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The description of the Nokian WR is as follows:
"Only "4-Season" S.U.V. tire to earn the Severe Service Emblem (snowflake-on-mountain).
All-weather silica compound provides excellent grip on wet surfaces while maintaining winter properties. The WR's arrowhead unidirectional tread pattern and unique tread positioning effectively expel water, snow and slush. WR features long service life and low driving noise on dry pavement with excellent off-road capabilities. Excellent handling and control in wet weather, while maintaining Nokian's "uncompromised" lateral grip on snow,
ice and slush."
http://www.nokiantires.com/indexen.html
From the little info that I have been able to find on the web, the consensus seems to be that it is a winter tire. I'm confused, is it an all-season or winter tire? Anyone familiar with this tire?
Thanks
They are an "all-weather" tire. I'm in Calgary and we've already had some -18 C overnight temps. The NRW's have been great on packed snow and light ice.
Also, in my opinion, they handle much better than my stock Potenza's ever did.
I live in the Toronto area and don't need heavy duty snow tires, but the Michelins on my '98 Odyssey are terrible on any kind of snow/ice.
I'm also considering Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice winter tires.
-18 C is pretty cold for this time of the year. We have also been getting below average fall temperatures in the east, strange weather.
Rob
Ottawa
I think they use the term "all-weather" to differentiate them from regular all-seasons. The all-weathers meet the requirements for "severe winter weather" (and thus have the mountain snowflake), whereas regular all-seasons don't meet the requirements.
On a side note, Lake Louise (ski hill) is opening THIS weekend...the earliest they've ever opened. Pretty glad I put on the NRW's when I did! we had a big dump of snow which in turn led to a lot of ice they day after I put them on...and that was mid-September!
Nokian WR uses "all-weather" to differentiate itself from the other "all season". The WR is the only tire that meets the RMA's Severe Service Requirement and still can be used all year round. The Severe Service Requirement is a much more stringent requirement than the M+S for snow.
Anyone know why the Continental ContiWinterContract tires lack the symbol? Did they fail the test or have they not yet been tested? They have other snow like symbols on them but not the offical one; either that or I couldn't find it but I looked hard and there isn't that much surface area...
To earn an M+S designation, no actual test is required. All it takes is for the tire to show 20% of open tread (simplified explanation).
The Continental ContiWinterContract tire probably hasn't been tested yet.
I haven't seen them offered by the big name online tire outfits.
Locally, the Nokian WRs are $150 ea in 205/55-16 (friend just picked up a set).
Check out etires.com for Nokian tires. Their prices were lower than my local store, but not by much. Note I went with the Dunlop Winter Sport M2s from Tirerack.com for better overall performance based on Consumer Reports, other driver recommendations and price. Good luck
The OE Bridgestone RE92 tire on this car is V-rated. The NRW's were H rated, which is the highest I could find.
The other Nokian snow tires (Hakka Q and Hakka 1)have lower speed ratings.
Even though it's supposed to be all-weather, I switch tires seasonally. My experience is that the NRWs are a little softer cornering, but have much superior grip on snow/slush/ice. I did use the Bridgestones for a few weeks in January before the NRWs were delivered, and I was disappointed with how easy it was to break the traction loose. Once they were installed, the Nokians made a huge improvement.
Combined with AWD, I enjoyed very good performance and confidence during winter mountain driving conditions in northern Utah.
Most WRX posters elsewhere on this site bemoan the Bridgestones. I'm waiting for them to wear and replace with something with better performance for summer driving.
Noise:
This is a pleasant surprise. It is actually slightly quieter than the RSA! I was expecting noise to be slightly worse because of the large independent tread block design and the sipes. Definitely 2 thumbs up in this area!!
Ride comfort:
I can feel that the rubber compound and the sidewall is softer than the RSA. As such the WR is able to absorb road irregularities, potholes, and bumps better than the RSA.
Dry handling:
Because of the softer rubber and sidewall, steering response is slower. The RSA was more responsive to steering input than the WR. I have not push the WR hard yet in curves or corners but I think the RSA will have a slight edge. However, since my wife doesn't drive hard at all, she doesn't care about handling.
Fuel economy:
Still a little early to tell. I had 150 miles on the WR already and so far it is on par with the RSA.
Treadwear:
Nokian has a 50,000 miles warranty for the WR. Also, I looked at the side wall and it has a treadwear rating of 420! Amazing! The RSA rated at 260. The Continental CH95(an all season touring tire) on my previous Passat is rated at 360. I had 32,000 miles on the CH95 before I sold the Passat and they still had 1/2 of the tread left. So, I am sure the WR will outlast 50,000 miles and more.
Snow handling:
Don't know yet and it hasn't snow. But I have full confidence in Nokian because they got good reputation. Plus, the WR met the new severe service requirement not just the crappy M+S.
Let it snow, let it snow!!
