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belladonna
10-12-2005, 12:11 PM
if you haven't heard of them yet and live in the snow belt, i would suggest doing some research...

http://www.nokiantyres.com/files/nkr/ha_talvi/hkpl2_tuote_iso.jpg

i went snow tire shopping a couple of days ago and came across these; the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2. the guy who owns the shop said on a scale of 1-10, he'd give them a 37 any day and that you can really get "cocky" with them. they're made and designed in finland where they drive in snow 9 months out of the year. i was looking for something aggressive and these definately look like the right choice for me so my order has been placed and i'm anxious for the first snow to try them out :twisted:

Huffer
10-12-2005, 12:31 PM
Nokian's are great. The Swedes know a thing or two about driving on ice/snow.

The WRs are are VERY good allseason too. They're actually better in the snow than some dedicated snow tires.

Good choice!

shazapple
10-12-2005, 12:46 PM
havent driven on them, but I've heard many good reviews!

Reason
10-12-2005, 02:50 PM
How much?

95legacy
10-12-2005, 03:05 PM
Pretty sure I have a set of RSi's coming very soon, working out a deal with a WRX for a slightly used set on wrx rims.
Peace,
Kyle

Huffer
10-12-2005, 03:07 PM
How much?

Nokian WRs retail around $120...I hear they are in good supply right now.
(ship came in from Europe)

belladonna
10-12-2005, 04:34 PM
i'm getting the deal on mine. i refer people to this tire shop all the time so i'm getting all four mounted/balanced and the old disposed of for $360 8)

gator gt
10-12-2005, 08:14 PM
That is a damn good deal Bella!!

I currently have Gislaved Nord Frost 2...studded. Well, quasi-studded. The studs are worn. Anyway, I've decided to get a new set of snows....and the debate was between Gislaved and Nokian. Considering I'm looking at:

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2 mounted for $159 ea

-or-

Gislaved Nord Frost 3 mounted for $118 ea

I'm heavily leaning to the Gislaveds. Gislaveds used to be a Swedish tire company...but Continental bought them out. I have heard several good reviews of the tire though.

Don't get me wrong, Nokian is a top notch tire. And while the WR has some smashing credentials....I'd rather have an all out snow (since I have an all out summer set) vs. an all season.....I may still go for the Hakka 2.....don't know yet.

FYI, if you want Gislaveds and can't find a tire dealer to get them...try your local Volvo or Saab dealership (Saab may be more $$).

GGT

belladonna
10-12-2005, 08:17 PM
sounds like another great tire gator...since i'll be getting wrx rims over the winter, i can have a designated set for the snow/winter season.
i've only read great things with the hakkas so i can only hope they live up to it this winter.

Wiscon_Mark
10-12-2005, 11:39 PM
I've heard great stuff about the Nokians, but I'm set for Winter tires. I've got some Michelin XIce tires, and my somewhat limited experience with them tells me that they grip really well in snow and pretty good on ice (without studs) too :)

They don't handle all that well though, which is a big minus in my book, so I get them off as soon as the snow melts.

AussieDan
10-24-2005, 10:14 PM
I'm getting a set of RSi's tomorrow :D I've heard only good things about them and am almost looking forward to getting some snow to be able to try them out.

gator gt
10-25-2005, 10:40 PM
I've decided on the Dunlop Graspic DS2. $100 a tire. But they are non-directional, which means I can do a full rotation on them without dismounting the tires.

With all the commuting I do, I'd rather have the chance to fully rotate the tires to get more even wear out of them.

Only complaint I see about the Dunlops are the same complaints about pretty much all snows: squishy sidewalls.

We'll see.

GGT

Wiscon_Mark
10-25-2005, 10:50 PM
Graspic was my other choice. I went with the Xice because it handled better than the Graspic, although the Graspic had stickier traction.

The Xice still doesn't handle anywhere close to my Xones, but those are perf. tires, so....

gil_ong81
10-26-2005, 08:38 AM
a big complain i hear about witer tires are that they wear out quickly.

i've had a set of Hakka 1s since winter of 2002/03. still has lots of tread and still running strong, and winters here run from late Oct to Mid April. this is the single best investment you can make when it comes to winter driving.

the Hakka 2's shown above are a combination snow-ice tire, bastard child of the Hakka 1 and the Q.

belladonna
10-27-2005, 11:04 AM
bastard child they may be, but i'm loving them!
i just got them on today :-D road noise is there, but isn't too obnoxious imo. they corner nicely....that's really all i can say about them for the time being. i'll post more when it snows :twisted: although i am highly tempted to go find a muddy field :twisted: :lol:

Huffer
10-27-2005, 01:41 PM
DO IT
:twisted:

gil_ong81
10-27-2005, 01:54 PM
bastard child they may be, but i'm loving them!

