hydroplaned off the road and got totaled... my '07 MINI is doing GREAT! but it has a lot of features the '06 just didn't have...
I thought it was funny how many people here dissed the rain-sensing wipers. I'm like you, I think they're great. They also seem to sense better after they had been used a while. I'd swear they work better now than the day I drove home with it in April. That day, it was raining in Portland.
Sorry for the delay answering your questions, been off the board for a couple of days..............
Dry weather handling is terrific, they really grip and the turn in is sharp. Longevity is still TBD since I've only put about 5k on them, but I bought them on recommendations from other MINI owners who say they get great usage out of them.....one thing I really like is that they are practically silent, no roar or hum or anything - silence is golden!
Dry weather handling is terrific, they really grip and the turn in is sharp. Longevity is still TBD since I've only put about 5k on them, but I bought them on recommendations from other MINI owners who say they get great usage out of them.....one thing I really like is that they are practically silent, no roar or hum or anything - silence is golden!

Come on now. I was in Portland last weekend and didn't get a drop of water on me. I was quite disappointed. Had to get back toward Eugene before I got back into the liquid sunshine.
I thought it was funny how many people here dissed the rain-sensing wipers. I'm like you, I think they're great. They also seem to sense better after they had been used a while. I'd swear they work better now than the day I drove home with it in April. That day, it was raining in Portland.
I thought it was funny how many people here dissed the rain-sensing wipers. I'm like you, I think they're great. They also seem to sense better after they had been used a while. I'd swear they work better now than the day I drove home with it in April. That day, it was raining in Portland.

shhhh...remember, we don't want anymore people moving here, so yeah, it rains ALL THE TIME, it's really quite miserable.
"Welcome to Oregon! We hope the following information will help in your move to our great state."
I encourage everyone in California to move to Portland, Oregon.
Last edited by Robin Casady; Jan 26, 2008 at 04:41 PM.
http://www.oregon.gov/moving_to_oregon.shtml
"Welcome to Oregon! We hope the following information will help in your move to our great state."
"Welcome to Oregon! We hope the following information will help in your move to our great state."
I encourage everyone in California to move to Portland, Oregon.
Hey, not all of us are quite that high up.
If you must come, may I suggest right after the Magical Mystery Mini tour in San Francisco in September. We'll have a group from Roseburg there, along with members of the PDX Mini group in Portland. We'll give you a fine escort.
If you must come, may I suggest right after the Magical Mystery Mini tour in San Francisco in September. We'll have a group from Roseburg there, along with members of the PDX Mini group in Portland. We'll give you a fine escort.
I used to work overlooking the onramp from the 8W to the 163N. EVERY time it rains, there are accidents there, due to San Diegan's who are convinced that they can take that curve at 50. I've seen 24' box trucks lose it, Corvettes, Porsches, you name it. Dumb clucks.
grin:
So how would you handle deep water then?
Okay, so let's say you're approaching some pretty deep water...what would you do (let's say turning back around is NOT an option if you're surrounded by some pretty deep puddles), and how deep is deep? I live in South Florida and there is flooding here every now and again.
Sharon
Sharon






