Nokian tires and Bridgestone tires

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I was wondering if anyone has ever used "Bridgestone Winterforce" tires?

I would also like to know if anyone has used Nokian tires? They are made in Finland and are available in the U.S., and are supposed to be very good tires, especially in snow and wet conditions.

Thanks in advance!
 
I used Nokian Hakkapelittas for the last winter season. I will use no other from now on. Great traction in snow and on packed snow/ice. Very stable and predictable. Good performance on dry roads without alot of squirminess. Good wear, should get at least 2 more seasons out of them. FWIW, I have used Michelin Artic Alpins, Bridgestone Blizzaks, and Dunlop Graspics before. None match the overall performance of the Hakkas.
 
I have Nokians on all four wheels of an Infiniti Q45 (1991) without traction control, and on all four wheels of my 2003 GMC 4x4 Duramax crew cab. They are marvelous winter tires. Very popular in northern New England.

I live near the top of a hill 1300 feet above the valley below. The first 1.5 miles up is paved, the last 1.3 miles is not paved. I have not had any problem getting back "up the hill" with either vehicle this last winter. At the end of the 2003/2004 winter, I changed back to the "summer" Firestone Steeltex A/T tires a little too early, and another snowstorm came. The difference in traction and control between the Nokians and the A/T Firestones was most noticeable. The hill that I almost always was able to take in 2WD was not climbable with the Firestones until I switched to 4WD, and even then I was not getting full bite.

I know nothing about the Winterforce tires. Blizzaks start out great (we have a set of them on an Infiniti FX45, for which we could not find a suitable Nokian size) but as they wear, they become an all season tire.
 
I have the all weather Nokian WR passenger tire and it is unbelievable in the snow. This is not their dedicated snow tire but a severe weather rated all season. I can only imagine how well their dedicated snow tires perform. I plan on finding out this winter as I will be putting them on my 2wd truck. I love this brand and the service that I have experienced with them.
 
quote:

Originally posted by lobo11:
I have the all weather Nokian WR passenger tire and it is unbelievable in the snow. This is not their dedicated snow tire but a severe weather rated all season. I can only imagine how well their dedicated snow tires perform. I plan on finding out this winter as I will be putting them on my 2wd truck. I love this brand and the service that I have experienced with them.

I have to agree with the WR's performance. I've used them for two seasons in the Northeast on my Saab 9-5. I've put about 12,000 miles on them and will probably be able to go 2 or 3, which is a heck of a value! I've used Pirelli WinterSport 210s on my other Saab. They were very good too.

Pros:
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1) Significantly better snow/ice traction over all-season
2) UTQG rated (50,000 miles) PLUS "Severe Snow" snowflake approval. Very rear combo!
3) Good dry traction
4) H-rated speed tire provides a stiffer sidewall than most winter tires
5) Very acceptable (low) tread noise


Cons:
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1) Not the cheapest choice out there
2) Harder to find than other brands
3) Winter traction not as good as a dedicated winter tire.

[ June 01, 2005, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: Razl ]
 
I run four studded Nokian Hakka 1's on my AWD Subaru, and they have performed well beyond my expectations. I have a 50 mile one-way commute, mostly on an Interstate full of eighteen wheelers (I've read that PA has more truck traffic than all other Northeast states combined). Since installing these tires, I no longer have the white-knuckle syndrome from gripping the steering wheel I had every time I passed or was passed by a big rig.

Not only do the tires perform well on snow, ice and slush, but they handle reasonably well, are relatively quiet, and the treadwear has been outstanding.

I believe Nokian may have changed the name of the Hakka 1's to Nordsman (or something like that). An email or phone call to the company would likely help sort that out.
 
quote:

I have a 50 mile one-way commute, mostly on an Interstate full of eighteen wheelers

Me too, only in Central PA. 45 miles one-way up and down I-81 everyday, and there are a TON of trucks. That is why I want a good quality set of winter tires for my RWD vehicle.

Are Nokians really THAT good?
 
Nokian WR's are perfect for winter traction and if you don't feel like changing over you can run them year round. My wife and I have them. I only run in the winter on my WRX and my wife year round on the Civic. The longevity is great too about 40-50k.
 
Another vote for WR. My friend in WI uses them all year long. I put some miles on them as well - they're very good in the snow, and OK during summer if you don't try to push the car to its limits.

Interestingly, here in Europe WR is marketed as winter-only tire. Not sure if the ones sold here are somehow different, or if it's just Nokians European marketing strategy as all-season tires have a pretty bad "good for nothing" reputation here.
 
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