I havent had the 03 CR/W MCS for a year yet but already I'm considering trading it in for (gasp) SUV. The winters are pretty grueling in North Dakota, I got to experience the tail end of it last year (Feb-May). I love my MINI and I really don't want to get rid of it but it's my only car and I can't really afford to get a beater truck just for the winters up here. I may just wait until the winter kicks in to see if she'll handle the road conditions before I decide to trade her in, but who'll want a MINI in winter in a state with less than 100 of these beatiful machines. Basically I'm just looking for someone to reassure me that these babys can handle winter conditions, preferably someone that lives up north and drives it daily during winter months.

 

I know how you feel about bad winters. They are pretty rough here in MI too. Last winter there were some bad storms. I felt VERY safe in ours. Never once spun out, and it was nice to have the on board computer let us know when conditions were favorable for black ice too!
That is, once we dug it out!
Honestly, though, its what is going to make you feel the most safe. Although, i dont know about you, but i see more SUVs in ditches durring snow storms than any other kind of vehicle!

 

PM Sarcux. He'll tell you all about the mini handling in the snow. His pics are great! Also, the mini is a much better car at handling snow than SUVs. Your center of gravity is way better and all you have to do is buy some snow tires and you're set.

This subject has had many other discussions, maybe search the threads to find out more info. Good luck and don't sell the mini!

 

Trixter79,
Unless you need the extra bulk and room of an SUV, with the right winter tires and safe driving you'd be fine. Read some of the posts in this thread about winter tires and the MINI. Others have done fine.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ood+snow+tires

Good luck. Will your MINI be garaged? That helps.

 

I know where you’re coming from with the concern about the nasty winters there. I know how bad it is because I spent 3 years in Minot, ND. I ended up with a 4Runner and had it in 4WD 6 months of the year. I also had a Suppra I could only get on the roads when it was clear. I took it out in winter once and almost had it in a ditch after only 1 block.

The MINI should handle fine, but it’s hard to say what it will do in a heavy snow fall. The ice on the roads as I remember was worse than the snow because we didn’t have too much. It would just blow by in the ever non-stop gale force winds. I know there are others who drive in bad winter conditions, but unless they’ve been in ND they don’t know how bad winters can get. I remember a week of -50 with wind chill to -70. Best of luck what ever you decide.

 

I typically have another ride from December thru March, but I have driven my MCS in the snow/ice. Drove it home from the dealer in a blizzard (cars off the road everywhere, road closed in 1 hr. after I went thru). Wasn't a problem... Deep snow might become an issue... But...

I would think if you can throw a set of snow-tires on it (rims are super cheap- or look for someone selling used rims on this site) and they are pretty darn good in the snow/ice :smile:

I honestly like the feel of a smaller car in bad weather, if I start to skid I can control it, less mass moving around. Also, SUVs can roll. I was in a 1995 Jimmy that rolled one winter (passenger), going ~45MPH- it ain't a pretty sight. Thats all I have to say... The other accident I was in (again, passenger) was in an 1999 A4 that got hit on my side at about 25MPH. Side / Front airbags went off, but I was absolutely fine. Didn't seem as scary either. Tho the passengers door wouldn't open

 

Thanks for the great input. I love all the awesome handling features of the MINI and most likely will be winterizing the MINI in the months to follow. I just don't want to be one of the trucks, or SUV's upside down in the ditch and the best way to avoid that I think is safe driving with my MINI. Looks like I'll be shopping for winter tires next. Thanks guys.

 

Ground clearenc eis yoru only issue.. as long as you have good tires or snow tires (My michelen X1's were awesome on ice) or chains you shoudl be ok as far as handling goes. Also stoppgin and controllign a smaller car in the snow is easier per se than mosnter vehicle.. most popel tend to drive suv's LESS cautiosly (look for studies online) then they shoudl figurign there in a tank what should they care.. not relizing how much longer it taqke to stop, wieght , and rolleover is heigten in the snow... SUV's do excel in heavy unplowed, deep snow, but I'm not sure hwo much of that your goignto coem acorss daily.... buddy of mien who lives in the moutains of VA bought a beeter tracker 4x4 and yeah there not the coolest sexiest thign son the road it was cheap as hell and handle very well off orad an in the snow... mgih be an option cause you can pick on eup for 2-3k

 

True about the low ground clearance.

I'd think that an SUV doesn't really handle that well in the snow and it's easy to get into trouble if you aren't careful. It does give you a bit more bulk when you do crash into things. But the low mpg and lower reliability is a downside.

