DJF1

Before my move to Vancouver I thought I would slap on a set of winter tires on my M3 to be ready for everything so to speak including potential snow. I did a lot of research on the Bimmer forums and other BMW related forums and the name that kept on coming back was "Nokian Hakapelita WR" tires! I said to my self what the heck are Nokian's , i never heard of them anywhere! So i did a bit of research and found out they are made in Finland and that the company is very popular up there. Furthermore everyone raved about them so I figured why not try them. I have driven before on Blizzaks and I hated them on dry pavement, too squirmy and loud like you constantly have a set of new tires on with the tread flexing at every oportunity. The Nokians however have been a revelation to me. After my 3000 mile trip on everything exept snow so far, their performance is amazing. No squirm, very good handling, low noise. Driving on them I felt that I was not too much off the normal S03's I have on the bimmer. I drove mostly on Highway 1 and 101 up the California and Oregon coast. These roads are so much fun, twisty with elevation changes, blind corners, off camber turns, it was like dancing on the curves. Certainly great Porsche roads!. The WR's there did not dissapoint, I pushed them a bit and I was pleasantly surprised even on my early morning run from Eureka heading North with cold and wet from the moisture roads. So so far in the wet ranging from the mud storm in Arizona to the cold moist roads they are awesome. No aqua planning either on highway speeds. In the dry they are equally great with only a small loss of feedback but surefooted and predictable. I have not yet encountered snow but with their performance so far I predict they will be equally amazing. The WR's according to the Nokian site are the only high performance all season tire with the snowflake rating a claim which I have little doubt it will not be true...
The important thing is that they make WR's in 17" sizes with a 225 for the front and a 255 for the rear so I see another set for my garage queen's winter shoes next year.

Mike J

Hey Danny,

Why would you worry about snow in Vancouver when it snows about twice a year and only lasts for a few days each time

;-)

YellowC4S

I swear by the Hakka's on my Audi.

Robert Henriksen

Maybe there's some skiing in Danny's future!

DJF1

I was actually worrying more for the Grants Pass up in Oregon than BC... However it would be nice to go to Whistler once in a while Today I saw in the news that it had 1-3 inches of snow up there... What a gorgeous day was today though down here eh?

Mike J

Where else in Canada can you walk around in a tee shirt outside in Feb? I am working on a house right on the water in Deep Cove....beautifull!!!

Flying Finn

Many of us might have cell phone made by this very same company (I believe about half of the cell phones in the world are Nokia) which BTW first started as a company making rubber boots (yes in deed and still makes them) and tyres.
Later they started with cell phones etc.

Just little "useful" information for my non Finnish friends...

Ray Calvo

Interesting; my experience was the opposite.

To cope with hilly snowy Pittsburgh terrain, years ago I bought a '90 Audi Coupe Quattro. Got a set of Gislaved Norfrost tires (4) and slapped them on (185/70X15). Car was an absolute mountain goat; remember one time going up a steep slope thru 12" of unplowed snow. Sold me on Audi Quattro.

Got a '98.5 Audi A4 Avant as a replacement. Got 4 Nokian Haakapelitta 1 snows (195/65X15). Well, they were a BIG disappointment - car was skidding and sliding all over the place. I attributed it to the differences between the A4 and the old Coupe (heavier, different rear differential, higher HP). Lived with it for years. Well, before this winter decided to try new snows. This time I got Blizzak WS tires (195/65X15). BIG improvement; car was transformed into a mountain goat.

DJF1

Difference Ray is the Hakas are the model WR. They are advertised as all season and I do not doubt it. I got them with H rating at 225/45/17 size

http://www.nokiantyres.com/index_en.html

Ray Calvo

Difference Ray is the Hakas are the model WR. They are advertised as all season and I do not doubt it. I got them with H rating at 225/45/17 size
[QUOTE]

I just don't want people disappointed by buying Haaka WR when they need a heavy duty snow tire. For snow the Blizzaks are far better in my experience, and I would think the Haaka 1s I had would be better than the WR in heavy snow (and why else would you buy a snow tire?).

DJF1

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ray Calvo
Difference Ray is the Hakas are the model WR. They are advertised as all season and I do not doubt it. I got them with H rating at 225/45/17 size

Quote:

I just don't want people disappointed by buying Haaka WR when they need a heavy duty snow tire. For snow the Blizzaks are far better in my experience, and I would think the Haaka 1s I had would be better than the WR in heavy snow (and why else would you buy a snow tire?).

You are absolutely right Ray. I would imagine the WR been adequate in the snow or even good. Most likely a dedicated snow tire will have a better performance in the snow, however they are absolutely dreadfull in the dry. My predicament choosing this tire was that I had to drive mostly in the dry and probably at the "Grants Pass" in the snow so I did not want a dedicated snow tire. It looks to me at least that the WR is a great compromise and would be a great tire for someone who lives in a place with occassional snow like my present residence in Vancouver. I must also say that the BMW guys literally rave about the WR's even in heavy snow but since I have not tried them in these conditions I cannot say for sure. I did a lot of research on this matter and I'm thankfull I did not go wrong with my choise. Most importantly the WR's are made in Porsche 17" sizes so they would be ideal for our 993's.