First year I drove the stock 16" all seasons and the car was great. Last year with about half the tread gone I tried that again and really hated the experience. The tires went from feeling great to unable to handle anything over 1/2 inch of snow. Going for four snows for this years 'silly' season as most of the route to work is secondary roads.
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2007 MCS Laser Blue 2010, 2008 BMW Oktoberfest Autocross - Stock Mini First Place
2009 BMW Oktoberfest Autocross - Stock Mini Second Place BMW CCA Driving Instructor/Engine Mechanic/Speech Recognition Specialist
I bought four Blizzaks last year, and the car does great! I bought them from Tire Rack for about $225. I don't think that I would drive without snows in the winter.
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Holly
2007 Astro Black [YES IT'S BLACK] MINI Cooper Convertible ("Pepper"); 2013 British Racing Green MINI Cooper S Hardtop ("Bini") and 2013 BMW X5 ("Wilhelm")
I used the all seasons last year and it was a little difficult in deeper snow. This year I bought blizzacks and waiting to see how they handle. until it snows seeya CJ
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Willow:::bee, 2008 Mini Cooper"S"Clubman,LazerBlue,premiumpack,chrome interior,side mirrors,chrome exterior,dual sunroofs,checkerd dash,clothseats
Pearl, 2010 Mini Cooper ,Oxygen Blue ,leather interior,heated seats,dual sunroofs
Hi I was introduced to the Blizzaks last year and I found them Fantastic and would highly recommend them. I got mine from The Tire Rack for $164 /tire plus mount & balance . Cheers Mike
Grey Poupon wrote:I have a set of Hakkas waiting to go on. My next tires.
But for this year, I will try to squeeze another winter out of my Blizzaks. They worked great for me last year. One night, I couldn't get up the driveway (because it was completely glazed over) but otherwise, no problems.
JC, I have personal experience with the Dunlop snow tires, and now the Blizzaks. I was thrilled with the Dunlops when I got them, and thought they were great. When they wore out after five winters, I purchased a set of Blizzaks at the dealer adjacent to the Boulevard Mall in Amherst. They had to special-order them, and I got them a day later. All I can say is HOLY MOSES!, I didn't know what I was missing! These tires are fantastic! We were on our way to Charlotte, N.C. when the cops closed Route 77 on us because of what they perceived as "poor driving conditions". I was having no problem at all, where others were crashing by the hundreds up to that point. When we got back on after they re-opened it, it looked like a junkyard with cars in every conceivable position, even upside-down! I read later there were 1500 separate accidents in a 15 mile stretch through the mountains. The Mini plowed through thanks to the Blizzaks, like there was no snow. My vote would go wholeheartedly to the Blizzaks!
I agree with Cogman. I ordered Blizzaks from Tire Rack.com at a very reasonable price. I've had them on all my cars, and would never get anything else.
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Holly
2007 Astro Black [YES IT'S BLACK] MINI Cooper Convertible ("Pepper"); 2013 British Racing Green MINI Cooper S Hardtop ("Bini") and 2013 BMW X5 ("Wilhelm")
Hi, guys...my wife has a new MCCS, and I'm looking to put snows on there for her. We've always had great experience with the Blizzak's, but the Blizzak runflats are pricey. We're also considering getting some decent alloy rims from tire rack, but skipping the TMPS.
Anyone else gone with steelies or other wheels and skipped the TMPS? How annoying is the car with the TMPS sensor?
Alternatively, if we were to get non-runflats mounted to the OEM rims, what options are out there in case of a flat? Getting the Mini spare and mounting kit looks to be around $350 or so, and that's not great as it won't fit over the front brakes. Would fix-a-flat damage the TMPS sensors?
You will get use to the TPMS warning light. I put steelies on without the sensors. When you first turn on the car the big warning light comes on in the Tach window. You just push the program button ( @ the end of the headlight lever) to turn it off. Then you just have the small light in the speedo. Don't know about the fix-a-flat / TPMS interaction.
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'09 Sparkling Silver Clubman- "M" Premium Package, Piano black int, Black Jack side & rearview mirrors
Had a real good workout for the winter tires today. They worked really well. My wife got temporarily stuck in the driveway 3 times, trying to get to the garage thru 10" of snow. She just backed up & tried again. The MINI was acting a little like a snow plow. I came home 3 hours later & got the mini van stuck in the drive, & had to dig it out. Granted there was probably another few inches in the drive. I only have all seasons on the van. Today I was out & around in the MINI. Good stopping ability, with minimal sliding. It held its track very well with these poor road conditions. I have a set of Pirelli winter's.
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'09 Sparkling Silver Clubman- "M" Premium Package, Piano black int, Black Jack side & rearview mirrors
Ok, hopefully our new snows will arrive soon. We opted to get non-runflats on alum rims w/o TPMS. We're hopeful that we can fit an all-season in the boot to tote around as a spare for the winter (we rarely carry anything back there anyhow). Blizzaks + alum rims (couldn't find steelies) = almost $900!
