RCrumb

Nokia tires are by far THE BEST snow tire you can buy for any vehicle! Lots of other good, better best out there but trust me Nokia are far superior. Slush management is outstanding, adhesion, temperature range, etc. Unless you've driven with Nokia you have no idea how safe, sure footed and confident you can truly feel in winter driving on highways. If one is looking for city or short commute tires, the other brands are fine (obviously some good, some not so good), but highway commuting Nokia is the rock star. My two cents and I've tried many different brands over the years. Best of luck.

scott98101

Thanks to all who responded regarding snow tires. I'll check out the Nokian pricing and if they're within $25 or so with the Dunlop tires, I'll go with the Nokian. Based on what I've read and the comments, I couldn't go wrong with either choice. I'll probably make an order for the tires in early October. Thanks again.
Scott

SJGQ5

I asked my tire guy about the Nokian, Dunlop, and Bridgestones..He recommended the Nokian…$920 out the door…235/55R19..A pretty decent price I think..cheaper than online.

ex-quattro PETE

Yup. Good price. That's only slightly more than what I paid for size 235/60/18 last year.

RS4orce

I live in Colorado and have had both tires you reference in your initial post. I had the Dunlops and the Nokians on a 2008 S4 Avant. I also most recently had the Nokians on a 2013 BMW X3 which I just traded for a 2015 SQ5. I am also going to get the Nokians in a 20" version for my new SQ5.

I firmly believe the Nokians are superior to the Dunlops in all aspects of winter driving. However, the tradeoff is that they do not handle as well on the dry pavement when it is warmer, which we get a lot of such days here on the front range of CO. I would rather give up the dry weather handling for the added security of driving up to the mountains and the frequent trips I take to Wyoming for work.

Steve

ex-quattro PETE

Also, if you have Discount Tire near you, check their availability on Nokian. Last year they had crazy good prices on Nokian Hakka R2, way lower than all proper Nokian dealers. However, it was for a fairly short time period. Maybe the other dealers complained to Nokian, and DT had to raise their prices. Not sure.

kreativecid

All this talk of the Nokians makes me have buyers remorse (I get buyer's remorse after walking out of store with spearmint instead of cinnamon so take it for face value) for the closeout price on my new DM-V1 even though they get good reviews, too. I like the positive feedback on the General Altimax. For years I've ran Generals on trucks and older cars with good success.

It's more about being a good, smart, sensible driver than just tire selection. I work from home, all errands are on city streets. Temps below 40f no problem but snow doesn't stay on ground much. Once in blue moon we get side streets packed with ice for weeks. I'll make a few trips to the mountains that are not that bad. Everyone crawls along to stay out of icy rivers.

Can't think of time I drove hours on highway/freeway in winter. Okay, maybe once every other year to Grand Targhee which is 6 hours away.

The DMv1 were $119 each plus shipping for the 235/55-19 on my SQ5 (yes, not officially compatible but many do). For my needs would the Nokians in a 19" be a "wow, that's noticeable" difference?? And at what price difference does the return diminish for you?

ex-quattro PETE

There is only one way to find out.

My guess is it'd be slightly noticeable, but not "wow" noticeable.

DMV1 are good tires, from all I've read and heard.

FYI, we get a lot of lake effect snow... average is about 75 inches per winter, and that snow tends to stick around for a long time due to sub-freezing temps. They also don't use a ton of salt here on the roads.

scott98101

I got a set of Nokian Hakkapeliita R2s. I'm sure they'll be great. I may only get two seasons out of them because of the mileage in above freezing temps, but that's a fair trade-off for excellent grip on snow or ice/slush.

HotRodW

We have the first gen Hakka R's on my wife's Q5. Really good in the snow, and surprisingly durable. (Three winters and still going strong.) I had planned to get the Nokians for my Touareg, but they don't make a 19" fitment. I ended up with DM-V1's, which are pretty amazing on snow and ice, but I know they won't last as long.

Nokians are hard to get where I live, and replacements can be even harder to find. And our Hakkas were manufactured in Russia, which still bothers me a bit for obvious reasons. Aside from those quibbles, I highly recommend them.