Nokian Studded Snow Tire Q: Hakka 2 vs. Nordman

[99obw]

I said in another thread that I was going to try the green diamonds, but after thinking some more, I'm hesitant to put retreads on an AWD vehicle, and I feel that the few extra dollars on Nokians will be money well spent.

 

Has anyone had experience with Hakka 2's or Nordmans (Hakka 1's)? These will be getting studs. I can get the Nordmans for $440, Hakka 2's for $475.

 

I have seen on the board where some others have had experience with Nokian tires, all comments are welcome. (except blizzaks, BTDTx2)

 

PS: I like the tread pattern of the Nordmans better, seems like they would have better deep snow traction. The Outback is still the primary winter travel vehicle for our family, so safety is paramount.

[Dr. RX]

Why are you adding studs, I have a set of Hakka 2's without studs that work great. I drove from the Seattle, WA area to the Bend, OR area last winter, over the mountain passes, they worked great, never once lost traction, and I drive like a rally driver in the snow.

[NoahDL88]

Why are you adding studs, I have a set of Hakka 2's without studs that work great. I drove from the Seattle, WA area to the Bend, OR area last winter, over the mountain passes, they worked great, never once lost traction, and I drive like a rally driver in the snow.

 

I can imagine it would be fun to ride with you in the snow.

 

I'd also have to downplay the studs, the hakk's should be good enough without them.

[99obw]

Why are you adding studs, I have a set of Hakka 2's without studs that work great. I drove from the Seattle, WA area to the Bend, OR area last winter, over the mountain passes, they worked great, never once lost traction, and I drive like a rally driver in the snow.

 

Short answer:

 

Because experience has taught me that they are well worth the extra $60.

 

Long answer:

 

I had a close call with four snow tires (no studs) on ice a couple of winters ago. I was only going about 30 MPH and started trying to stop about 1/4 mile before the stop sign. Never did get stopped, but I didn't crash, and I swore I'd never be without studs again. We get a fair amount of ice here, and when it's too cold for salt to work the snow-covered roads tend to get polished down to ice with enough traffic. We have worn out two sets of blizzaks, but overall I haven't been impressed with their performance and longevity. The cheap studded snows on my Jeep are impressive, but sloppy handling and suboptimal traction are "steering" me toward better tires for the Outback. Starting Nov 4th my wife will be commuting about 15 miles each way to Cornell amidst a bunch of out-of-state yahoos and I want her to have excellent traction.

[northguy]

I have run the Nordman/ Hak 1's with studson my son's Legacy - awesome tire. The only problem with Haks is that they spit studs after the first season and they can't be replaced. I run studded snows abbout 8 months of the year; nothing works better on ice. If you're not running on ice-covered roads a bunch, don't bother with the extra expense.

[99obw]

I have run the Nordman/ Hak 1's with studson my son's Legacy - awesome tire. The only problem with Haks is that they spit studs after the first season and they can't be replaced. I run studded snows abbout 8 months of the year; nothing works better on ice. If you're not running on ice-covered roads a bunch, don't bother with the extra expense.

 

Thanks for the helpful response. Do you think that Haks spit studs sooner than other makes of studded tire? How many miles can you put on a set before they start spitting studs? I can only remember having a studded tire spit studs after the tread was significantly worn, say 15k-20k miles.

[northguy]

Remember that one season up here is about 15-20 k miles. So that's about right. The Coopers I have on my brat and now my XT6 have stood up to about 30k with NO stud loss. They are the Weathermaster st2's. For my money, thet are as good as the Hak 1's. My .02

[shortlid]

Nokian is Finnish and they have a YEARROUND winter tire test track in Finland are VERY good snows. Gislavid (Swedish) Nordfrost Snows that I have on my SAAB 9000 Aero with Traction Control System (205/55R16) are great also!

[Dr. RX]

Why not find out how Nokkia tests these tires. One of the tests that I've heard about is driving down hill onto a frozen lake at speed then locking up the wheels. The report that I remember, and changed my mind about studs, was that the un-studded Hakki's out performed the studded ones.

 

On another note, unless you put the tires on only when needed, you will be destroying the roads. See all those ruts in the highway, they are caused by the steel of the studs wearing away the surface of the road like a grinder.

[northguy]

 

On another note, unless you put the tires on only when needed, you will be destroying the roads. See all those ruts in the highway, they are caused by the steel of the studs wearing away the surface of the road like a grinder.

 

Corky, we have those grooves here. They help the drunks to keep from swerving off the road.

[Dr. RX]

Corky, we have those grooves here. They help the drunks to keep from swerving off the road.

Anypalce that allows studded tire to be run on dry or wet roads have them. I'm old enough to remember the time before studded tires, when road surfaces were rough because of lack of repair, not because they were being worn down by studded tires.

 

They installed those reflectors on the side of the road so that drunks could drive home by brille.