Recent winter tire/chains experience - '05 Cooper S
#1
12-11-2007, 12:57 PM
Recent winter tire/chains experience - '05 Cooper S
Recent winter tire/chains experience - '05 Cooper S with Dunlop Winter Sport M3 Runflats (195/55HR16) and SCC Super Z6 Cable Chains on stock rims.
A friend and I headed up to Mt. Baker for opening weekend in my '05 Cooper S. This was the first opportunity to try out my new winter tires and, as it turned out, the cable chains I had purchased a couple years ago.
Winter Tires (link):
The Winter Sports performed great. Far superior traction on compact snow and ice compared to the factory all-season runflats (hard not to do better). Front and rear end was stable both going up and down the pass, no traction issues at all. Stability control kicked in briefly only once.
An added benefit of the Winter Sports is increased performance on wet roadways, which was put to the test the following Monday. Seattle saw heavy rains and street flooding that would've been a scary ride on the stock tires. Instead, these tires were extremely stable while plowing through standing water at highway speeds.
Even though these are runflats, the softer winter tread resulted in a noticeably smoother ride over factory runflats. Dry pavement performance is nearly as good as all-seasons and are predictable when their traction abilities are exceeded.
Cable Chains (link):
As we neared Mt. Baker, signs were up saying chains required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive. This was a bit of an adventure. You can't actually get chains to fit on the 16" rims, so you are forced to go the cable route. The cables are much more gentle on the strut tower and can withstand some minor rubbing without damage to the tire, strut or cable. Cables are a legal substitution for chains in most jurisdictions (including Washington state).
The initial install was a huge pain. I had put them on once in my driveway when first purchased two years ago and had a super difficult time then. Doing it on the side of the road in the middle of a snow storm wasn't any easier. The main design and installation is fairly simple and straightforward, the difficulty is getting the clips locked into place. The tight tolerances on the Mini results in little or no slack on a new cable.
We found that clipping the cable (a challenge in itself) and then driving forward a few feet allowed for enough slack to develop to lock it into place (you have to angle the clip to lock it, which requires some slack). I expect that between the cables stretching a bit after driving on them for 20 miles and the additional experience will lead to an easier install the next time.
Traction was as good as any 4x4 after installing the cables. Even leaving the parking lot at the end of the day and pushing snow with the front bumper was a non-event.
The Mini owners manual says to turn off stability control when using chains. However, cables are fairly low profile allowing you to leave stability control on. It only engaged when in the middle of exceptionally steep/snow covered switchbacks and functioned well--the Mini kept on track throughout the turn.
After 20 miles the cables still look new, only minor rubbing noticeable where rubber bushings make contact with the tire sidewall.
Just thought I'd share my experiences since I was unable to find a lot of information on taking Mini's with stock 16" wheels up passes in areas that require chains. 15" snow tires with real chains would be better, but I prefer runflats to dealing with a flat tire on a steep/snowy pass.
A friend and I headed up to Mt. Baker for opening weekend in my '05 Cooper S. This was the first opportunity to try out my new winter tires and, as it turned out, the cable chains I had purchased a couple years ago.
Winter Tires (link):
The Winter Sports performed great. Far superior traction on compact snow and ice compared to the factory all-season runflats (hard not to do better). Front and rear end was stable both going up and down the pass, no traction issues at all. Stability control kicked in briefly only once.
An added benefit of the Winter Sports is increased performance on wet roadways, which was put to the test the following Monday. Seattle saw heavy rains and street flooding that would've been a scary ride on the stock tires. Instead, these tires were extremely stable while plowing through standing water at highway speeds.
Even though these are runflats, the softer winter tread resulted in a noticeably smoother ride over factory runflats. Dry pavement performance is nearly as good as all-seasons and are predictable when their traction abilities are exceeded.
Cable Chains (link):
As we neared Mt. Baker, signs were up saying chains required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive. This was a bit of an adventure. You can't actually get chains to fit on the 16" rims, so you are forced to go the cable route. The cables are much more gentle on the strut tower and can withstand some minor rubbing without damage to the tire, strut or cable. Cables are a legal substitution for chains in most jurisdictions (including Washington state).
