Nokians

[The_Rural_Juror]

Who else can I buy Nokians from?

[killramos]

Who else can I buy Nokians from?

Tunerworks advertises selling them for sure. As for others just ask your tire guy if they can get them in as errchry mentioned.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Who else can I buy Nokians from?

Spec R Motorsports has a wholesale account.

[The Cosworth]

I actually had no idea other people could get Nokian's. We have our fleet account with Kal Tire so I am there enough anyways with my pool trucks. Couldn't believe it.


Fuck these are the kinds of stories that make me embarrassed to be associated with the automotive industry! I seeing people get intentionally screwed like this... :thumbsdow


i feel better about myself and how I run my biz when I read stories like this lol

Isn't it sad when being a decent human being seems like an outlier? Ugh.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Tunerworks advertises selling them for sure.

Haven't had a great experience with Tunerworks during our few transactions. I don't blame them because I probably don't smell rich enough.

[killramos]

Haven't had a great experience with Tunerworks during our few transactions. I don't blame them because I probably don't smell rich enough.

They were the only place that came to mind, I’ve never bought Nokian tires

[SKR]

Haven't had a great experience with Tunerworks during our few transactions. I don't blame them because I probably don't smell rich enough.

100% my experience as well. Had no problems taking my money and was treated like dirt every step of the way after that.

[90_Shelby]

Tunerworks has always treated me fair for tires even when I drove a Volvo. Coincidentally they installed new tires on my Jeep today while I waited. They used black weights on my dark rims, cleaned all the old wheel weight crud off, rims were cleaner then when they went in, tires were shiny and they were careful where they put the weights so they wouldn’t hit the calipers. No complaints and they take good care of the rims and vehicle.

On that note, the last time I cheaped out and went elsewhere for new rubber on one of my vehicles I had to get one of the rims refinished since they gouged all of the clear coat off with the machine. Lesson learned.

[SKR]

Tunerworks has always treated me fair for tires even when I drove a Volvo. Coincidentally they installed new tires on my Jeep today while I waited. They used black weights on my dark rims, cleaned all the old wheel weight crud off, rims were cleaner then when they went in, tires were shiny and they were careful where they put the weights so they wouldn’t hit the calipers. No complaints and they take good care of the rims and vehicle.

On that note, the last time I cheaped out and went elsewhere for new rubber on one of my vehicles I had to get one of the rims refinished since they gouged all of the clear coat off with the machine. Lesson learned.

My experience was in 2014 so things might have changed since then. The guy in the shop that actually did the work was great. The dickhead in the office can still go fuck himself tonight though. I paid a little under $10,000 and to actually get something in return for it was always a fight.

[HiSpec]

Spec R Motorsports has a wholesale account.

^ this

[The_Rural_Juror]

They kind of do yes, but with grey market supply there is always sources to get all kinds of things if one is willing. We pull Nitto out of an American wheel manufacturer who is huge with them in the states and they have a couple warehouses in Canada so they can sell it through their own system and nobody gets spanked.

Can you start carrying Nokians? That's about 5 sets of tires + rims that I could have purchased from you over the past 8 years or so.

[The Cosworth]

They kind of do yes, but with grey market supply there is always sources to get all kinds of things if one is willing. We pull Nitto out of an American wheel manufacturer who is huge with them in the states and they have a couple warehouses in Canada so they can sell it through their own system and nobody gets spanked.

Wait is that just Nitto or does that relate to Nokian's as well? To be fair I didn't even bother to call you guys as I knew the exact tires I wanted.


Can you start carrying Nokians? That's about 5 sets of tires + rims that I could have purchased from you over the past 8 years or so.

Agreed.

[cyra1ax]

Can you start carrying Nokians? That's about 5 sets of tires + rims that I could have purchased from you over the past 8 years or so.

+2

[vengie]

+3

[tirebob]

+2Honestly I have never tried to get the Nokian line because truthfully I have never been their biggest fan (I have work history through everyones favourite exclusive seller and I will leave it at that) but if the market wants them I will look into it.

[The Cosworth]

Honestly I have never tried to get the Nokian line because truthfully I have never been their biggest fan (I have work history through everyones favourite exclusive seller and I will leave it at that) but if the market wants them I will look into it.

So curious what the complaints are then? Haha. Hakka's have been by far the best winter tire I've had, and their new all weather has been the best all weather I had. Service I got from you guys was great but I was underwhelmed with the Toyos (granted that was back in the GS05 days).

[The_Rural_Juror]

So curious what the complaints are then? Haha. Hakka's have been by far the best winter tire I've had, and their new all weather has been the best all weather I had. Service I got from you guys was great but I was underwhelmed with the Toyos (granted that was back in the GS05 days).

