Nokian; WRG2 vs. Hakka R??

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dailydriver

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YES, I know that they are in VERY different catagories and speed ratings, but that is WHY I am asking!

Is there ANY scenario where the G2 could possibly be better than the R (save for warm/cold DRY pavement); slush, rain, ??

Just how much more horrid will the G2s be than the Rs on; ice, powder/packed snow?

My car (~400HP/LB. FT. to the wheels, RWD, 3.73.axle ratio, close ratio 6 speed gearbox, ~3200 lbs.) will 'chew up' the G2s A LOT less than it will the Rs (on dry pavement), correct?
 
2 totally different kinds of tires..

one is an all season thats decent in snow..

other is a purpose studless max traction snow tire.


IMO there are better tires out there when you consider value.
and while nokian tires used to be superior many others have similar performance now.

I would definitely buy nokian tires but the price is so high it makes no sense at the price I could get them for.

180/tire vs 108

you might want to consider a sport snow tire such as the dunlop 3d or 4d they are amazing and you dont give up much (vs max traction studless) and have much better handling.
 
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they are T rated. usually. Also the newer ones have much better treadlife.

I wasnt inferring anything. If something wasnt clear let me know and I'll clarify.

I would consider michelin xice xi2, goodyear ultragrip wrt, blizzack ws-70, contiential extreme winter contact all top tier studless tires that are around 1/3 cheaper than the nokians.

If you drive your car so aggressively in winter it would wear out T rated blizzack ws-70's I'm guessing you should buy a more sporty tire than any of the max traction studless including the hakka R.

hence the recommendation of the dunlop 3d

The nokian wrg2 isnt really a snow tire its an all season that does well in snow. With 400hp you might not be happy with its snow performance in the winter.. and its all season performance the rest of the time.

So I'd recommend against it.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
you might want to consider a sport snow tire such as the dunlop 3d or 4d they are amazing and you dont give up much (vs max traction studless) and have much better handling.


Basically, that is what the WRG2s ARE (I can even get them in a V-rating for $2.50 more a tire!)
They are called/labelled an 'all season' tire here ONLY, in Europe/the rest of the world they are; marketed, rated, and used as a high performance/higher speed winter/snow tire.
It is PURE marketing as to why Nokian labels them an all season here, because it seems that is the ONLY thing 99.9% of Americans will EVER buy, so why give up THAT market share completely, is Nokian's thinking.

They will only cost me ~$10.00 more per tire than the Dunlops, BTW, which seem to be one of the costliest readily available high performance winters out there save for the top Pilot Alpin PA3s.
 
The Hakka R's on my Cruze right now are definitely better in the cold than in the warm. I drove for a few days on them in 50-55*F weather, and a few days in 40*F weather. They were more poised in 40*F weather than the 55*F weather.

For northern NJ, the WRG2's are likely a much better choice than the R's. Your winters aren't truly awful, so a high-performance snow tire is okay. You'd also be okay running them farther into the spring than the Hakka R's. Those tires do not like warm temperatures one bit!
 
I'm showing hakka r's 95R for 170-185$

dunlop 3d 95h are 153$ -40 rebate on 4

michelin primacy pa3's 95h 145$



there are all unshipped prices.

I'd probably downsize to 215/55R16 (a normal thing for winter tires)

There are tons more variety with that size and its cheaper.(for most tires)

but in the end.. buy what makes you happy then tell us about it
smile.gif


I just dont see a reason not to buy a full winter tire because I'm assuming you have a summer set already.
 
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I am not sure that the expense was ever a question of the OP.

I on the other-hand having run the Nokian WR G2 SUV tires for 64,500 miles over the course of two years. In much the same climate as the OP. In a vehicle that tips the scale at 5,180 lbs. Would after having looked at both tires specs, select the WR G2s.

Reason being that, Any snow that was had in Virginia between 12/2008 and 04/2011, was molested by the Nokians on my 2wd Astro Van. Never stopping for anything, and yes, I got out in all of it.

I loved them.

Jim

EDIT: Have a look...
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/2281957/
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
I'm showing hakka r's 95R for 170-185$

dunlop 3d 95h are 153$ -40 rebate on 4

michelin primacy pa3's 95h 145$



there are all unshipped prices.

I'd probably downsize to 215/55R16 (a normal thing for winter tires)

There are tons more variety with that size and its cheaper.(for most tires)

but in the end.. buy what makes you happy then tell us about it
smile.gif


I just dont see a reason not to buy a full winter tire because I'm assuming you have a summer set already.


Yes, the Rs are rated the same as their name, when I posted that size and specs I was thinking of mostly high performance winters.
wink.gif


I can get the WRG2s for not much more than those 3Ds (even with the rebate), and I can pick them up locally, so NO shipping (which would be MUCH more than the tax, if I even have to pay that).

I can even get the Rs locally for tire.

If I were to downsize, I would go to a 215/60-16, but that would also necessitate me buying yet ANOTHER set of wheels in a 16x7/7.5 size (which I MUST avoid; space,$$$), since putting that size on a 16x8 (the OEM alloys which I currently have the very worn Pilot Alpin PA2s on) is downright; stupid/purpose-defeating (sidewall stiffness)/maybe even dangerous.
wink.gif


BTW, the OEM summer tire sizes for this car are either a 245/50-16 on a 16x8 wheel (which I have in the old ZR1 5 spoke style and BFG Super Sport all seasons)or a 275/40-17 on a 17x9/9.5 wheel, so even a 215/60-16 is probably WAY too radical a downsizing for all but those in the; upper midwest/upstate N.Y./New England/Alaskan conditions.
 
Well that makes more sense now.. hard to give accurate advice with lack of info


I just get stuck at the buying an all season for winter.

