Nokian WR All Weather Plus 2's
 

Local tire dealer says these are great tires. He compared them to the blizzak's. He indicated although they are all seasons, they were as good a blizzaks in moderate snow and are MUCH more stable at highway speeds. He can't keep them in stock!

Any experience with these?

Yes, I can fully agree with him. I am on my second set (235/45-17) on my Audi S6. I run these all year round on a Borbet 17x9 typeR rim, absolutely wonderful tire in the snow and even in the summer.

From what I've heard they are a very good all season tire that will actually work in the winter. They even have the mountain symbol on them indicating a snow tire rating. That being said, they are a compromise for summer & winter. No way are the WR's going to be as good as a Blizzak or a Hakka snow tire when it comes to winter driving. My advice is to buy tires for 3 seasons & a set of real snows for winter on a set of dedicated winter wheels.

Edit >>> The Audi S6 is a awd car.

Chuck

Yes, my S6 is a *quattro* and really in a different league than other awd cars because it is equipped with a torsen center differential and locking rear differential. Although, I prefer the older locking center differential on Audi ur-quattros to the Torsen, but that could be saved for another discussion in the OT forum.

On to the WRs, agree with you they are a GREAT all-season tire. Here is my opinion. From my limited subjective experienced of driving in Northern Vermont ice, snow, freezing rain and slush for the last 10+ years, the Nokian WR's I bought work well in all conditions and I'd take these over my older Hakki 1s any day. Mainly because they are available in the lower profile sizes that I require and are H and V speed rated.

I have owned nine Audi quattros, four Porsches and on all of these I have used Hakki 1s, Hakki 1s with eco studs, Hakki Qs, Hakki 10s, Hakki WRs, Blizzaks, Semperit Sport Grips, and Winterforce snow tires. On my S6, I use one set of tires year round because of my Porsche twin turbo big red brakes up front requiring the 17 inch rims. The WR is available in a wide selection of sizes, and is the perfect fit for my application as I can have one tire for my family car, in all conditions. Another item when considering the WRs is they give EXCEPTIONAL mileage used all year round - I got 36,000 miles out of my last set.

Here are some reports >>
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/nokian.htm
http://www.snowtire.info/TireReviews/2nd%20Annual.html
http://reviews.ebay.com/Nokian-Tires...00000000014121

I'm so smitten with how well the WRs work year round, I'm looking forward to purchasing a full set for my soon to arrive MINI Cooper S, full report will follow. However, I'll also be buying R90s with summer tires, so the WRs will see severe winter use only. :thumbsup:

Thompson, I'll be looking forward to your WR review on the MCS.

I just bought a set of 15" holeys & I'm researching winter tires. My sons Forester has Hakka 2s , my Forester has Hakka Qs & my wifes Audi A4Q has Blizzaks. Of all of theses I like the Hakka 2s the best. I'm going from a AWD car to a front drive so I want the best winter tire I can get.

Chuck
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I have the Hakka 2s on my JCW/MCS w/ R81s (15" holeys) and I've been very pleased w/ 'em. The fact that they're the Vermont state tire helped sway me LOL.

I've used Blizzaks and Yokohamas and the Nokians are my fave to date, mostly because the tread doesn't wear away quite so quickly, they're quieter, and grip very well.

Thanks for posting your experience with the Hakka 2s. What size tire are you running? I like narrow tires for snow use.

Chuck

Update: I have the 185/65 R15 on my car.

I don't recall the size offhand and my wife has my MINI today @ work :sad: but they were definately thinner -- thinner is better for snow use as you suggest, lets them "cut" through the snow (contrary to what folks may think)

Nokian Tires On-Line Discount
 

I just talked to the guys at Tire Factory and they have launched a new web-site with pricing and everything at www.tiresbyweb.com. They said they are still willing to honor the discount on the Nokians of $10 offer per tire and FREE SHIPPING in the Continental US through Nov 30th 2006 by mentioning this forum. You can still reach them at 800-576-1009.

Just bought a set of 185/65/15 Hakka 2's for me MINI. I'm almost looking forward to some snow.

Edit...I bought mine from Greer Enterprises.

Another Hakka 2 user here. No studs on mine. They're great if you need a severe winter tire. I hear there are Hakka 4's out now, though...

I will be purchasing a set of Hakka RSI's for my holies- BEEFY!
Also, I had a set of Hakka 2's on my old A6- WOW!!! I tried like hell to get it stuck, never did!!!http://www.nokiantire.com/en/images/big_hakarsi.jpg

I'm looking at buying a set of snow tires for my Mini. So far tirerack.com has the best deal for shipping to Alaska, but the only studded tire I could find (185/65R15) was the Pirelli Winter Carving.

I'd love to get a set of Hakkas, but have had a hard time finding a place that would ship them to me for a reasonable rate.

Also - which of the Hakkas is better for severe Alaskan winters? The 2's or 4's? It's hard to tell just by looking at the tires - the 2's and 4's don't seem too different from one another.

Anyone here have experience w/ the Hakkas or the Pirelli Winter Carvings? Or any other tire suggestions?

thanks a bunch!

The 4 is newer than the 2, and I think both are meant to serve the same purpose. Like a few years ago when there were both a Hakka 1 and Hakka 2. For a year or so, both were on the market as hakkas, then the Hakka 1 got renamed as the Nordman 1. I'd imagine that next year the Hakka 2 will get "pushed down" to the Nordman line, and the only Hakka will be the 4.

Short answer, I'm pretty sure the 4 is a better tire than the 2, but you might not be able to get your hands on the 4 yet.

Nokian Tire Contacts
 

Nokian Tire North America @ 1-800-565-2525 (ask for David)
can be contacted for tire selection/availability assistance.
(see also http://www.nokiantyres.com)

We have Hakka 2's on our minivan and are very satisfied with their performance. You definitely sense the strong traction with the snowy roadway.:):thumbsup::nod:

We are deciding on a winter tire for our mini cooper. The Hakka 4's and Hakka RSi's are available in 195/55-16. (RF or non-RF)

The Hakka 5's look very interesting but our size in available only in Europe.
(check out http://hakkapeliitta5.com)

The only non Nokian we were considering were the Dunlop SP Wintersport 3D in RF only.(check out http://www.dunloptires.com/catalog/winterSport3D.html)

Wish I could find the Hakkas online. The only dealer I'm aware of is in Anchorage, and they want too much to ship them out to me. :(