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Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Snow Tire Report

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I started the Vermont winter season with a new set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 (non-studded) snow tires on my P85. Last winter, I ran Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D high-performance snow tires. The Dunlops were very impressive, much quieter than the Michelin PS2's that I use in the summer and quite good in snow. But the Hakkapeliitta R2 is at another level entirely. The R2's tracking in 2-3 inches of wet heavy snow is simply uncanny. The Tesla just goes straight through it with no drama whatsoever. Traction, even on glare ice, is remarkable—likely due to the R2's eSilica rubber compound that creates friction at the molecular level. And, most important of all, the R2 has 30% less rolling resistance than the average performance snow tire, the lowest in the industry. It's the first winter tire with an "A" energy rating.

When I first mounted the R2's a month ago, my initial impression was that they were a bit bouncy and that the cornering was not as sharp as the Dunlops. But after a week of driving, the R2's settled in and those issues went away. Even the dry pavement performance seems quite good now. The ride is incredibly smooth and quiet.

Unless you live in a very challenging winter environment, I would recommend foregoing studs on the R2. I can't imagine needing them in my daily driving here in Vermont.
 
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I concur. On my second winter with the R2s. Just coincidentally, I have dropped my car off for service on two separate "snowstorm" days (once last winter, once last week) and have had a loaner with the Pirelli winter package. The Nokians are so far superior to the Pirellis it isn't even funny.
 
+1 on my second winter with the R2s, though no real snow yet this season. Night and day compared to my first snowstorm with the Goodyear all seasons that came with the car.

I recently convinced a friend with a BMW 7 series to get a set (though he might have ended up with the Nokian G3s, all seasons that Consumer Reports rated as at or near top of the snow tires - not available in the Tesla 19" size).
 
Not very impressed with the R2's at all. In fact, they are barely passable. However, considering how different my experience is from everyone else with this tire, I'm thinking it may be my fault.

I took part in this year's Sun Country Highway E-mazing Race (traveling nearly 18K kilometers across Canada) but it snowed on the day we left (Sept 16th!) so I thought it would be smart to put on my winter tires before leaving. After all, I'd never driven out east before and didn't want to be caught in a freak Quebec/Ontario storm with my 21's on. I wasn't sure when the weather typically starts to turn in that area of the country.

My caution was likely a mistake, since it was between 15 and 20C for the majority of the trip (beautiful, actually). This meant the R2's saw about 18K kilometers of driving in summer-like conditions. Less than ideal for a winter tire, to say the least.

To make matters worse, the didn't get rotated while we were on the road either, since in the past I'd never driven more than a single rotational period in a given season. Usually, I'd rotate them the following year before putting them back on the car. So I figure they missed 2-3 rotations.

The combination of high-temp driving and no rotations seems to have ruined them. They still have quite a bit of tread remaining but their performance on snow/ice is crap now. The car feels very unstable, like it could go spinning off at any second, and I don't trust the traction control to take over before that occurs. It's not bad around town but at highway speeds it's pretty scary.

I'll likely ride them out for this winter (I don't do that much driving) and replace them next autumn. Probably with studded Haaka8's.
 
I recently convinced a friend with a BMW 7 series to get a set (though he might have ended up with the Nokian G3s, all seasons that Consumer Reports rated as at or near top of the snow tires - not available in the Tesla 19" size).

Not true. WR-g3 is available in the Tesla 19" size. I just put a set on last week from tiresbyweb.com
 
Not very impressed with the R2's at all. In fact, they are barely passable. However, considering how different my experience is from everyone else with this tire, I'm thinking it may be my fault.

I took part in this year's Sun Country Highway E-mazing Race (traveling nearly 18K kilometers across Canada) but it snowed on the day we left (Sept 16th!) so I thought it would be smart to put on my winter tires before leaving. After all, I'd never driven out east before and didn't want to be caught in a freak Quebec/Ontario storm with my 21's on. I wasn't sure when the weather typically starts to turn in that area of the country.

My caution was likely a mistake, since it was between 15 and 20C for the majority of the trip (beautiful, actually). This meant the R2's saw about 18K kilometers of driving in summer-like conditions. Less than ideal for a winter tire, to say the least.

To make matters worse, the didn't get rotated while we were on the road either, since in the past I'd never driven more than a single rotational period in a given season. Usually, I'd rotate them the following year before putting them back on the car. So I figure they missed 2-3 rotations.