Agreed.

[ExtraSlow]

Nokian seems to be incredibly popular, I guess the "exclusive" seller has good marketing.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Nokian seems to be incredibly popular, I guess the "exclusive" seller has good marketing.

They are seriously that good on ice.

[vengie]

I've wanted to run Hakka's for a long time, but have been using Toyo G3 Ice or Federal Himalaya's as those are what UrbanX uses and I solely use them.

[tirebob]

So curious what the complaints are then? Haha. Hakka's have been by far the best winter tire I've had, and their new all weather has been the best all weather I had. Service I got from you guys was great but I was underwhelmed with the Toyos (granted that was back in the GS05 days).No tire pleases everyone. I say it all the time, but I can line up 100 of you and put you all on the same products without knowing what they are and everyone will report differently their experiences. Your experience with the Toyo is a perfect example. I have tons of people who think they are the best thing ever and refuse to even look at another tire while others will not go near them with a 10 foot pole. It does not matter the brand either. It is true of all of them.

I have long given up on telling people something is good or bad because it simply is not that easy, especially nowadays. Some people just want it sticky with no regard to wear. Other people want handling without worry about being the stickiest. Other people want deep aggressive lugs for heavy snow with zero regard for road noise. Some people only care about price. The list goes on and on. I am not trying to convince anyone they are wrong or right. I just try and assess how a person uses their vehicle and what a tires specific characteristics are and how that applies to them. I make different suggestions to different people all the time based on these things. What is right for one person may be totally wrong for another. What is right for one set of conditions is wrong for another. What works well on one vehicle doesn't do as well on another.

If you love a certain product nothing I say will change your mind, nor do I want to. I just want to try and help people ask the questions of themselves about what they truly expect and help them mine through the differences of the options in how they relate to those expectations. The vast majority of the time almost everyone who does this ends up with a product they are happy with. Sometimes it doesn't always work out, but most often it does, and when it doesn't, I try and figure out what was the issue and use those lessons when helping the next person assess their needs.

[cet]

So curious what the complaints are then? Haha. Hakka's have been by far the best winter tire I've had, and their new all weather has been the best all weather I had. Service I got from you guys was great but I was underwhelmed with the Toyos (granted that was back in the GS05 days).


Agreed.

+1 I am running the Toyo's in the winter at the moment but have been underwhelmed. I'm going back to Nokian this season or next and it would be great if I could get them from Bob.

[tirebob]

+1 I am running the Toyo's in the winter at the moment but have been underwhelmed. I'm going back to Nokian this season or next and it would be great if I could get them from Bob.

For the record, I personally do not prefer the Toyo either for what I do now, but I still know people who absolutely love them for their use. Like I said, I am no one size fits all guy. For me, I like studded tires and have always been a big fan of them. Other can't stand them but does that mean I am wrong? They are wrong? Of course not... I just don't get into those games anymore. I get people all the time ask me what my opinion is. More times than not the first thing out of my mouth is that my opinion has no relation to what they like.

[ercchry]

I don’t mind hakka’s from purely a performance in shit conditions perspective... but $/km in a real life calgary environment... holy shit do I roast them quickly... bigger fan of longevity, but also like spinning tires excessively, so I’m an outlier in this I’m sure... a nicely aged (hard hockey puck) alpin is the sweet spot :rofl:

[tirebob]

I don’t mind hakka’s from purely a performance in shit conditions perspective... but $/km in a real life calgary environment... holy shit do I roast them quickly... bigger fan of longevity, but also like spinning tires excessively, so I’m an outlier in this I’m sure... a nicely aged (hard hockey puck) alpin is the sweet spot :rofl:Not really an outlier at all... This is probably the biggest issue I get from people who come see me not wanting them again after using them.

[ercchry]

Not really an outlier at all... This is probably the biggest issue I get from people who come see me not wanting them again after using them.

All I ask from a winter tire is to at least get me till April :rofl:

[The Cosworth]

No tire pleases everyone. I say it all the time, but I can line up 100 of you and put you all on the same products without knowing what they are and everyone will report differently their experiences. Your experience with the Toyo is a perfect example. I have tons of people who think they are the best thing ever and refuse to even look at another tire while others will not go near them with a 10 foot pole. It does not matter the brand either. It is true of all of them.

....................

What a cop out. :P

Kidding, yeah that is fair and actually why you're good at your job more than others. Dunning Kruger effect, if people tell me what is best, chances are they don't know. That's one of the reason I think you have so much respect in general, you know the nuance of your business.

