Nokian R5 winter tires, what is your experience?

[edyvw]

We’ve owned 20+ sets of winter tires since 2005: Bridgestone, General, Michelin, and Nokian. On our Outbacks we’ve used Nokian R, X-Ice Xi-2, Nokian R2, Nordman 7, Nokian Hakka 8, and Nokian Hakka R3. On our Cruzes we’ve used General Altimax Arctic, Blizzak WS80, and Nokian R2. Used Contis on my old rally car.

None of them had the poor balance of your single data point. Probably should have brought them back to Discount Tire.

Haven’t seen the Norwegian test for this season but:

2022/23 Tire Reviews Studless Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

Snow tires, studless friction tires, extreme winter tires, nordic winter tires. This category of tire goes by many names, and they have one design goal, to be the very best on snow and ice for harsh ...

www.tire-reviews.com

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

The 2023/24 Tire Reviews winter tire test has tested eleven of the most popular winter tires on the market in the dry, wet and snow, and also analysed the rolling resistance, noise and comfort levels ...

www.tire-reviews.com

The German Auto Club ADAC tests winter tires: search on “Winterreifen“ or use Google Translate. Not all available in North America. Their tests often demonstrate different performance for different sizes and profiles, which is puzzling. 215/60x16:

Reifentest

Mit diesen Reifen kommt ihr sicher durch den Winter

www.adac.de

We already discussed balance of Nokian tires here. You are late to the party.
I had more than 45 sets of snow tires in my life.
They are not the worst, by any means, but definitely not top tier.

 

[Ranger83]

We already discussed balance of Nokian tires here. You are late to the party.
I had more than 45 sets of snow tires in my life.
They are not the worst, by any means, but definitely not top tier.

Yes, you’ve made your opinion of the R2’s you had four years ago very, very, very, very, very clear.

Think these are R2’s - on my 2009 WRX. If I don’t like the Altimax Arctic 12’s going to buy R5’s.

 

[edyvw]

Yes, you’ve made your opinion of the R2’s you had four years ago very, very, very, very, very clear.

Think these are R2’s - on my 2009 WRX. If I don’t like the Altimax Arctic 12’s going to buy R5’s.

I mean, as far as I am concerned you can import North Korean tires and drive on.

 

[krzyss]

We’ve owned 20+ sets of winter tires since 2005: Bridgestone, General, Michelin, and Nokian. On our Outbacks we’ve used Nokian R, X-Ice Xi-2, Nokian R2, Nordman 7, Nokian Hakka 8, and Nokian Hakka R3. On our Cruzes we’ve used General Altimax Arctic, Blizzak WS80, and Nokian R2. Used Contis on my old rally car.

None of them had the poor balance of your single data point. Probably should have brought them back to Discount Tire.

Haven’t seen the Norwegian test for this season but:

2022/23 Tire Reviews Studless Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

Snow tires, studless friction tires, extreme winter tires, nordic winter tires. This category of tire goes by many names, and they have one design goal, to be the very best on snow and ice for harsh ...

www.tire-reviews.com

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

The 2023/24 Tire Reviews winter tire test has tested eleven of the most popular winter tires on the market in the dry, wet and snow, and also analysed the rolling resistance, noise and comfort levels ...

www.tire-reviews.com

The German Auto Club ADAC tests winter tires: search on “Winterreifen“ or use Google Translate. Not all available in North America. Their tests often demonstrate different performance for different sizes and profiles, which is puzzling. 215/60x16:

Reifentest

Mit diesen Reifen kommt ihr sicher durch den Winter

www.adac.de

I think you missed the point of "balance". It is "performance" balance not "tire/rotation" balance.
While Nokian seems to make decent tires they were never worth "super premium" that they demanded on US market. And their tires seem to excel in a few important points but lag in others, hence not "well balanced performance".

Krzyś

 

[edyvw]

I think you missed the point of "balance". It is "performance" balance not "tire/rotation" balance.
While Nokian seems to make decent tires they were never worth "super premium" that they demanded on US market. And their tires seem to excel in a few important points but lag in others, hence not "well balanced performance".

