I purchased a 04 cooper last year, i found that in the snow it wasnt to good at getting up some of my local hills. It shod with pirrelli runflats on 17'' rims.
Question i have the chance of a couple of mini 15'' alloy rims which i'm thinking of fitting snow tyres to, are these rims going to fit on my car/hubs ok?
Then hopefully this will improve things considrably
Are all the mini one,coopers,cooper s all on the same pcd and offset

OEM wheel fitment is dependent on brake size ...

:readme: FAQ: Can all OEM wheels be fitted to either generation MINI? (http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?faq=faq_wheels_tyres#faq_wheel_fitments)

Question i have the chance of a couple of mini 15'' alloy rims which i'm thinking of fitting snow tyres to

Do you really mean just a couple? Are you thinking of just fitting winter tyres to the front and not the back? Sounds a recipe for a completely unstable car in snow and ice, though quite possibly OK the rest of the time.

Having much less grip on the rear when braking or cornering means the car will want to spin all the time. And with winter tyres on the front, you should be able to quickly accelerate up to speeds at which you can't steer or stop....

It may be tempting to say "I'll just drive carefully" though if you instead say "I'll just never brake hard", it doesn't sound so easy to get away with.

Angib is spot on, don't be tempted to use a mixed wheel and tyre combination for road use. You could upset the balance of the car, something that manufacturer's spend a lot of time and money trying to optimise.

The main problem i have is to and from work there 3 -15% hills and they arn't small, They are for getting me up these hills when there's snow on the ground. I dont intend to run around on them except if there is snow on the ground.
Remember it is more traction on the front NOT less on the back, that REMAINS the same

Will also have the advantage of a spare, so i can get of the run flats when they are worn out

Remember it is more traction on the front NOT less on the back, that REMAINS the same

Yes, but having much more grip on the front than the rear still means you spin if you brake hard or swerve - things that you will now be able to do in snow/ice with winter tyres.

Expect to get prosecuted and have your insurance invalidated if you have a serious crash like this.

If you decide to go ahead and do it, take the car to an empty car park when it snows and try steering and braking - that way at least you'll know what you're dealing with. And then report back here afterwards, as all experience is good experience.

Running snow tires only on the front wheels is nuts :eek:

When you fit snow chains or snow socks , you only fit them to the drive wheels.
Been on the net and checked you are correct they do recomend fitting 4