Winter Tires

Ask @Puppethead about tires his SE with 70000 miles in MN with Nokian winter tires he is an expert to give you the best advice .If you don’t have to drive every single day during winter a good new tires from Nokian 2024 are Nokian Remedy WRG5 design as ALl WEATHER tires for year around driving they have snow flakes as for winter use to and low rolling resistance for EV

 

I think it comes down to personal preference. I found Blizzak runflats to be noisy on my ICE MINIs, but those were runflats. I am a huge fan of Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires, I think they provide superb snow performance while minimizing rolling resistance, and they're pretty quiet. I'm running on Hakkapeliitta R3s right now, but there's a newer version available these days.

It might be getting late in the season, but Discount Tire carries Nokian so they are easy to get. I even brought them to the dealer and had them mounted, since MINI doesn't offer Nokian.

To be frank, I think winter is basically over in the Minneapolis area this season. While we'll likely get more snow, after this weekend we're going to be well above freezing and the ground will likely begin thawing within the next week or so.

 

Maybe not all season tires but all weather tires take to consideration this is a newest trend I use those tires for last two seasons and they a best I ever drive on Subaru Forester snow /rain / summer they low resistance of rolling for EV s

 

I have Blizzaks on my SE and I hate them on dry or wet pavement. Grip is pretty dismal, but it's fun sliding around corners once you get used to it.

Our Clubman has Pirelli Sotozeros that have been absolutely fantastic. When the Blizzaks wear out, that is most likely what I'll go with.

Note: I only drive in snow a couple times a year, and the Blizzaks seem fine in the snow.

 

I liked the Continental snow tires I had for my Clubman, but they were also runflats. Not too noisy, unless temperatures got above freezing and then they did get noisy.

 

I went with a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 Plus tires for my 23 SE. They are rated as all seasons but have graduated treads for all conditions. I live in Western NY near Buffalo - you've seen the kind of snow we get. They are quiet on bare roads but provide enough traction for reasonable amounts of snow. Several people have commented on these tires but they have worked great for me. Got a real deal on a set of slightly used Mini wheels but will switch back to the wheels and tires that came with the car

 

I found a set of JCW rims with used winter tires on my local craigslist. By the time you pay to mount and remount it may be worth finding a set of used rims. It doesn't take any more space in the garage to store tires with wheels than just tires.

 

I found a set on Kijiji (what Americans used to call eBay Classifieds) several months before my car was even delivered, and got a set of Hakka R5s installed on them the same week that my car arrived. I think now I will look for another set of rims and get the Nokian WRG5s to have intermediates available for early spring and late fall. I love having high-performance summer compound tires, so I will never get an all-weather tire to use year-round, but at the same time I'd like a transitional tire to be more safe than running on the summers in cold, and to avoid wearing out the Hakkas on warmer early spring days.

 

Why does MINI deliver cars to colder climates in winter with summer performance tires? I picked up mine on Dec 22 and it has the Hankooks on it. It's a complaint I will make if I take them up on their interview offer.

A set of Nokian winters popped up on CL on MINI rims but the owner never responded so I suppose they were already sold. Meanwhile, I keep looking for a reasonable deal on used ones and look at tirerack.com often too. But, in temps that are hovering around freezing the Hankooks seem fine, and I know I might be wearing them more quickly. The little actual snow we've had sees "Eddie" stay at home and we use one of the other vehicles. Tirerack don't list the Nokian Hakkapeliitta and I haven't found them at any of the local usual suspects, but they seem like a good option for our SEs.

cheers
MacMini34

 

It's a weird thing that seems to only apply to the SE. I get wanting high-performance tires for the EV, but it shouldn't be at the expense of safety.

 

We have two 2024 Mini SEs, both with new sets of winter tires. My wife is running Blizzak WS90s 195/55/16s on her stock-sized (but aftermarket winter) 16" wheels and mine is running 215/45/17 Michelin X-Ices on OE wheels. In snowy/icy conditions the Blizzaks slightly outperform the X-Ices, and on dry/cold pavement the X-Ices provide a bit more traction than the Blizzaks. Some of it may come down to sidewall and wheel size differences between 16" and 17" but If I had the option to choose again I'd go with the Blizzaks (my wife got her car in August and 16" Blizzaks were plentiful in Canada; by October the Michelins were the only option other than Chinese-made no name tires). The Blizzaks are also a tad quieter and softer-riding than the X-Ices, which may mostly be due to their smaller size.

 

I was fortunate to receive the Hankook summer tires when new, which I like a lot. I switched to those Conti's and they did fine in 3-4" snow and frozen sleet. I believe they also took 10-15% off my mi/kW*hr and range though. I think they are pretty great other than the rolling resistance (and price).