I have a 2004 MC with the stock Continental all seasons, 15 inch wheels.....was pretty decent in the snow here in Mass last winter, but was wondering if switching to snow tires would be noticably better...and if so, would changing over just the fronts be enough or if I decide to change over then I should do all four tires...would value your opinions on this....I chose the 15" on the car as smaller skinnier tires are better in the snow

 

Umberto,
I had 17" performance tires, so I really had to change over to snow tires. I put on 15" steel wheels with 185/65/15 pure snow tires. They are great here in the CT winter. I would strongly suggest that you get 4 tires. There is a big difference between 2 and 4, although less that there is in a rear wheel drive car.

If you can afford 4, get 4. If not, you can always start with 2 and see how it goes.

 

First thing,DO NOT JUST GET TWO,thats a BAD thing to do.If your fronts can steer the car better than the the backs can track with them you may find yourself losing the back end and doing spins down the road,if you can stay out of the ditch.Plus braking would not be a good.
I drove last winter on my 15" continentals,they were ok,but now that I have snows,I'm never going to do another winter without them.
I got a set of Pirreli Snowcontrols,mounted on steel rims,but I'm sure any good snow tire will work better than the all-seasons.

 

Snow tires are night/day difference vs regular all season tires.

And as lot15 mentioned, it's always a good idea to use all 4 instead of
just 2 in the front. The car will be super tail happy on snow (which
is a good thing if you're trying to do that....) but will become
undrivable for most people in slippery terrain.

 

USE ALL 4 SNOW TIRES!!! Right now for the spring-fall season I run R85 S-Lites with the Pirelli euphori@ runflats. When Chicago got a semi-early dusting of snow last year, it was hell on earth trying to drive and especially stop with just that dusting of snow on the ground. Immediately, I went looking and I found a MINI owner selling a set of the R84 X-Lites with all-season Dunlops. I bought them off him, put them on my MINI for the winter and it was like a night and day difference as kenchan said.

The all-season Dunlops aren't great, but they're about 1000x better than the Pirelli's were. When it comes time to replace those tires, I'll probably get a dedicated snow tire, but they still have plenty of tread left on them, so I can't justify it now.

 

Umberto,

I run a set of factory 15's (R81's) with Continentals on my MCS. The tires actually perform quite well in the relatively small amount of snow we get here in Central Ohio. For folks driving in more inclement weather I would recommend full snows, they are noticeably better (especially in deep snow and ice). My Continentals will be done after this season. Next year I'll most likely run snows. Also, as someone else said, always run snow tires in sets of 4.

 

Do it, do it!

Just put mine on last night and am waitin for the snow to fly here in MN. I made it through the first winter without 'em due to cash and then the second winter came and I was ready. The difference is incredible. Traction is vastly improved and the DSC isn't on NEARLY as often as with my summer tires. I imagine that the less the DSC is on the better is for the engine and brakes.

It may seem like a lot of cash, but considering you only use them 3-4 months (or more if you live in MN ) it's a pretty good deal. This will be the second winter for my set.

Beg, borrow or steal - get 'em

(okay - don't steal 'em...)

Adam

 

Actually I've got a few questions before we (Chicago) get buried in the white stuff and the sky turns a permanent chilly shade of gray...

8 tires vs. 4 rims - What do you guys/gals think - is it a crazy or even possible, to "dis-mount" the OEM all-season RF tires, to mount up some snow shoes on me factory 16" V-Spoke rims? Then, round about Easter or so, I could reverse the process, and go back to the runflats? Maybe I could get away with that for short term?

I wonder how many unmount/remounts I'd have to do before I've spent the money that should go toward additional sets of (steel? inexpensive?) rims ...

I promise I'll be saving my tollway change to pick up some additional sets of wheels/tires (oh wait that's a lie, I just bought an I-Pass transponder since "cash" tolls will be doubling January 1st , so there shouldn't BE any "change").

