I feel so official with my NFR badge and signature!

 

And you look so official too! Now get out there and wear it proudly!

 

awesome picture mininightflame!



edited because apparently I can't html... is this html?

 

Um.....great...so you can hug it, but can you pick it up?

 

What seat colors did you get? Leatherette? Leather? Cloth? And what color trim package? DETAILS....MUST HAVE DETAILS!

 

We should really tell him about the chains too?

 

Welcome "vested" member....the button looks good on you!

 

Breath Dennis, Breath. deep cleansing breaths!

 

I've been trying to decide when to break the news about the chains... It probably should be BEFORE we send out our lovely badge logo. I think it should be a database question. Chains? Yes / No

 

Sad, I missed flame's pic before it disappeared--welcome!

So I've been off the ranch for a bit because we (me, the wifey, and our MINI Mia) are buying a new place--so the important relative details is I will finally have a place to wash her, but no garage. An excuse to do it more often I guess!

Here's my fitting-into-a-MINI story of the week. Yesterday I had to pick up my grandparents-in-laws in a semi-emergency. They're around 75 yo, he is 6'2", she is a short-and-round 185 lbs and has a bum knee. She fell into the front seat (cos of the knee), he got behind me in the driver's seat with my seat pressed up against the steering wheel. I think he felt a little claustrophobic and literally trapped, but otherwise went well!

 

Which goes to prove...MINI....Small on the outside...big on the inside!

(Just like me!)

 

I've got the database wizards working madly on it right now!

 

So to continue: Grey/Carbon Black Leatherette.
Chains? No, but maybe studs when things get slick

Can I pick it up, no.
The question should be does my Mini pick me up...Yes !

Now seriously, what chains?!!

 

Dennis, you can explain the chains.... but under those conditions I'd opt for the Studs myself!!!

 

Oi vey. She was back at the dealer for a coupla' days, as a wire to the transmission had frayed. I have an automatic, driving on the highway, the car started jerking (felt like the gears were slipping?) and then accelerating from a stop, it felt like it was starting in 2nd(?). I think the body shop screwed up the placement of a whole mess of things when they put her back together after the mishap.

So, speaking of chains and studs and mishaps, next year I will definitely be getting snow tires, as I'll have a place for storage this winter! Any general or specific recommendations I should remember? Never bought 'em before.

As a loaner, I also drove an S for the first substantial period of time. The extra power really does seem a bit pointless. And putting the automatic S in sport mode, the torque steer had me all over the road!

 

Hi... I'm the resident snow tire man...

Where are you going to be driving? Just around the Boston area? Heading up north to visit me? I mean heading up north to ski? When the roads are bad, are you going to want to go out and have fun, or stay home waiting for the roads to get better?

I'm a huge fan of Nokian tires - http://www.nokiantire.com/ - I've got studded Hakkapeliitta 4 on my new MINI, but I live in northern Vermont and head out when the roads suck to go skiing / snowboarding. If you're staying down around Boston, Hakkapeliitta 4 will definitely be overkill. Actually, Hakkapeliitta 4 are probably overkill even if you are going skiing a few times a month. For Boston folks looking to head north somewhat regularly, Hakkapeliitta RSi is the ticket. For rarely heading north, the Hakkapeliitta WR / Hakkapeliitta WR-g2 are what you want.

Nokian has a dealer locator on their site. They are not available everywhere, and not on-line much at all. http://www.bavauto.com/ does sell Nokians, and Bavarian Autosport is online and in Portsmouth, NH.

 

Oh yeah, and some more snow tire stuff...

Get a second set of wheels for the snow tires. And get the smallest wheel that will fit (probably 15", but make sure to test fit the wheels before you need them). 15" snow tires will be cheaper than 16" or 17". And, you'll save money pretty quickly by not having to pay a tire shop to do the tire changeover from summer to winter like you would with just one set of wheels.

 

I just picked up my car at the Dealer. They put on the wood grain shift **** in my automatic since it came with an S shifter. On the way home, I stepped on the gas at a light and that exact same thing happened to me. I looked and it was showing D2 instead of D. I didn't have it in sport mode so that should not have happened. It happened only once on the way home but after reading this, I'm going to watch it.

 

Thanks Snid! I was hoping you'd pop in.

As I said, I know nuttin' and haven't researched at all yet, so thanks for the advice.

I have 15" stock wheels already, been driving on the stock all seasons for the past year. While in general I will be limiting my snow driving, it's good to have the option--especially when you're unexpectedly stuck in it like when we were in CT last year. The mishap happened sliding off a decline that had severely frozen over--let's avoid the subject if snow tires really would have made a difference--for that past incident, I'd prefer to think not!

I'm off to run an amortization schedule now to see when the second set of wheels would pay off

 

Man, am I the biggest buzzkill around here or what? We're having fun talking about chains and studs, I come in and talk about Mia in the shop, and right when summer is getting in gear I bring up snow tires! Geez!

 

I was going to mention something to that effect.....

 

Well that's peeeculiar. I'm losing my mind for the moment--do these even have the "low gear mode"? When it happened to me, a couple of indicators came on immediately. An exclamation mark inside a gear, and the engine light (all in yellow, not red, thankfully!)

 

Well, it is thunderstorming at the moment, which is not a highlight of the summer months.

 

Summer is skipping us this year...but the good news...I'm leaving for the south in (counting a calendar).....3......days!

 

i second nokians. And they are sometimes cheaper than other tires.