Planning ahead on winter tires

[UG_Passat]

Nokian does have their Rotiiva AT, which is their all-terrain tire suitable for winter conditions also.

I had Nokian Hakka RSI. I couldn't complain about the non-snow handling of them, which I thought handled the dry better than my stock All-seasons, Pirelli P6 4-seasons.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: nixon
Thanks for the advice , and suggestions . As winter tires become more readily available locally , I’ll make my purchase ,and post what they are . I am mostly looking for good performance in snow over a layer of slush . That seems to be the most likely condition that I encounter here in W. Pa .

Nokian R2 SUV is probably best bet for slush. However, I have to emphasize again, if dry performance (and you will be driving in dry conditions) and rain (braking and handling) is any concern, it is abysmal.

I bought my R2 SUVs on clearance two springs ago and it happened to spike up into the 60s the day after I got them, forecast was only for 40s. They were very unpleasant when it was that warm and I really felt like a had no braking power when some moron ran a red light and I had to lock them up. I had dedicated winter wheels and just wanted to run the new snows for a few days after having them installed before putting my summer tires on over the weekend, but I did the swap when I got home from work on the warm day because the tires scared me so much.
I was happy enough with them in the dry and wet as long as it was cold...they were very good on ice or in any depth of snow for me. I had to be very careful with them when we got a bizarre spike into the 70s this past February, just like the February before...right around winter break for the public schools around me both times.

Thing is that R2 Hakka is really not anything special. 20 years ago I had Sava S2 (Slovenian company under GY) and few years after Sava S3 that had ridiculous snow and ice performance but abysmal dry and wet performance. Now making tire like Michelin X-Ice2 takes some serious R&D. I got them on BMW and was super skeptical of them due to tread design. However, while not on par with R2 in deep snow (did not expect that) they are authoritative in snow. In ice I did not notice anything better or worse then R2, and in dry and wet and in general behavior (comfort and noise) it is like comparing Lipizzaner horse to worn out mule. Mule being Nokian.
I figured I made mistake not getting X-ice3 for Tiguan.

 

[SatinSilver]

^ Plus the Nokians had an old build date I remember.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
^ Plus the Nokians had an old build date I remember.

I put that on a side. I will use them next three winters.
That is not an issue with tire per se, it is issue with Discount Tire. Now, whether that affects performance that I got them 2 1/2 years old is up in the air. In snow and ice they are remarkable. Problem is, it does not snow 90 days of winter. Now if I was living in Fairbanks, yeah one could not notice that behavior in wet and dry. On top of that they have this weird metal sound when I go over bridge connectors or rough road.
Other then that, they are good

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Thing is that R2 Hakka is really not anything special. 20 years ago I had Sava S2 (Slovenian company under GY) and few years after Sava S3 that had ridiculous snow and ice performance but abysmal dry and wet performance. Now making tire like Michelin X-Ice2 takes some serious R&D. I got them on BMW and was super skeptical of them due to tread design. However, while not on par with R2 in deep snow (did not expect that) they are authoritative in snow. In ice I did not notice anything better or worse then R2, and in dry and wet and in general behavior (comfort and noise) it is like comparing Lipizzaner horse to worn out mule. Mule being Nokian.
I figured I made mistake not getting X-ice3 for Tiguan.

Yeah, I have to agree that the Hakkas are not really rocking my world and I don't feel like a made an outstanding purchase here.
I found them locally at a price I was happy with when snow tires were on clearance due to the end of winter and made a snap decision to buy, but I will probably plan ahead next time and shop around and research a bit more.