I know for me what I've really started to appreciate as I get older is ride quality and noise. In the winter #1 is weather performance without studs. Then when I get a list of the 'best' of that group, then I go cheapest. I never worry about wear time, never keep a car long enough. Hahahah


All I ask from a winter tire is to at least get me till April :rofl:

My 2 winter hakka's lasted well on my STI. I just don't drive crazy hard on asphalt on them. Sounds more like a 'you' issue. Haha. Plus it was more fun driving it like I stole it in the snow.

[tirebob]

What a cop out. :P

Kidding, yeah that is fair and actually why you're good at your job more than others. Dunning Kruger effect, if people tell me what is best, chances are they don't know. That's one of the reason I think you have so much respect in general, you know the nuance of your business.

I know for me what I've really started to appreciate as I get older is ride quality and noise. In the winter #1 is weather performance without studs. Then when I get a list of the 'best' of that group, then I go cheapest. I never worry about wear time, never keep a car long enough. Hahahah



My 2 winter hakka's lasted well on my STI. I just don't drive crazy hard on asphalt on them. Sounds more like a 'you' issue. Haha. Plus it was more fun driving it like I stole it in the snow.

I am admittedly one who is heavily resistant to drinking the koolaid flavour of the day, but even I can get pulled down the rabbit hole. It took me forever to even look at a Duratrac for all the same reasons, but after being convinced to use a set I am now a huge fanboy! lol! I will be the first person though who will still to tell people that ask for them and I know it will fail at what they want it to do to look elsewhere though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

To Bob's point, I work with someone who thinks Michelin Xice Xi3's are garbage because he put them on his light pickup truck without any weight in the bed and says they spin when he guns it off the line in the winter :rofl: He has a different brand on a FWD sedan and loves them, never mind the fact that the sedan is a completely different vehicle with an engine sitting on top of the drive wheels lol. Objective data means nothing to these types of people, they are typically only interested in their highly uncontrolled testing with a sample size of one.

The #1 thing I look for in a winter tire is stopping distance on ice - that is the main thing that is going to help prevent an accident in most winter driving situations. The other 95% of the time most of Calgary's main roads are bare pavement, even if it's -30C out.

[ercchry]

My 2 winter hakka's lasted well on my STI. I just don't drive crazy hard on asphalt on them. Sounds more like a 'you' issue. Haha. Plus it was more fun driving it like I stole it in the snow.

Sounds like you didn’t have enough hp :rofl:

But no... I’m well aware I kill winters fast, just usually not that fast. If I swap front and rear I can usually do 2 seasons... but I think I killed those rears in feb? Hopeless, plus more grip... more speed, more wear

Now I have a little baby 4cyl truck... shouldn’t be an issue anymore!

[pheoxs]

I've wanted to run Hakkas for winter for quite some time but couldn't find anywhere to buy them aside from Kal-tire which I refuse to support. Would def be interested if they are available.

[killramos]

I don’t mind hakka’s from purely a performance in shit conditions perspective... but $/km in a real life calgary environment... holy shit do I roast them quickly... bigger fan of longevity, but also like spinning tires excessively, so I’m an outlier in this I’m sure... a nicely aged (hard hockey puck) alpin is the sweet spot :rofl:

Cost of tires have never even been a a rounding error in my TCO of vehicles.

Best performance over tire life any day of the week. Why pay for performance if all you are going to be doing is spinning tires all day long.

[redblack]

I've wanted to run Hakkas for winter for quite some time but couldn't find anywhere to buy them aside from Kal-tire which I refuse to support. Would def be interested if they are available.

Same here, they wouldn’t sell to me unless I got an alignment. Ended up buying a set of different tires from urbanX

[pheoxs]

Cost of tires have never even been a a rounding error in my TCO of vehicles.

Best performance over tire life any day of the week. Why pay for performance if all you are going to be doing is spinning tires all day long.

Pretty much, buy the best and never worry about it. Idk why people will drop 500$ for a used set of tires with 50% tred then 100$ to mount and balance vs just spend the grand for new tires and they'll last twice as long anyways.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Pretty much, buy the best and never worry about it. Idk why people will drop 500$ for a used set of tires with 50% tred then 100$ to mount and balance vs just spend the grand for new tires and they'll last twice as long anyways.

Those are probably the same people who think all seasons are winter tires haha. I think a lot of people don't understand how important a good tire is, despite being the sole connection between your vehicle and the road and therefore also a huge safety factor.

I do like at least some balance of longevity and performance though, which IMO is pretty easy to achieve these days. You guys saying that best performance over tire life is all you care about, isn't buying new tires every few thousand KM overkill? I'm all for buying a high quality tire, but I wouldn't spend $1000++ every few thousand KM personally. Really sticky tires also throw a lot of gravel/debris at your paint which Calgary has a lot of but you'll never completely avoid that.