LOL. i LOVE how you put it. they really are the best of both worlds.

belladonna
12-09-2005, 01:48 PM
i just wanted to say that these tires freaking rock :-D

we've had a couple small snow storms but nothing more than 3 inches. 3 inches is not enough snow for these tires to allow me to do anything. i want to stop, i stop. i want to turn, the car turns. almost like driving on dry pavement.
last night we got almost a foot of snow so i went out to play today in a parking lot. i had so much control that i think they could make me a little too confident in bad weather. i wish i had someone there videotaping my few minutes of fun 8)

Wiscon_Mark
12-09-2005, 02:49 PM
I feel the same way about my Michelin XIce tires...so much control...probably too much :shock:

Huffer
12-09-2005, 02:49 PM
Awesome, glad to hear it!

Now maybe if more people buy them, they'll become cheaper!

gil_ong81
12-09-2005, 11:53 PM
just another excuse to whore out the pic of my 1s.

http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/7049/snowtread22ii.jpg

GT Wagon
12-10-2005, 09:55 AM
Hakk's are very popular in Canada. I've run them before and they are certainly an excellent tire. As for noise, you don't buy winter tires because they're quiet , that's the trade-off of an agressive thread. Those tires are easily worth the money.

belladonna
12-10-2005, 11:18 AM
i could care less about the noise. i don't really notice it anyway :lol: the performance aspect of these tires is definately worth the money any day! :-D

Wiscon_Mark
12-10-2005, 11:22 AM
road noise=turn up radio :D

GT Wagon
12-10-2005, 03:35 PM
road noise=turn up radio :D

Precisely ! I always laugh when people compare tire performance and make the statement "these tires are too loud". Its the last thing that matters to me. You want road noise ? Last summer I drove around on R compounds. Even then, it really wasn't that bad.

belladonna - You're going to love those tires when the nasty winter days hit.

AWD-in-VT
12-12-2005, 11:17 PM
The company i worked for has offered up a last minute deal...they'll tack $500 bucks on my pay check if i come in to work with a receipt for my new snow tires. It is an effort to eliminate excuses here in Vermont.

So, in my last minute scramble to pick up some snows, i stopped at a local shop. They had some Nokians on the top of the rack, but wanted close to $600 for the 4. They were about to close, so I was only picking up the rubber and getting them mounted later at another place. I felt pressured to make a choice, but was persuaded to grab the set of Nordmans that had a strikingly similar tread pattern as the Hakka's, but without the siping technology of that tire.

Am I being a sucker in thinking that these MIGHT come close? Has anybody heard much about the Nordman1? Apparently it is basically the Hakka 1 ...

Wiscon_Mark
12-12-2005, 11:22 PM
www.tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com)

look and see, there's lots of reviews on there.

100 bucks (including the bonus) for good snow tires is a great investment :D

strat81
12-13-2005, 01:27 AM
i know that when bella went looking for snow tires, the dealer also showed her cooper winter handlers.... he told us on a scale of 1-10 they were about an 8... compared to the 37.1 he gave the nokians.

my understanding is that the siping will help on ice and slush...

i can say, i've ridden in the car with her in 8"+ of snow and they handle like crazy.

without even driving the car with the nokian's on, i'd definetely recommend a set based on passenger feel alone.

belladonna
12-13-2005, 10:50 AM
psstt...he gave them a 6 :lol:

and if you wanted to drive her in the snow all you had to do was ask :P

AWD-in-VT
12-13-2005, 02:08 PM
Is Nordman considered a Nokian model or is it a sister brand at a more economical level? You know...one of those things that a company does make completely apparent.

gil_ong81
12-13-2005, 02:19 PM
Passenger Winter Tires:
RSI
Hakkapeliitta 2
Nordman


http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tires.cfm

iamrazor
01-10-2006, 12:25 PM
I actually dumped my Artic Alpins for a set of Hakka 2's this year. So far they've done me well. Sure there's less dry grip, but i went from a 225/45(summer) to a 185/65(winter). The skinny tire bites right through snow/slush and performs quite well on ice too. I had so much grip, it took alot of effort to get the car out of sorts. I spent more than i really needed too, but was caught in a pinch and had to buy them that day. I paid $90/tire and like $15/mount+balance. All in all, $105 out the door for hakka 2's isn't that bad.

belladonna
01-10-2006, 09:57 PM
that's a pretty good deal... i will agree that it does take a bit to get those tires to break traction in inclimate weather.

SiouxBe
02-23-2006, 06:47 PM
FWIW I've been driving on Gislaveds mounted on my original 14" alloy wheels and IMHO they are the best snow tire I've had on any of my Subies since 1984. BTW I live here in Colorado. These snow tires really 'hook-up' I am running these studless