[burns863]

Me and my MINI have had an exciting Sunday night. We got stuck in the snow

After a short journey home from the pub, her 16inch 5 spokes just couldnt handle the icy road. Traction control was giving me a hard time, but it wasnt much better without it

In the end, my girlfriends Dad had to come and tow us home with his Pickup Truck

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

Here are some pics of my MINI resting and having fun in the snow :P Took on my girlfriends phone but quality is still OK!

P.s. For any League of Gentlemen fans... these pics were taken in the main street in Royston Vasey (Hadfield). Our little village!

[supa-dupa-cooper]

snow!

my MINI hasnt ever seen snow - YET!

[CC07ERS]

what is snow none here in ayrshire yet

[Fin]

Quote: Originally Posted by supa-dupa-cooper (original)

snow!

my MINI hasnt ever seen snow - YET!

Last year my Cooper S performed flawlessly in heavy snow. Just had to pull away in 2nd to stop the wheels spinning, kept in low gears, slow and steady.

No probs

[burns863]

this was the first time my MINI saw snow with me as her owner and she wasnt good i have to say. Tried pulling off in second but she was having noneof it. The snow was turning to ice which didnt help anyone else found their MINI's perform well in snow?

[118]

wow, wasn't expecting to see that much snow!

[Root Ginger]

I've never found either of my MINI's a problem in snow or ice. In fact I've always found it a hoot to drive.

It's quite amusing being able to put your foot flat on the floor but the car accelerates only quick enough to not lose traction I.E. very very slowly.

[:: Jon ::]

since when did we have snow

[Curry23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fin (original)

Last year my Cooper S performed flawlessly in heavy snow. Just had to pull away in 2nd to stop the wheels spinning, kept in low gears, slow and steady.

No probs

I had exactly the same problem, was trying to go up a small hill in first and it just kept spinning and that was with my traction control on. had to use 2nd gear all everywhere i went

[sel]

bmw mini snow chains is what u need!!! lol

she looks cute covered in snow thou!-only rain and hail stones here!

[Curry23]

here are some pictures of mine on my driveway when it snowed up here last year

[yellowmininy]

We have a lot of snow here, usually close to 100" a year, though it's been slow this year. I find the Mini is the best snow car I've ever had. Ice is tough to deal with, though, and if you've got snow on top of ice it can be tough to get traction, but it might depend more on what type of tires/tyres you have than the car itself. Also, around here we get lots of practice!

[burns863]

Quote: Originally Posted by yellowmininy (original)

We have a lot of snow here, usually close to 100" a year, though it's been slow this year. I find the Mini is the best snow car I've ever had. Ice is tough to deal with, though, and if you've got snow on top of ice it can be tough to get traction, but it might depend more on what type of tires/tyres you have than the car itself. Also, around here we get lots of practice!

lol I think thgats what I mainly lack.. practice!!! Although I havent had any problems with previous cars in the snow/ice, always manage to get home ok! I think it was mainly the ice last night. My MINI was having none of it. Thank god for pickup trucks 56 Plate Toyota Hilux (the model under the 'top' model). Did itself proud!

[yellowmininy]

If you have performance tyres, they are slick on ice & snow, and the rubber doesn't grab when cold. I have 'all seasons' as my summer tires, and snow tires for winter. The all seasons were pretty good, but dedicated snows are even better. There are some tricks you learn with lots of practice driving in snow, but ice is always tricky, even with good tires.

Edit- some thtings we carry around here are kitty litter, calcium chloride or salt mistures, or even carpet pieces or cardboard will help give you some traction when you're stuck. Even if one wheel is stuck it can be tough to get going.

[burns863]

I have 16inch all season run flat tyres. Does them being runflats make them any less "grippy"?

I was thinking of carrying some aids with me after this. But its that rare we get snow that they would hardly ever come into use Probably still a good idea to carry though!

[yellowmininy]

From what I hear, it's more the tire width (narrower being better in snow) that is an advantage. I think with ice there isn't a whole lot you can do, except carry things that can give you some traction under a wheel, and I'm not sure how practical that is there, whereas here the 'car shovel' is pretty common. You might see more ice than we do in a winter, though, with the humdity and freezing temps. We usually get snow, though last week we had freezing rain also, then snow on top of that, which makes for some slick driving.

