I'm looking to purchase dedicated winter (snow/ice) tires for my 2004 MINI Cooper S.

I'm currently living in central Oregon, which gets a decent amount of dry fluffy snow, some ice, little rain/sleet, and the roads are cleared with lava rock cinder (rather than salt).

I would prefer to buy my tires from TireRack.com as I purchased my summer tires here and have had very good luck with them. I'm currently leaning towards the BridgeStone Blizzak LM-60 RFT. Mainly because it is a runflat and is offered in my OE size, but also seems to be unanimously a reliable snow/ice tire for MINI specifically (with slight loss only in dry road performance). I am, however comparing the Pirelli Sottozero II and Michelin X-Ice Xi3.

I did see the promotions offered on TireRack however, that is of no wavering factor...

Any insight/opinions with specificity would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

I don't know I'll be much help since I've never tried the Blizzak but I recently got the Michelins. They are pretty well rated everywhere, less ambivalent than the Blizzak.
IIRC From all I have read the Blizzak have an edge on deeper snow, a little better gas consumption, and are slightly quieter. While the Michelin have supposedly better handling and wear of the outer winter compound is better as well. Of-course if you want run flat it does narrow your options a bit.

Either way you can't go wrong with dedicated winter tires. If it has the snow flake label its a win in winter.

I had some Dunlop last on my other car and the first year on snow was amazing. During the second year they became a big disappointment. I do hope the Michelins I got will stay pretty good over a few years... I think longevity of the winter quality of the tires is important.

 

Hey Thanks!!

Sorry to hear about your Dunlops...I've just never been a fan. Hopefully you have better luck with the Michelins.

 

This topic is out there alot. Search winter tires and you will see many different opinions as to what people prefer. Tirerack also has reviews by users.

 

I've had the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 tires on my S Clubman for 3-4 weeks now. Have been driving through some snow plus some ice and hard-packed snow. Very impressed thus far. Compared to the all-seasons on my 4-wheel drive Mazda, it's not even close. I've had Blizzaks and Dunlop high performance snow tires in the past and I think these Michelins are better.

 

FWIW: I have first-hand experience with Blizzaks (WS60 and LM50), Dunlop Winter Sport 3D, and Michelin X-Ice. Only Blizzak WS60s on the MINI (I ditched RFTs long time ago - another thread), other tires were/are on multiple BMWs.

If you live in an area where roads stay covered with deep snow, packed snow, or ice for significant amounts of time before they get cleared, Blizzaks come out on top in those situations. WS-series seamed to have more traction on snow/ice than LM's (RFTs), though LMs seamed more sure-footed on dry pavement. My avg mileage with WS60s on MCS went up +3mpg vs. performance summer tires (Hankook RS-3's). Downside: Blizzaks are squirmiest on dry pavement, and feel "floaty" when you need to make sharp direction changes at highway speeds.

Michelin X-Ice were 2nd best all around, and the best on dry winter roads in terms of all-out traction and directional stability. If you commute much on well-cleared roads, get the Michelin's.

Dunlops were cheap when I got them, and 3 years later I still can't wear them to even 1/2 done. They are similar to Michelin X-Ice tires on dry winter pavement, but not as good as either X-Ice or Blizzak's in deep snow or ice.

All 3 are scary-but-manageable on ice.
Get studded tires if you routinely drive on ice-covered roads.

HTH,
a

 

FWIW: I have first-hand experience with Blizzaks (WS60 and LM50), Dunlop Winter Sport 3D, and Michelin X-Ice. Only Blizzak WS60s on the MINI (I ditched RFTs long time ago - another thread), other tires were/are on multiple BMWs.

If you live in an area where roads stay covered with deep snow, packed snow, or ice for significant amounts of time before they get cleared, Blizzaks come out on top in those situations. WS-series seamed to have more tractin on snow/ice than LM's (RFTs), though LMs seamed more sure-footed on dry pavement. My avg mileage with WS60s on MCS went up +3mpg vs. performance summer tires (Hankook RS-3's). Downside: Blizzaks are squirmiest on dry pavement, and feel "floaty" when you need to make sharp direction changes at highway speeds. My WS60s will be done and well into "all-season" compound by the end of this third winter in action. Maybe 15-20K miles in total.

Michelin X-Ice were 2nd best all around, and the best on dry winter roads in terms of all-out traction and directional stability. If you commute much on well-cleared roads, get the Michelin's.

Dunlops were cheap when I got them, and 3 years later I still can't wear them to even 1/2 done. They are similar to Michelin X-Ice tires on dry winter pavement, but not as good as either X-Ice or Blizzak's in deep snow or ice.

All 3 are scary-but-manageable on ice.
Get studded tires if you routinely drive on ice-covered roads.

HTH,
a

 

I bought from this guy on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/141132973331
except I got the Nokian Hakkapelliita R2 tire
$1250.15 delivered with Mini center caps, mounted, balanced and new lug nuts.
These are clearly superior to any Blizzak or other brands. Drove home from DTW Sat night in torrential rain which turned to ice which turned to snow. These are clearly the best winter tire and the wheel look great as well

 

Got Kumho winter tires for my 2007 Mini Cooper S and they are doing very nicely in the snow here in New Hampshire...

 

Any winter/cold weather tires will be better than summer tires when the temperature drops below 7degrees C!
I too have used winter tires in both 175/65R15 and 195/55R16 sizes over the last two winters, but not the same brand of tires on them, Pirelli's on the 15's and Goodyear's on the 16's, got good grip from both of them when needed.
The wisdom is that narrow and tall is the way to go, but I think for me perhaps the Goodyears had the edge, but only just