Krzyś

No, actually I was talking anout balance. They were super difficult to balance, all 4. One needed lead as tires on two other cars. Super harsh over potholes and having some weird noise over small cracks.
But yes, they are good in few disciplines and lag in others. Those are not attributes of premium tires.

 

[krzyss]

Then I missed the point;-)

Krzyś

 

[edyvw]

Then I missed the point;-)

Krzyś

I know what you were talking about. That is true too.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

The first set of r5 going on the car tomorrow ( two other cars...r3/Blizzaks )

If we get as much snow as last year, it will be a great test and I will report back.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Just took the r5’s off and put the all seasons back on ( 3 season ).

Since we had a very mild winter, without a lot of snow, not much to report about with these tires except very quiet.

 

[Ws6]

Nokian is junk in my experience. Good products exist from Michelin and Continental as well as others.

 

[Ws6]

No, actually I was talking anout balance. They were super difficult to balance, all 4. One needed lead as tires on two other cars. Super harsh over potholes and having some weird noise over small cracks.
But yes, they are good in few disciplines and lag in others. Those are not attributes of premium tires.

Same story with my wrg3 suv. Add in their abysmal wet traction and propensity to hydroplane easily. On snow and ice they were nothing special.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

While I have never driven in the types of winters that exist in South, central USA, I have driven many nasty Canadian winters with Nokian r2’s ( many winters using them ) and never had a problem.

Maybe I am an above average driver given they are so bad yet never had any driving issues.

Only winter tire I noticed was subpar were early ( 2000 ) versions of Michelin tires. They were more for a west coast, Vancouver mild winter. I have zero doubt todays winter Michelins are one of the best ( I will try them out on my wife’s car next winter ).

Hopefully I manage to , once again, stay on the road, not get stuck, with Nokian’s on ( r5 now ) next winter.

 

[edyvw]

While I have never driven in the types of winters that exist in South, central USA, I have driven many nasty Canadian winters with Nokian r2’s ( many winters using them ) and never had a problem.

Maybe I am an above average driver given they are so bad yet never had any driving issues.

Only winter tire I noticed was subpar were early ( 2000 ) versions of Michelin tires. They were more for a west coast, Vancouver mild winter. I have zero doubt todays winter Michelins are one of the best ( I will try them out on my wife’s car next winter ).

Hopefully I manage to , once again, stay on the road, not get stuck, with Nokian’s on ( r5 now ) next winter.

They were good in snow, and I spend a lot if time in the Rockies.
However, dry, wet, balancing, comfort? Absolutely abysmal, and wet performance (braking especially) was dangerous. Those and Kumho Ecsta Platinum LX were only tires that I actually had to purposely keep twice the distance from other cars in wet, just in case.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

They were good in snow, and I spend a lot if time in the Rockies.
However, dry, wet, balancing, comfort? Absolutely abysmal, and wet performance (braking especially) was dangerous. Those and Kumho Ecsta Platinum LX were only tires that I actually had to purposely keep twice the distance from other cars in wet, just in case.

r5’s are very quiet, comfortable tires.

Dry/wet braking is fine.

They are definitely not junk ( not that you said that ).

It’s been several years since I had r3’s on but I think I do recall they were NOT great on wet/ slush but we never really had wet roads as much back then in the winter where I live unlike today.

I drive either a Honda Civic or Fit, so I am probably too used to poor quality driving experiences

 

[Ranger83]

We have two Subaru Outback LL Bean, which have the 3.0R H6 and VTD drive system. Like all older Subarus there is a switch on the dash to shut off VDC. We drive up to NNE ski areas from Boston weekly: it is somewhat common to be raining in Boston, hit freezing rain at the NH border, and change to snow above 1,000 feet elevation. Last season my daughter drove one out to CO for the month of February. Previously she lived there four years in college.

We currently have a set of wheels with several season old R3’s, a set with several season old General Arctic 12, and going to put new tires on another set of wheels (forged BBS, much lighter). Our ROY tires are Nokian Ones, which we tried out in lieu of Michelins and find them generally excellent.

