I just bought this Mini and found that the stock tires are useless in snow. The car is parked until I can find some snows. It would be nice to find some in the Michigan or Chicago area. ......thanks.
My 07 S has 17" rims but I found a seller on Craig's list in Michigan who ran stock mini 16" with Blizak snows on his wife's S (sold it) and it has been like night and day. Just did a quick search and found four 17" Blizaks for $200 in Akron OH. If you are not looking for something used, try the TireRack and purchase the wheel / tire combo units.