Nokian Snow tires

the blur · January 25, 2005

I keep hearing more and more of Nokian Tires.

kinda like when I first heard of Kumho, I said "HUH !" "WTF is a Kumho"

now all my cars have Kumho's.

For my Yukon I need snow tires, and the name Nokian keeps on coming up, the reviews are great.

They are rated snow, and summer, with the new snow mountain symbol !

anybody have them ??

any good-bad words on them ??

8.1Texan · January 25, 2005

they are fantastic!

just got about 4-6 inches here in pittsburgh on saturday...no big problems.

great in water as well.

XTOAK · January 25, 2005

There are a ton of the Nokian tires (studded snow tires) sold here in Alaska...they are very good tires for the snow and ice. We've got them on the company trucks and they make a huge difference.

For those of you in the southern warmer climates, no, studed snow tires does not imply you get a free well-hung male horse with every new tire purchased. They're tires that have pieces of metal imbedded in them to help you get traction on ice when accelerating from a stop and when you need to get stopped.

the blur · January 25, 2005

yes..... we know what studded snow tires are, but they are mostly ILLEGAL in the states. not all states, every state has their own laws.

so... do to this. the Nokians come with holes where the studs go.

do you have any experience with the NON-studded versions ???

XTOAK · January 25, 2005

Yes, I run snowtires but not studded as alot of people do up here as our winters are becoming more mild and I don't want to tear the roads up with the studs. There is alot of road damage done by the studs (even in Alaska), so I just run the snow tires. They work great, add plenty of traction and are a step above your run of the mill M+S tires. They are noisier than a regular tire due to the tread but that's the case with most snow tires - studded or unstudded.

catiaeng · January 25, 2005

I have to give my $.02 ..... I love Nokian's, great tire, great performance on all conditions.

We got 15 inches of snow Friday night, and when I went to my house i am building, I had snow and drifts and crept right in the yard with no problem. My brother-in-law has BFG AT's and spun. Same truck, the Nokians cleared the snow away. And when you have to stand on the brake for some dumb a$$ in front of you, they grab well and allow you to stop quickly, you can feel the truck stop while the anti-locks are pulsing!

Good Luck!

BJ

the blur · January 25, 2005

what kind of Nokians ?

the new "WR's" or the older Hekkliatta?

I think they are discontinuing some, and replacing them with the WR's ??

N900WM · January 25, 2005

I know this not a fair comparison as I am comparing a passenger car to a truck. But, for what it's worth, I have always run Blizzaks on my BMW (rear drive V8 5 series) This year I changed to the Nokian WR based on test results and the fact that the local Nokian dealer guarenteed they would last twice as long as the Blizzaks. They are MUCH better all around and not as noisey. Most impressive is the reduced stopping distances. So far, there is no sign of wear. By now the Blizzaks would show signs of wear. I usually end up replacing the rears every year. Don't see that happening this year.

I currently run Cooper snows on the 2500HD and they offer great traction but the stopping characteristics are lacking. I will most definatly change over to the Nokians (studless) next year for sure on the truck. Price is the comparable. The 8.1 (or maybe it's my right foot) really wants to tear up the tires on dry pavement. If I can get another season out of the Nokians life will be good!

Whatever your choices are, I can tell you guys that a good set of snow tires will vastly improve the overall enjoyment of your truck. With the plow on the front of my truck and 500lbs. in the bed, my truck is an animal in the snow! You would really have to work hard to get this monster stuck!