A MINI with good winter setup would be a fine combination provided the roads are reasonably well maintained for driving. Hope you don't have to go that far.

 

Have you sent a pm to Lot15 he may be able to give you more info.:smile:

 

Trixter79 where are you located in ND? Many people think of winter driving in an all terrain type area, but the majority of ND is flat, flat, flat and not many trees to break to winds that howl over the icy roads at 20 to 40 mph constantly. It’s not the same driving as up state NY or Detroit or even Maine in the winter, it’s like the frozen tundra of the artic, flat desolate and constant wind.

As far as the well maintained roads there, if you live south near the 2 big cities you might have good roads, but up north where I was it’s not as pretty. Of course I didn’t own a MINI when I was there, but I do know a light car on all the black ice and prevailing winds on the roads even with good snow tires is going to be a wild ride. KEEP the DSC ON and the speed down.

You may want to throw two to four 50 lb sand bags in the back seat floor board for weight and traction if you get stuck. I can send you a survival list of things to keep in your MINI during the winter to help you through 8 or 9 hours of being stuck if you don’t have one already.

And I’m guessing you have a block heater installed in the MINI, if not DO IT NOW.

 

Hey guys, Canadians have been driving classic Minis on 10" tires in the snow for eons.... what's the problem? Why the anxiety? Slap some snows on it and fugeddaboudit!

 

I grew up in Milwaukee. There, a person will have his Nice Car and his winter or Rubber Tavern Car...something cheap and made of rubber so when you bounced off a light pole coming home from the bars it didn't matter. This was in an era before MADD :~) Anyway - buy a $1000 Rubber Tavern Car (SUV) and lay the MINI up for a few months. Perhaps in the Living Room just like the Harley riders do!

Having said that..I have no experience with a Mini - although I've owned them - or a MINI in the snow (Waiting for my MCSC). BUT I have a 70 Morris Minor. Those skinny little tires dig down through the snow and bite the road. We've had some blizzards here in Denver and Max the Morris Minor has never let me down!

Peter

 

Yeah man...

Up here there are many of us that drive the winter. The only thing that was hard on my car was rocks/sand. It sand blasted my Indi blue bonnet so bad I had to get it resprayed this spring. I tried getting something from BMW, but they were not helpful. I could have waited until the "specialist" came round, but I wasn't waiting 2 months & driving my baby all covered in spots.

 

I have a set of snow tires for wintertime. As long as the roads are quasi-plowed, or the snowfall is minimal (not feet of snow), I can get anywhere I need. It doesn't get Fargo-cold here, but the MINI always starts in sub-zero temps. Heated seats rock! Quite honestly, the cars I see in ditches in wintertime are suv's and bald-tired beaters.

 

I think the coldest it got here (Winnipeg, MB Canada) was about -35 Celcius. My car is in a garage so it was ok, but my buddy left his outside for about 12 hours & it didn't start. But we're talking extreme here. Anything -20 Celcius & warmer is a piece of cake. Car is fine after a few minutes driving. The first few is like driving a rock on square wheels :smile:

I used my all-season stock runflats last winter & was all over the place. I am definitely investing in some winter tires this fall. The ASC and ABS were appreciated on some of the wicked ice days.

Heated seats DO rock!!!

Anyone know about this???-----> I can't lock my car from outside when it's running. I thought I would be start the car with my spare & let it warm up, but wanted to lock it. It refused. Any ideas?

 

I live about 50 miles from Winnipeg and commuted all last winter,on the all seasons that came with the car,and everything was fine.Going to get snow tires this winter though,as I hear it really helps.My MINI started fine all winter even when it was -47C on the cars temp gauge.I was going to get a block heater installed,but the tech, at my dealer said it was alot of work,so I'm going to take a pass on that.I will just use the battery charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter when it is really cold.Heated seats are great

 

Look, you can get people to swear on a stack of Bibles that their Honda Civic is as good as any 4 wheel drive SUV in snow, and you know what we call them around here? HIGH.

Don't let these people try to tell you that some tiny car with no ground clearance and too much power for good traction with wide tires is going to be good in the snow. Simple logic dictates that they are crazy. After my daughter ripped the bottom out of her New Beetle backing up in the snow, I could go on line and read dozens of missives about what a great snow car it was. This is all crap, and people who tell you this car is like an SUV are nuts.

