Are Mini's rubbish in snow??

[Roadrunner_1]

I drive a Mini Cooper S Works and live in the countryside in South-East England. The traction i get from my mini is aweful...just too much power, tried driving in 3rd and still hopeless.

Any one else having the same problems?

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

???
You are no doubt running summer tires and probably runflats.........and you expect to be able to drive in snow?

Even winter tires can struggle in snow at times hence why they invented snow chains or the better option - AutoSock/Auto Sock.The Textile wheel cover for Driving in Ice and Snow.Auto Socks get you Home! - which I finally used yesterday in SW London in fresh snow (had to take dog to the vet for a check-up after he caught a severe stomach virus on the weekend).

I drove around my local area in 1st and 2nd with no probs at all, am running Vredestein Sportrac 3's which although a summer tyre have a good reputation for grip in winter/wet/snowy weather, so back end was ok too.

The carnage (several severely damaged cars) & stupidity (drivers stomping on the throttle to try and get out of parking spaces, sliding all over the road etc) was unbelievable over the course of my short (2 mile) journey.

I'd suggest if you can't get any traction you need to adapt your driving and/or your MINI to the conditions at hand......which tbh falls under the heading "common sense"..

[Roadrunner_1]

Agreed running runflats, driving style is adopted but have to go up a 22% country hill to get home. looking at some other posts wish I had a lsd on mine.

[Electric Sheep]

I find a lack of grip from the tyres (17" runflats) to the worst thing about my Mini in the slow. Last year I found myself going around a roundabout at a most peculiar angle on one occasion, and even when there's just been a frost, I have to tip-toe around certain corners. Of course, if local councils gritted all the roads, as opposed to just the major ones, it would be less of a problem.

On Sunday last, I awoke to find that my car had decided to open its windows all on its own, meaning that the inside was drenched. I took it for a drive for an hour or so, with aircon, heated seats and heating all on at full blast, got to within five metres of my drive and skidded on some ice and whacked the kerb with my front left wheel. There doesn't look to be much damage aside from the alloy (which needed doing up anyway), fortunately.

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Quote: Originally Posted by Roadrunner_1 (original)

Agreed running runflats, driving style is adopted but have to go up a 22% country hill to get home. looking at some other posts wish I had a lsd on mine.

I have LSD, don't think it's going to help you much.

TBH, if we are going to keep having snow get yourself some Autosocks.....I bought them over 4 years ago when I got my first MINI, they cost £60 from memory.

Never used them before yesterday, 1 min to put them on, absolutely brilliant, got home removed, threw in washing machine

You'll need to be careful with the back-end, but at least you will have good grip on the front......just take it easy.

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Quote: Originally Posted by Electric Sheep (original)

I find a lack of grip from the tyres (17" runflats) to the worst thing about my Mini in the slow. Last year I found myself going around a roundabout at a most peculiar angle on one occasion, and even when there's just been a frost, I have to tip-toe around certain corners. Of course, if local councils gritted all the roads, as opposed to just the major ones, it would be less of a problem.

On Sunday last, I awoke to find that my car had decided to open its windows all on its own, meaning that the inside was drenched. I took it for a drive for an hour or so, with aircon, heated seats and heating all on at full blast, got to within five metres of my drive and skidded on some ice and whacked the kerb with my front left wheel. There doesn't look to be much damage aside from the alloy (which needed doing up anyway), fortunately.

It would be less of a problem if you weren't driving on summer tires with the hardest possible compound (runflats) - which tbh in most of Europe is illegal due to the total unsuitability of said tires in the current conditions.

Re the car opening all by itself - common problem and the most likely cause is you somehow accidentally pressed and held the fob (in pocket for example) while walking away from the car.

[MINIcharged]

I'm inclined to agree with the others in that tires make a big difference... In past experience on a different car, tires with a 'v' pattern tread (ie eagle f1's) effectively turn into slicks in the snow as there is nothing to bite into the snow. It can make things very entertaing in the right circumstances, and simply dangerous in the wrong.

I do think the LSD helps though judging by a work college this morning, one of his wheels was stationary, the other just spinning up. He was going nowhere without a push! (Renault megan though)

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIcharged (original)

I do think the LSD helps though judging by a work college this morning, one of his wheels was stationary, the other just spinning up. He was going nowhere without a push! (Renault megan though)

That seems like a a case of one driven wheel though......which is odd as I thought the Megane was fwd?
Unless one wheel was effectively completely stuck in the ice/snow and all the power was being diverted to the spinning wheel while the torque wasn't enough to free the opposing "stationary"wheel.

On the MINI both wheels are driven, the LSD and indeed DSC or ASC+T will just help in distributing the balance and power more effectively between the two "driving" wheels. I think just having DSC or ASC+T would probably help more than LSD, just my opinion though.

[MINIcharged]

Sorry, I don't think I explained that very well, I was trying to say that the megan was a good example of when a LSD would have helped.

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIcharged (original)

Sorry, I don't think I explained that very well, I was trying to say that the megan was a good example of when a LSD would have helped.

Good example of when any sort of traction control would have helped...

Also a good example of how the MINI is vastly superior in engineering and technology to cars such as the Megane (more like an appliance than a car IMO....toaster anyone)...........although us MINI owners know that already

[cheswick]

The mini canada website has a whole section on wini winter driving. MINI.ca

But its a no-brainer that winter tires work significantly better in snow and colder temps.

[Geckz]

Have got 18' wheels with runflats and LSD - have to say by far the worst driving experience of any car (in the snow) that I have ever owned.

But then how often do we get snow in this county

... typed after having to abandon the car yesterday and walk for 3hrs to get home ...

[beken]

In the winter, I have 15" wheels and narrower track (195's) snowtires. I have never been stuck in the snow (yet) in 4 winters of driving.

[blackpug]

4WD Mini anyone? Wife just got One which has the traction control. Far better in the snow than her last Cooper which didn't. (and it had the awful runflats).
Don't know about Minis being rubbish but the female driver in the red Mini who pulled in sharply in front of me causing me to brake (in the snow) on the M8 at Newhouse certainly was!

[Paul]

In a word. No.



That's me btw. ^^^

MINI Cooper Convertible

But, to counter that, perhaps not always ideal...





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