[The Cosworth]

Those are probably the same people who think all seasons are winter tires haha. I think a lot of people don't understand how important a good tire is, despite being the sole connection between your vehicle and the road and therefore also a huge safety factor.

I do like at least some balance of longevity and performance though, which IMO is pretty easy to achieve these days. You guys saying that best performance over tire life is all you care about, isn't buying new tires every few thousand KM overkill? I'm all for buying a high quality tire, but I wouldn't spend $1000++ every few thousand KM personally. Really sticky tires also throw a lot of gravel/debris at your paint which Calgary has a lot of but you'll never completely avoid that.

I will say the All-Weathers I got are literally comparable to the Toyo winters I ran on the same truck. Pretty impressed with them. It was 7+ years of different technology though.

[tirebob]

I will say the All-Weathers I got are literally comparable to the Toyo winters I ran on the same truck. Pretty impressed with them. It was 7+ years of different technology though.

Tire technology has been going through a lot of fast change the last while, especially in the compounding departments. Hard to say what covid will have done to that though. We will see over the next few years I guess. budgets have been disappearing everywhere!

[ercchry]

Cost of tires have never even been a a rounding error in my TCO of vehicles.

Best performance over tire life any day of the week. Why pay for performance if all you are going to be doing is spinning tires all day long.

Firstly... Let’s quantify a few things.

Me: less than 10k kms/yr... probably 60/40 winter/summer, I kill a set of hakkas by Feb, so let’s call that 3k kms.... 3... thousand per $1000 after balancing... not factoring in the absolute PITA it is to actually get the work done. TCO was about $1.50/km, not including tires, nor other consumables (oil,gas,etc)... so yeah what’s another $0.33?

But here is the thing... you can’t use any of the performance of the car when the ground is dry on hakkas, the ground is always dry... alpin lasted 4x what the Hakka did with their harder compound and I gave up... uh, nothing on the odd blizzard, they also felt a hell of a lot more secure at high speed too.

So spending 4x more on anything for worse TOP performance is not something I can get behind, especially since I’ve never felt fear due to loss of control on ice... but I’m an outlier... I’m sure hakkas on the trophy wife’s G wagon are well worth it... for me? Nope, not even a little.

I’ve used almost every brand over the years and longevity and dry conditions performance are the only real measurable differences... and they go hand in hand. I will get off the line with the flow of traffic with any winter, not a concern... spending time at the tire shop, losing the ability to drive 8/10 what I can on summers, and yeah the higher than necessary tire budget are not worth it.

I’m not arguing that they are a GREAT shit conditions tire... but realistically, do you need that? Probably not. Not at the cost of the trade offs

[pheoxs]

Those are probably the same people who think all seasons are winter tires haha. I think a lot of people don't understand how important a good tire is, despite being the sole connection between your vehicle and the road and therefore also a huge safety factor.

I do like at least some balance of longevity and performance though, which IMO is pretty easy to achieve these days. You guys saying that best performance over tire life is all you care about, isn't buying new tires every few thousand KM overkill? I'm all for buying a high quality tire, but I wouldn't spend $1000++ every few thousand KM personally. Really sticky tires also throw a lot of gravel/debris at your paint which Calgary has a lot of but you'll never completely avoid that.

For my personal use I don't drive enough for there to be much of a difference in longevity with looking at performance tires though. I'd be amazed if I put 15k a year on my Fiesta. With having two sets of tires thats around 7500 on summers and 7500 on winters. Most tires will easily last 3-5 years at that amount if not longer.

[killramos]

Firstly... Let’s quantify a few things.

Me: less than 10k kms/yr... probably 60/40 winter/summer, I kill a set of hakkas by Feb, so let’s call that 3k kms.... 3... thousand per $1000 after balancing... not factoring in the absolute PITA it is to actually get the work done. TCO was about $1.50/km, not including tires, nor other consumables (oil,gas,etc)... so yeah what’s another $0.33?

But here is the thing... you can’t use any of the performance of the car when the ground is dry on hakkas, the ground is always dry... alpin lasted 4x what the Hakka did with their harder compound and I gave up... uh, nothing on the odd blizzard, they also felt a hell of a lot more secure at high speed too.

So spending 4x more on anything for worse TOP performance is not something I can get behind, especially since I’ve never felt fear due to loss of control on ice... but I’m an outlier... I’m sure hakkas on the trophy wife’s G wagon are well worth it... for me? Nope, not even a little.