Conclusion:
I like the WR very very much and I intend to keep them on all year round based on the above reasons. I had a colleague rode with me and he couldn't believe that I had snow tires on!!!
Part # Size/Description Sidewall $/Tire Availability
T443426 175/65R14 82T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443460 185/55R14 80H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443428 185/65R14 86T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443430 185/65R14 86H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443598 195/70R14 91T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443462 185/55R15 86H XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443432 185/65R15 88T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443434 185/65R15 88H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443464 195/55R15 85H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443448 195/60R15 88H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443436 195/65R15 91T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443438 195/65R15 95T XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443440 195/65R15 91H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443450 205/60R15 91H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443442 205/65R15 100T XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443444 205/65R15 94H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443424 205/70R15 96H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443360 215/70R15 98H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443454 225/60R15 96H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443400 235/75R15 105T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443492 205/50R16 87H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443466 205/55R16 91H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443468 205/55R16 94V Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443452 205/60R16 92H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443470 215/55R16 97H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443416 215/65R16 98H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443478 225/50R16 96V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443472 225/55R16 95H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443456 225/60R16 98H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443404 225/70R16 103T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443458 235/60R16 100H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443406 235/70R16 105T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443402 235/75R16 108T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443408 245/70R16 108T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443418 255/65R16 109H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443410 255/70R16 111T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443412 265/70R16 114T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443480 225/45R17 91H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443482 225/45R17 94V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443476 225/55R17 101V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443484 235/45R17 94H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443486 235/45R17 97V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443446 235/65R17 104H Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443488 255/40R17 98V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443422 255/55R17 104T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Good
T443414 265/70R17 113T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443420 275/60R17XL 111T Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443490 225/40R18 92V XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
T443596 235/50R18 101W XL Nokian WR Black Sidewall Call Limited
What I think is happening is that they are trying to clear their NRW inventory. I suggest that you order through their website. Don't bother calling them. They don't charge you till they ship the tires. IF there are disputes down the road, you can always call your credit card to cancle payment. You will receive a confirmation e-mail. You will also get another e-mail when they ship. If they don't ship within 2 days, call them. It took me 2 calls and 5 days before they shipped.
-Andrew
Ice Friday night was visible on the road but I couldn't feel the effect of it. Snow early this morning over the ice was more challenging but the tires still did great, with the traction control telling me when I've given too much gas. In slush, great again.
The Santa Claus Parade today meant tough parking and driving after it was over so I walked to my car to pick up my wife and son later and I went down a street where no one else was going as it looked tough to fight against the whole town exiting after the parade. All over, roads were 'closed' for the parade and for parking so I didn't think twice when I went down what turned out to be a truly closed road. This one turned out to be under construction, no asphalt at all, just mud under snow. Even with the low ground clearance of the MINI (less than 5") it came through with just a bit of mud on the tips of the front black plastic trim and some splashed up from the tires. These are true mud + snow + severe weather tires.
I'm scheduled to install my Dunlop SP Wintersport M2s tomorrow. How many of you have your snow tires on already? I'm in Wisconsin and from the recent posts it seems many of our neighbors to the north have installed them. What about others in the states?
But you're right about "watch out for the other guy", hpulley4.......saw 2 or 3 cars in the ditch in my travels this weekend. TV news clips said there were 3-400 fender benders during the height of the storm.....the clips they aired showed the majority of vehicles lined up on tow trucks at the collision centres were SUV's!
"There's no beating winter tires"
Steve, Host
Whatever the Weather
Whatever the Season
Grip like an Eagle!
(Just a new link to these, for those who missed it.)
Does anyone here run these? I am VERY interested in getting these, because I could avoid having to use chains, especially with the oversized 31X10.5 tires I use.
I doubt you would need chains very often with regular snow tires.
Besides, WHY do you have a bad feeling?
Also, aren't these DOT approved? I would imagine they were illegal to run if they were not.
All I've ever seen and heard of them is from the company themselves and their ads. Are there any independent tests of them anywhere?
Just sharing info, and looking to see if anyone else had these (yes, new people do come in all the time, I'd imagine!).
Here is a review of the High-tech tires, parent company (or maker?) of the Green Diamonds snow tires: http://www.northeastonlinewheelers.org/retread.html
Yes, there are but the translations leave a bit to be desired and can, at best, only give you the gist of the document being translated. This makes them only marginally better than a review.
tidester, host
Green Diamond Direct - offers all-season tires for traction on ice, snow, and wet pavement. Tires have embedded carbide granules in the tread rubber for additional traction.
If that link doesn't work, try http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/diamond.html
The Celica GT is a sporty car. If you want to retain the sporty handling, you may want to get a snow sport tire like the Dunlop WinterSport, the Pilot Alpin or the Pirelli SnowSport. They have H speed ratings, compared to Q for most regular studless snows, and will likely handle much better on dry pavement for times when it isn't snowy.
I have Dunlop WinterSports on my MINI Cooper and I find them to be excellent in dry, wet, snow and ice.