[Quadra]

How's the Mini on snow? I used the search function but did not find a whole lot. In the northeastern part of the US, we've had quite a bit of snow this winter. I've used the Mini on snow only when there are a couple of inches on the ground and it handled magnificently. I'm afraid to use it when there's more than 4 or 5 inches on the road since the Mini's ground clearance is TOO LOW.

The last snowstorm in Connecticut dumped about 8 inches. It was a piece of cake for my Honda Pilot SUV AWD..... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....
The next day, I used the Mini and since certain roads were not fully plowed, thick slush & hardened snow formed on the road. I could feel the slush & snow under the Mini. I was concerned that the hardened snow (& ice) will scrape the underside of the Mini since it was too low....

Your experiences & feedback would be appreciated.

[ezrally]

With snow tyres it's good on plowed roads etc.
But like you say anything deep & the spoiler on the front is at risk.
I feel better w the skid plate on for the chunks...
I already took my snow tyes off- to get the handling back tho. Of course my other car is an AWD Mitsu VR4.

[GordonD]

there is a bunch of threads in the Wheels and Tire section.

We also have had tons of snow this winter so lots of MINI stories.

Consensus:

MUST have snow tires
switch DSC AST+ off to get/keep going in the deep stuff
No reports of undertray problems yet but the cooling fan location really worries me.
Obviously if you get into snow so deep the wheels can't touch the ground then you should have stayed home.

Some guys have been rallying in the snow and have had great success - see threads by HarryIndiBlue

[dmholmes]

I've driven mine in one of the worst snowstorms we've had in upstate NY in years. There were about 6 inches on the ground and I had no problem driving around on the stock all season tires. Only time I started getting nervous was when I pulled on to a side street that hadn't been plowed at all (about 8" on the ground at that point) and the snow was getting swept up over the hood by the front spoiler. Still made it home fine though. I'm sure it would be amazing with real snows.

[HarryHBMCC]

Actually, I prefer to leave my ASC+T on. I've experimented with it on and off now and with it on I just seem to get extra wheelspin, no extra speed. Once in a while going up a hill it helps to turn it off but overall it seems better with it on. Perhaps I need more practice with it left off. The trouble going up hills is the Cooper doesn't have much power under 3000RPMs to get up the hills but with more than 3000RPMs there is enough power to make the wheels slip so it is tough to find the right balance without the ASC+T helping. Either I have too little power so it lugs or I have too much so it revs freely as the wheels spin...

No problems with deep snow here. Thought about getting the skid plate but never did. Here in deep snows the snow is either so light and fluffy that it doesn't matter to push through it, or it is so heavy that the 195mm wide tires don't sink that deep so 5" of ground clearance is enough. Ironically, Canada has not had the storms that the eastern US seaboard has had this year so I didn't get the worst winter experience of all the MINI owners. We got a couple of 8-10" snowfalls though and the car did fine (passed many other cars and SUVs in ditches).

Harry

[Quadra]

The Mini has a skid plate? This is not a standard, is it? Is it an option or after market?:white:

[ezrally]

Quote:

Originally posted by Quadra
The Mini has a skid plate? This is not a standard, is it? Is it an option or after market?:white:

Aftermarket is a real one from Moss MINI. Fit & installation is perfect with all mounting holes already there. Plus one can still get at the oil drain plug thru a hole in the plate so it can stay on no problem for that.

Stock is a small plastic "splash" guard under the front quarter.