IF you are going to run 2 sets of tires I'd go all out winter tire.

the WRG2's may "qualify" as a snow tire but barely compared to any real modern snow tire.

If you want more performance.. a performance snow will still outperform the WRG2 by a decent margin and be H rated.

The WRG2 makes alot more sense for someone who only wants to run 1 set of tires all year.
 
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Time to find a winter beater then...a 10 to 13 year old Civic or Corolla...good mechanical condition...who cares about the paint...and put those Hakkas on it...save the Z for the other 3 seasons and the sunny days of summer...

Like Jim in Richmond, I've got the WR G2s on the MB 300E and the XC70...they really are great all season tires...very good in snow, where I am, they're perfect and I highly recommend them...but, where you are? You're driving a car that's all wrong for snow...weight distribution, power, tire size...it will never be as good as a FWD beater with narrow snow tires on it...so why spend the $$ on snows for it? save the wear and tear on the cool car...

Or, and I mean this in all seriousness, just stay home on those days! If you factor in the cost of the snows, the risk to the Z, the rust from the salt exposure, and compare to the cost of a sick/personal day or missed work...you might figure out that it's cheaper to just stay home...
 
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I put a set of Nokian WRG2-SUV's on my Forester last month. I can confirm that they are low rolling resistance, even though they don't carry any official rating for LRR. Its seat-of-the-pants but my Forester rolls as free or freer on them as it did on the factory Bridgestone Dueler 687 HT's which Bridgestone rates 8 on scale of 10 regarding "fuel economy" category (their own propreitary category for comparing their tires among themselves). Haven't had any snow yet so can't say how they are in the slick but I have high hopes in combo with the AWD. They seem to grip well in the wet. First 500 miles they were a little squirmy in cornering but they're tightening up now. I have them in 225/60VR17. Certainly dont need the V rating on my car but its the only way I could find them. I wanted the SUV version for the reinforced sidewalls since I will take it off road occassionally. They ride fairly stiff on my Forester but then its a fairly light car and the SUV version is intended for heavier vehicles I think. I paid $172/ea with free shipping from TiresByWeb. They've since jacked the price a bit.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Time to find a winter beater then...a 10 to 13 year old Civic or Corolla...good mechanical condition...who cares about the paint...and put those Hakkas on it...save the Z for the other 3 seasons and the sunny days of summer...


Except that if I do not even have room for one more set of wheels, where am I going to put another car when my complex can barely give me a spot for the Z as it is??!(I WILL get ticketed if I park on the street overnight-city ordinance.)
Besides, my 'beater' would NEVER be one of the ones you've mentioned. I could not bring myself to own/drive/pay maintenance for & insure a Nippon nameplate.
31.gif


Originally Posted By: Astro14
Or, and I mean this in all seriousness, just stay home on those days! If you factor in the cost of the snows, the risk to the Z, the rust from the salt exposure, and compare to the cost of a sick/personal day or missed work...you might figure out that it's cheaper to just stay home...


^^This is the only other possibility, but not one I like since I pride myself on being there when others are just too frightened to make it in.
I also HATE being a 'garage queen' type owner, as this car has NEVER been garaged, nor stored for any of it's 12 years of my owning it from new, and I STILL get people at stoplights telling me how great it looks, and what a cool car it is (such is the level of my maniacal upkeep/maintenance on it).
In my area you are going to get salt dust all over/through/under the WHOLE car, even if you only drive it on dry days, since the NJ and local DOTs dump trillions of tons of salt onto the roads with even the hint that there might be a flake falling!
mad.gif
(But that's what power washers are for in the spring, and why I spray ANY hint of rust I see under the unibody with Rust Reformer, or the Wurth equivalent.
wink.gif
)

But I could then continue to use the 4-5/32nds tread left, almost 10 year old Alpin PA2s on the no snow, slush, or ice/plowed days, and put the expense of winters off till next year.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
IF you are going to run 2 sets of tires I'd go all out winter tire.

the WRG2's may "qualify" as a snow tire but barely compared to any real modern snow tire.

If you want more performance.. a performance snow will still outperform the WRG2 by a decent margin and be H rated.


I agree with all of the above except the bolded line.

The G2s in my size are either H, or V rated, and from what I've seen in tests and feedback, they will outperform pretty much all other performance snows above a T rating in winter conditions, and will only be outperformed in the dry by the Dunlops you've mentioned, or maybe the Pilot Alpin PA3s (which they do not make in my size).
Obviously, as you've stated, they will NOT outperform true hardcore T or lower rated, spongy soft 'micro-sipey', winter tires in bad winter conditions.
 
That might be abit hard to prove I agree.. The nokian I believe came in last or second to last on some of the european tests..but its so hard to compare when they are all called different tires here and there...

And maybe It was a slightly different model.. Reading all that foreign language charts makes my eyes fuzzy.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
That might be abit hard to prove I agree.. The nokian I believe came in last or second to last on some of the european tests..but its so hard to compare when they are all called different tires here and there...

And maybe It was a slightly different model.. Reading all that foreign language charts makes my eyes fuzzy.


Linky???
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
That might be abit hard to prove I agree.. The nokian I believe came in last or second to last on some of the european tests..but its so hard to compare when they are all called different tires here and there...

And maybe It was a slightly different model.. Reading all that foreign language charts makes my eyes fuzzy.


Here is one that won't make your eyes fuzzy...

http://www.consumersearch.com/snow-tires

Enjoy, Jim
 
actually its not.. thats in english
I think it was the WR D3 and it was in german or Scandinavian?


and nokian is wierd for instance the hakka 5 in usa is the hakka 7 in europe.
 
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