If you live where you will ever have to travel unplowed roads with more than about 3 inches of snow, you are screwed. Get used to it. I've seen stories where people in North Dakota were stuck for days on major highways after snow storms. Maybe you can take the advice from the idiot that tells you to put weight in the trunk for traction. ITS A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR YOU MORON. Just be sure to flop it on the hood when you need the extra weight. Maybe if you cut two holes in just the right places, you can get the sand to run down the hood and spread itself in front of the tires!

Once the roads freeze, the ruts from those bigger SUV's, which will not line up with your cars tires, will probably beat you to death, or at least the suspension.


You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The Mini is great for what it is, but it is a dry pavement sporty car, not an ice racer or snowmobile. There is a reason why more Pick-up are sold in the U.S. than cars - and winter is a big part of it. If you travel more than 40 feet to a plowed road, I'd think twice about having a Mini as my only vehicle.

Hey - I just got a call from my brother, and he was telling me how good his Corvette is in the snow. Of couse, he lives in Tampa, so I have to take it with a grain of salt.

 

The MINI is designed to be driven in all conditions, just like any other modern vehicle equipped with proper tires. On a slippery surface, a MINI with FWD, snow tires, and DSC will perform far better than a 4WD SUV with crappy tires.

If you live in a place where there is more than 6" of unplowed snow, you need to move to a place with better city services

 

Amazingly enough, they only have City services in cities! Once everyone moves out of North Dakota, the accident rate should drop like a rock.

People who live in the bubble of cities with plowed streets and sand spreaders, and laws that make you shovel your walk and driveway have about as much experience with "winter driving" as the man in the moon. Yeah, Corvettes, and Enzo Ferraris and Mustang 5.0's are all designed for "all driving conditions." What are you crazy? The Mini is a car that grew from a concept of a small car for England, and its country roads and short strips of highway. Not a snowplowing highway cruiser for North Dakota. It don't work on Saudi Arabian sand, either. Get a grip. Peolple who like their cars have to quit this denial that makes them think it is the best car for every task, or even an adequate car for every task.

Here's a short list of things the Mini is absolutely terrible at:

Piano moving
driving in deep snow
carrying more than 4 people

Terrible but true. Live with it.

 

Don't get too carried away with the winter in ND. I spent most of my life (46 of 59 years) living there and none of it was driving a 4WD anything.

I didn't know anyone in ND that did not have some type of engine heater on their car. If the block heater is too difficult to install think about a tank heater, but if you are in a garage, even unheated, it will have to get very cold to have many problems.

The clearance issue may not be valid. The clearance of the average car is not appeciably higher than that of a MINI yet a lot of people in ND drive cars. When I was in high school a buddy had a Corvair Monza (new) and the only time we got stuck or had trouble is when we wanted to. I would guess the clearance of the Monza would be about the same as the MINI.

 

In these cases, you:

Hire a piano mover
Stay home
Take 2 MINIs

 

have no fear trixter,

your mini with some studded snows will get you through most things that even a Minot winter can dish out.
Joe is right, you probably wont go anywhere with 6" of snow on the ground, BUT you probably won't get much further with a POS beater p-up truck (4wd or not)
stay home , have a nice shot of whiskey with your hot cocoa, and watch the snow fall. PS- i lived in grand forks for 2 years and minneapolis for 4 and NEVER got stuck in my SAAB.

a side story-- I drove through the Thanksgiving-eve blizzard in 1993 from MSP via Willmar through Breckenridge to Lamoure,ND -had snow cascading over the hood toward the end of the trip and made it. (they shut down 94 when we got to Sauk Centre, therefore we went south, and there was 8" on the ground outside of Wahpeton by 10pm) not a whole lot of plow trucks on RT 13 in ND. someone had made a pass probably 3-4 hours before we drove it, but it was drifting and still snowing an inch+ per hour.- in retrospect it's not something i'd do again but i didn't want to spend thanksgiving in Wahpeton,ND

 

Hope this doesn't repeat what everyone else has said...

I bought a set of cheap 15" rims and put a set of Bridgestone Blizzak's on them. Wearing those tires, the MINI is freaking PHENOMINAL in the snow! We had some really heavy snow in TN this winter, heavy for TN anyway (1 foot), and the car drove like a champ! The only thing that stopped me was when the snow got so deep that the tires couldn't reach hardpack anymore and the car became a MINI snowplow. Barring that, the MINI is an excellent snow car.

 

Funny, in other countries with a lot of snow & gravel roads they're able to get a long with SAABs, Volvos, etc.... The rest of the world only uses these safari vehicles on safari!