I have seen several mentions of steel rims, being used with Winter tires. Is this out of necessity? Convenience?

Grateful like always, for feedback,
Tatt

 

Tattman23,
Check around on the mount/dismount of the runflats. I know some shops charge a small fortune to work with them.

I got a set of factory 15's (R81's) from eBay complete with brand new tires (less than 100 miles on the wheels and tires). As I recall, I paid something like $390 shipped. Granted they are just the all-season Conti-Eco Contacts. Not snow tires per-se, but more than capable in the dusting we usually get in central Ohio.

Of course Alex at the Tire Rack has awesome winter packages with very reasonable prices. Might be better suited to that lake effect stuff you get in Chi-town.

I went with eBay because I really wanted a set of R81's. I just like the look, plus they are very light (12.5lbs).


Had to edit, saw this post...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=34448

 

I spotted that too, the other day - Big n' Li'l Red - (see I really have been doin' me wheel/tire homework. THanks for the feedback.

Gratefully,
Tatt

 

I'd say just go for the package of snow shoes and steel wheels - just for convenience. I just put mine on two nights ago and it took me all of 20 minutes. If you have just the tires, you have to schedule an appointment, wait, pay the man. A lot longer than 20 minutes!

Not sure why they go with steel - price? effectiveness with salt??

The winter packages at the tire rack are reasonable and Alex can help you get the correct package (size, tire, covers, ect.). Look him up here and get some prices.

I'm just north of you by a couple hours, Minneapolis, and love driving with my Blizzaks in the snow. Plus, it's extremely reassuring knowing that I can get out of the way of sliding cars who don't have snow tires on. That bit of safety alone makes it worth the cash.

Adam

 

Today we had 2 day old snow packed hard on the roads around here,and the MINI with snows was great.I can steer the car anywhere I want,go there with minimal understeer,and the back end follows along without drifting.When I push it,and the back end does want to get loose,I can control it by a slight turn into it,and then throttle into the direction I want to go.
On ice they are ok,better than most,but ice is just plain sh|tty
Need studs for ice,but they are loud on dry roads,and really poor handling on dry roads.
Fun to pull away from the SUVS from stops,and turning tight in the snow,full control,and stopping even while turning,this car with snows rock

 

I got some used 15" 8 spoke MINI rims from my dealer fairly cheaply and I had Michelin xices installed on them. I think the whole thing cost me less than $500. Now I'm just waiting for some snow to finally hit the Cascades so I can do some snowboarding. I also bought a compact spare at a Honda/Acura junkyard.

 

Do not just get 2 snow tires. You will fishtail.

Secondly, you will notice a HUGE difference in traction with the snow tires. My Mini with Bridgestone Blizzaks is like a freakin' tank in the snow. I am amazed every time it snows, how much traction I get. The snow tires really take the tension out of a snowy commute. No more white-knuckling the steering wheel.

The best way to do the switch is easy; TIRE RACK. Get a set of 4 black steel rims (if you can live with steel rims for a third of the year), and they come inflated, balanced, and ready-to-switch. It takes 15 minutes to swap the tires with your summer ones. They make it SO EASY!

Don't think you're saving any money by just getting the tires. The amount you'd spend having some tire shop changing tires on your summer rims each season change would cost much more than just having an extra set of cheap steelies in the long run. Besides, with cheap steelies, you won't worry about salt corroding your precious alloys! Just my two cents...

 

Changing the tires on the alloys may lead to chipping on rims ,and wear on the bead of the of the tires.Get your snows mounted on steels,by the second winter you are ahead.

 

That's sorta what I was thinking. Y'all are a great help - my car's built but not shipped yet and at times the waiting is awful.

Still watching this thread, pricing tires,
Tatt

 

I was driving on 17" factory tires on my MCS 05 and the first dusting of snow in the Toronto area made driving very difficult. Changed to 16" factory snows and made unbelievable difference. The ride is much softer but turning is spongy. Great traction.