magurochan

Opinions or experiences with Nokia snow tires please?!? How do they compare to others?

BOOSTD

"Nokia snow tires"?

magurochan

Yes either the Hakkapellettia or NRW models....

Andy Hedin

I think he meant to say Nokian.

magurochan

Apparently the name has gone from Nokia to Nokian?

M.S.G.

. . . However, I love my Hakka's, got chased by a cop last night and dusted him in a snow storm. Good thing he didn't have studded tires or the story would have ended much differently.

Clues

I have had Nokian Hakkapelitta 1s on my A4 for the past three winters. The Hak 1s are a good snow tire when used w/o studs and a great tire when studded. I will have to admit, however, that other winter tires will be better performers than the unstudded Hak 1s - Specifically, the Hak Qs, Michelin Alpins, Blizzaks LM-22s - which use more advanced rubber/silica compounds and siping technology allowing for better grip on packed snow and ice than the Hak 1s. The Hak 1s have an aggressive tread pattern which probably make them a better deep snow tire. The other good characteritic of the Hak 1s is that they have a very long treadlife - 4-5 winters should be easy before they become ineffective.

If you live in an area that experiences regular and often brutal snow conditions, I would not hesitate to throw a set of studded Hak 1s on your car. They will outperform ANY non-studded snow tire in both acceleration, handling and braking on snow/ice. The dry performance will suffer and the noise will increase - but if getting through the nasty stuff is your priority, then this is a serious setup.

I have a set of Hak Qs on my wife's Toyota Sienna (no flames please - the thing hauls two kids, wife and baby-gear like a champ!). Although a bit squirmy, these tires are great.

The last Nokian tire worth mentioning is the NRW. This is an H-rated tire that is marketed as an "all-season" tire. It has a tread pattern almost identical to the Hak Q but without the aggressive siping. Don't be fooled by the all-season label - this tire is approved for severe winter conditions by many US states (and most of Canada) that impose tire restrictions during storms. I would recommend this tire if you only expect to drive in bad conditions a few times each winter.

People in Europe have been saying good things about the newly released Hak 2s. The Hak 2s are not available in the US this year. I am told that they will only be available in a studded version next winter.

Hope this helps,
Chris

magurochan

Thanks for the info Chris, btw I'm in Toronto Canada so we will get some snow.

Clues

As you know, the south side of Lake Ontario get the lake effect snow much more than you guys. So unless you go skiing alot or road trip to go see the Bills or Sabres every weekend, I would go with one of the othe (hak Q, Pilot Alpins, Sport M2s. I could even argue that the NRWs would get you throu a winter with relative ease.

Good luck,
Chris