We’ve had WS80’s and Michelin Xi2 in the past and found them inferior to the Nokians. Planned to get the Viking Contact last time but the dealer (who sells both) dissuaded me in favor of R3.

Don’t usually mount winter tires until mid November so have some more time to review.

All U.S. Nokians now come from their American factory in Dayton, TN.

Last season review. One thing these tests don’t compare is longevity, but the Viking Contact look good.

2023 Studless Friction Winter Tire Test - Tire reviews and ratings

The extreme winter specialists at Vi Bilagare are back at it testing the latest and greatest studless friction winter tires. This year they not only tested seven of the most popular studless friction ...

www.tire-reviews.com

 

[Ranger83]

For the 225/55x17:

Continental has 10/32nd tread depth, section width 9.2”, weight 24 lbs. $176 each.
Nokian R5 11/32nd, 9.2”, 23.8 lbs. Price not known.
Michelin 10.5/32nd, 9.1”, 24 lbs. $193.
Blizzak WS90 12/32nd, 9.2”, 26 lbs. $185.

Tirerack doesn’t rank Nokians (Nokian doesn’t allow discount mail order sales). The Blizzak has the highest review scores of the tires they sell.

 

[neosomatic]

I’ve lived in Vermont and Park City, Utah, and when it snows, we’re always out chasing powder. Regarding snow driving, I can’t think of anything negative about the Nokian R5s—they perform incredibly well. However, the one downside is that they don’t last long these days.

I have a BMW X5 xDrive45e, and my first set of Nokians lasted only 16,000 miles. We also have a Tesla Model 3, and the rear Nokian R5s made it to just 6,000 miles before reaching a wear rating of 2.

I’ve used the Michelin X-Ice tires in the past and found their performance in snow and ice to be close to the Nokians. They also come with a 40,000-mile tread warranty. What do you dislike about the X-Ice tires?

 

[Ranger83]

Both your vehicles weigh a lot more than an Outback.

Last Michelins we used were Xi2. They performed well when new but wore out fairly quickly. Their starting tread depth was much less than the Nokians of the time. Heard good reviews about the X-Ice Snow.

Michelin states “Government UTQG Ratings do not apply to winter tires.” What tire did you have with a 40K tread wear guarantee?

Shop Michelin X Ice® Snow Tire for Extreme Weather | Michelin

Winter grip made to last, Michelin X Ice Snow tire offers shorter ice & snow stopping distances. Shop Michelin for tires that perform better in slush and snow.

www.michelinman.com

$80 rebate on R5’s through 10/31/24.

Going to measure the tread depth of the tires we have, may suffice for this season. We usually sell used winter tires when they get worn down a bit and buy new, as performance degrades quite a bit. Easy to sell winter tires for Subarus.

 

[edyvw]

Both your vehicles weigh a lot more than an Outback.

Last Michelins we used were Xi2. They performed well when new but wore out fairly quickly. Their starting tread depth was much less than the Nokians of the time. Heard good reviews about the X-Ice Snow.

Michelin states “Government UTQG Ratings do not apply to winter tires.” What tire did you have with a 40K tread wear guarantee?

Shop Michelin X Ice® Snow Tire for Extreme Weather | Michelin

Winter grip made to last, Michelin X Ice Snow tire offers shorter ice & snow stopping distances. Shop Michelin for tires that perform better in slush and snow.

www.michelinman.com

$80 rebate on R5’s through 10/31/24.

Going to measure the tread depth of the tires we have, may suffice for this season. We usually sell used winter tires when they get worn down a bit and buy new, as performance degrades quite a bit. Easy to sell winter tires for Subarus.

I had Xi2 on BMW X5 35d that weighs 5,100lbs and they wore out slowest of any snow tires I had. And that car was driven, well, like BMW.

 

[Ranger83]

I had Xi2 on BMW X5 35d that weighs 5,100lbs and they wore out slowest of any snow tires I had. And that car was driven, well, like BMW.

So why did you buy Nokians?