The combination of high-temp driving and no rotations seems to have ruined them. They still have quite a bit of tread remaining but their performance on snow/ice is crap now. The car feels very unstable, like it could go spinning off at any second, and I don't trust the traction control to take over before that occurs. It's not bad around town but at highway speeds it's pretty scary.

I'll likely ride them out for this winter (I don't do that much driving) and replace them next autumn. Probably with studded Haaka8's.

That sounds like more of a problem with high temperature and lack of rotation as you said. How does this make them a bad tire? How much tread do you have and have you rotated them yet?
 
I am also in my second winter with the R2s. They were excellent last winter. I racked up 15,200 kms on them in season one and couldn't have been more pleased with performance. This year, I notice that they seem much noisier than I remember. Perhaps this is from normal wear however I should probably have the balance rechecked. Still, a very good winter tire with no noticeable impact on range.
 
This year, I notice that they seem much noisier than I remember.

For some reason, my 19" Goodyear tires (the ones that came with the car) got really loud over the fall before I switched over to the winters. Horrible droning sound coming from them. Not sure why. They still have lots of tread left, but I may have to replace next spring. The Nokians are positively silent by comparison.
 
I already discussed this in a similar thread (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...-Michelin-X-Ice-Xi3-vs-Nokian-Hakka-R2/page18) but I think it is interesting for those who did not read the other one to repeat it here:

I have now properly tested the R2s on snow and ice, as you can see here: https://twitter.com/slcuervo/status/540885443165032448

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My conclusion is: despite de disappointment related to poor grip on wet and/or damp roads, the tires meet my expectations (which were very high) on snow, and it has also been a pleasant surprise to find out how good they are on pure ice.

My summary of the NOKIAN Hakka R2s:

Conditions / Grip under strong acceleration / Handling
- WET & DAMP: poor / average
- SNOW: good / good
- ICE: good / excellent

When I say pure ice above, I mean a parking lot that has a layer of a couple of cm of ice, where it is very difficult to walk. I was really surprised of how easy it was to manoeuver with the car responding very well to all change of direction at moderate speeds (below 20-30 kph).

Anyway, excellent tires if you are going to use them in proper winter conditions. For those who will go through more humid conditions than ice/snow, not recommended.
 
That must be new this year. They were listed in the right size on Nokian's European sites but not the US last year, and no US retailers had them. Have you driven in snow yet? How do you like them?
Correct. This year. No ice days yet. So far they appear to have a bit less rolling resistance than the Michelin Primacy. I've used WR tires before on other cars and they have done very well in icy conditions.

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For some reason, my 19" Goodyear tires (the ones that came with the car) got really loud over the fall before I switched over to the winters. Horrible droning sound coming from them. Not sure why. They still have lots of tread left, but I may have to replace next spring. The Nokians are positively silent by comparison.

How much is lots? Tires get noisier as the tread depth gets lower.
 
That sounds like more of a problem with high temperature and lack of rotation as you said. How does this make them a bad tire? How much tread do you have and have you rotated them yet?

If you read my post you would find I did not say the R2's were a bad tire. I was just commenting that my experience with them seemed to differ from others on this thread. I then went on to acknowledge that it was probably my inexperience with cross-country travel and the resulting mistreatment of the tires which resulted in their lackluster performance.
 
For some reason, my 19" Goodyear tires (the ones that came with the car) got really loud over the fall before I switched over to the winters. Horrible droning sound coming from them. Not sure why. They still have lots of tread left, but I may have to replace next spring. The Nokians are positively silent by comparison.

Just put a set on my car and there is definitely more road noise with the R2's.
 
How much is lots? Tires get noisier as the tread depth gets lower.

I should get my tread depth gauge and check, but visually they looked pretty good and are not even close to the wear bars. I have never had tires go as loud as these have, unless it has to do with poor sound insulation in the wheel wells compared to other cars I've owned.

- - - Updated - - -

Just put a set on my car and there is definitely more road noise with the R2's.

Compared to Goodyears or something else?
 
I should get my tread depth gauge and check, but visually they looked pretty good and are not even close to the wear bars. I have never had tires go as loud as these have, unless it has to do with poor sound insulation in the wheel wells compared to other cars I've owned.

Also check to see if there is any slight cupping (you might have to feel this, as it may not be visible except under certain lighting conditions). That can cause the tires to howl as well. If it's the case, then either balance or wheel bearings are the most common culprits.