The initial install was a huge pain. I had put them on once in my driveway when first purchased two years ago and had a super difficult time then. Doing it on the side of the road in the middle of a snow storm wasn't any easier. The main design and installation is fairly simple and straightforward, the difficulty is getting the clips locked into place. The tight tolerances on the Mini results in little or no slack on a new cable.
We found that clipping the cable (a challenge in itself) and then driving forward a few feet allowed for enough slack to develop to lock it into place (you have to angle the clip to lock it, which requires some slack). I expect that between the cables stretching a bit after driving on them for 20 miles and the additional experience will lead to an easier install the next time.
Traction was as good as any 4x4 after installing the cables. Even leaving the parking lot at the end of the day and pushing snow with the front bumper was a non-event.
The Mini owners manual says to turn off stability control when using chains. However, cables are fairly low profile allowing you to leave stability control on. It only engaged when in the middle of exceptionally steep/snow covered switchbacks and functioned well--the Mini kept on track throughout the turn.
After 20 miles the cables still look new, only minor rubbing noticeable where rubber bushings make contact with the tire sidewall.
Just thought I'd share my experiences since I was unable to find a lot of information on taking Mini's with stock 16" wheels up passes in areas that require chains. 15" snow tires with real chains would be better, but I prefer runflats to dealing with a flat tire on a steep/snowy pass.
#3
12-11-2007, 04:23 PM
That's some serious snow. Great writeup. I echo the positive comments on the Dunlop M3 - mine aren't the runflat version but work extremely well, and are quiet and smooth on wet and dry pavement.
Quick story: On my way home last winter, uphill, a Hummer H2 had spun into the ditch and the woman driving couldn't get it unstuck. I stopped, and gave her the winter driving tip that allowed the 4wd system to pull itself out (when stuck, turn the front wheels slightly this way and that, and apply the throttle slowly). We worked the vehicle out, got her safe, and talked about a few winter driving tips. It was a very productive, positive conversation, until she noticed my Really Little car, just uphill from her. ON the roda, not in the ditch.
Her: "You got up the hill in that??!"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Does it have 4 wheel drive?"
Me: "No, just front drive, but with good snow tires" (and a little finesse, my Little Inside Voice said).
Her: (gritting teeth) "...and My Husband Makes Me Drive This Monster In Winter???!?"
I was glad I wasn't him. She smiled as I slipped the clutch, waved, and drove off...
Quick story: On my way home last winter, uphill, a Hummer H2 had spun into the ditch and the woman driving couldn't get it unstuck. I stopped, and gave her the winter driving tip that allowed the 4wd system to pull itself out (when stuck, turn the front wheels slightly this way and that, and apply the throttle slowly). We worked the vehicle out, got her safe, and talked about a few winter driving tips. It was a very productive, positive conversation, until she noticed my Really Little car, just uphill from her. ON the roda, not in the ditch.
Her: "You got up the hill in that??!"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Does it have 4 wheel drive?"
Me: "No, just front drive, but with good snow tires" (and a little finesse, my Little Inside Voice said).
Her: (gritting teeth) "...and My Husband Makes Me Drive This Monster In Winter???!?"
I was glad I wasn't him. She smiled as I slipped the clutch, waved, and drove off...
Last edited by DixonL2; 12-11-2007 at 04:29 PM.
#4
12-11-2007, 09:11 PM
nice...
Nice story about the H2...I'm glad your chat and assistance was productive. We did see a number of spun out cars in the ditch (all without drivers, I assume they got a ride while waiting for a tow truck).
We did see one large Ford pickup that had a front tire that was horizontal to the street (bad control arm?). Not good. Worse luck for them was then being rear ended by a Subaru outback. 4 wheel drive lets you start and go better, but stopping and zipping around corners (without the finesse you mentioned), not so good.
We did see one large Ford pickup that had a front tire that was horizontal to the street (bad control arm?). Not good. Worse luck for them was then being rear ended by a Subaru outback. 4 wheel drive lets you start and go better, but stopping and zipping around corners (without the finesse you mentioned), not so good.
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