[jason2025]

I have dedicated snow tires that I put on for the winter season on my 03 MCS. They are proper ice rated winter tires, not all seasons, and I have had no problems at all in the snow this year, and we've had quite a bit. One morning there was nearly a foot on my roof when I woke up.

One funny moment was driving home early one morning and when I turned onto my street the snow was deeper than my car was off the ground which effectively turned the MINI into a small snow plow, it was coming up over the hood I just kept moving until I got to my driveway and I was fine. Thankfully it was fairly light and fluffy or I'd be concerned about getting stuck with snow building up underneath.

As others have mentioned, snow is one thing, ice is another and there's not much you can do, save perhaps for studded tires, on ice.

I got caught last year in a light snowfall while my 17inch runflats were on (Pirelli Euphorias) and they were, as expected, complete crap. It was like driving with bald tires and thankfully I didn't have to do any panic braking or I'd have been in the ditch for sure. I nearly pulled over to wait for a tow but managed to get far enough that I came down from the higher elevation I was at to where the snow had turned to rain. Ironically my snow tires were on order and arrived two days later and then we didn't have any more snow for the rest of the year.

With the good tires, the MINI handles almost as well as my old 4Runner used to in the snow and the traction and stability controls do a good job at keeping the car straight, it's actually kinda fun to see how far you can push it in the snow sometimes.

Cheers.

J\

[yellowmininy]

Those of us who drive Minis in the winter in western NY think the snow driving is great fun, and the folks who put their car away in the winter are missing out on it!

I've had no problem with a foot of freshly fallen snow, though what gets plowed up and left at the end of the drive way was more of a challenge for the all-seasons. Haven't plowed yet, but I'm hoping Mini will come up with a front end snow plow option.

[burns863]

Quote: Originally Posted by yellowmininy (original)

From what I hear, it's more the tire width (narrower being better in snow) that is an advantage

Yea, from what I know this is true (much to the disagreement of my mates! hehe :P ).

Quote: Originally Posted by jason2025 (original)

I have dedicated snow tires that I put on for the winter season on my 03 MCS. They are proper ice rated winter tires, not all seasons, and I have had no problems at all in the snow this year, and we've had quite a bit. One morning there was nearly a foot on my roof when I woke up.

One funny moment was driving home early one morning and when I turned onto my street the snow was deeper than my car was off the ground which effectively turned the MINI into a small snow plow, it was coming up over the hood I just kept moving until I got to my driveway and I was fine. Thankfully it was fairly light and fluffy or I'd be concerned about getting stuck with snow building up underneath.

As others have mentioned, snow is one thing, ice is another and there's not much you can do, save perhaps for studded tires, on ice.

I got caught last year in a light snowfall while my 17inch runflats were on (Pirelli Euphorias) and they were, as expected, complete crap. It was like driving with bald tires and thankfully I didn't have to do any panic braking or I'd have been in the ditch for sure. I nearly pulled over to wait for a tow but managed to get far enough that I came down from the higher elevation I was at to where the snow had turned to rain. Ironically my snow tires were on order and arrived two days later and then we didn't have any more snow for the rest of the year.

With the good tires, the MINI handles almost as well as my old 4Runner used to in the snow and the traction and stability controls do a good job at keeping the car straight, it's actually kinda fun to see how far you can push it in the snow sometimes.

Cheers.

J\

NO way... MINI snow plowing sounds amazing! Would love to try that!! My snow adventure last night was exactly as you mentioned; like driving with bald tyres! I would love to get some snow tyres but as I say, the rareness of snow here (maybe once a year) makes a purchase of some it not worth its while

Quote: Originally Posted by yellowmininy (original)

Those of us who drive Minis in the winter in western NY think the snow driving is great fun, and the folks who put their car away in the winter are missing out on it!

I've had no problem with a foot of freshly fallen snow, though what gets plowed up and left at the end of the drive way was more of a challenge for the all-seasons. Haven't plowed yet, but I'm hoping Mini will come up with a front end snow plow option.

I love snow driving on quiet roads, where there in no risk of accidents if you want to have a little fun, and when its not just sheer ice and your MINI doesnt want to move Hmm... am I having deja vu? lol! Empty car parks are great fun!

[yellowmininy]

There are places in the US & Canada that do ice racing, though it's been a bit warm this year for that! I have not gone to parking lots specifically to skid with the Mini, though this is a major form of entertainment in these parts, known as 'doing doughnuts'.