I’ve used almost every brand over the years and longevity and dry conditions performance are the only real measurable differences... and they go hand in hand. I will get off the line with the flow of traffic with any winter, not a concern... spending time at the tire shop, losing the ability to drive 8/10 what I can on summers, and yeah the higher than necessary tire budget are not worth it.

I’m not arguing that they are a GREAT shit conditions tire... but realistically, do you need that? Probably not. Not at the cost of the trade offs

I’m not arguing for or against Hakkas, I’ve been very clear I have never run them, if you find another set that are equivalent that last longer that’s fine. I just don’t consider tire longevity to be an important factor in buying tires.

The whole Alpin’s are better 85% of the time debate us a completely different can of worms.

If Hakkas were materially better than every other tire 100% of the time I would consider burning through a set every 3,000km or once a season or whatever you want to call it to be money well spent. That’s still less than I spend on fucking parking :rofl:

[gmc72]

When I first got my Fit, I put Michelin XI3's on it for the first few years. Was very happy with them. Had 0 issues at all going anywhere. I put on Hakka's when those wore out, and really didn't notice a difference in performance between the 2. Had 0 issues with the Hakka's as well, but they were no different from the Michelin's in terms of grip.

[ercchry]

I’m not arguing for or against Hakkas, I’ve been very clear I have never run them, if you find another set that are equivalent that last longer that’s fine. I just don’t consider tire longevity to be an important factor in buying tires.

The whole Alpin’s are better 85% of the time debate us a completely different can of worms.

If Hakkas were materially better than every other tire 100% of the time I would consider burning through a set every 3,000km or once a season or whatever you want to call it to be money well spent. That’s still less than I spend on fucking parking :rofl:

There is too much effort spent on winters around here... how I actually do it is this... “hey, car parts friend... it’s snowing and I haven’t swapped tires yet, what you got in a :insert current tire size needs:. Great, they’re at a local warehouse? Perfect... tomorrow they will be mounted? Done!”

But I’m not inconveniencing myself, taking lesser service by going to “the only place in town”, waiting a month for an appointment or any other bullshit for a consumable car product... that I will destroy in half the time of a normal person

[killramos]

There is too much effort spent on winters around here... how I actually do it is this... “hey, car parts friend... it’s snowing and I haven’t swapped tires yet, what you got in a :insert current tire size needs:. Great, they’re at a local warehouse? Perfect... tomorrow they will be mounted? Done!”

But I’m not inconveniencing myself, taking lesser service by going to “the only place in town”, waiting a month for an appointment or any other bullshit for a consumable car product... that I will destroy in half the time of a normal person

I think you have some very different problems you need to address rather than getting hung up on tire wear ratings :rofl:

[ercchry]

I think you have some very different problems you need to address rather than getting hung up on tire wear ratings :rofl:

I LIKE WHAT I LIKE!!! :rofl:

[Mitsu3000gt]

For my personal use I don't drive enough for there to be much of a difference in longevity with looking at performance tires though. I'd be amazed if I put 15k a year on my Fiesta. With having two sets of tires thats around 7500 on summers and 7500 on winters. Most tires will easily last 3-5 years at that amount if not longer.

Oh ok so you aren't buying the really sticky/soft stuff then, right? 7500 summer KM is still about 2 new sets of tires per year/season if you're buying the crazy high performing stuff.

I'm a super low KM driver too (about 10-12k/yr max and a lot of that is highway) but I still want my tires to last a few seasons.

[ercchry]

Fiesta vs anything with power is a different story too

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Oh ok so you aren't buying the really sticky/soft stuff then, right? 7500 summer KM is still about 2 new sets of tires per year/season if you're buying the crazy high performing stuff.

I'm a super low KM driver too (about 10-12k/yr max and a lot of that is highway) but I still want my tires to last a few seasons.

I got 9000km, 3 track days and 3 auto x days out of my last set of 140TW tires. It’s very tire dependant as there’s no standardized testing for wear ratings.

[pheoxs]

Fiesta vs anything with power is a different story too

Ouch :(

But yeah, I'm not running anything more track orientated / super sticky I guess. Just something with a nice bit of grip.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Fair point, anything with lots of power is going to eat tires a lot quicker. If I can get 3-ish seasons out of each set of tires I'm happy.

[tirebob]

Fair point, anything with lots of power is going to eat tires a lot quicker. If I can get 3-ish seasons out of each set of tires I'm happy.I am pretty much a set a season just because of so many KM's driven (200 plus per day commuting plus any extra). Last year I ran the Duratracs through an entire year for a change which was nice. Now I am trying to work from home a lot so I can actually work on the business rather than just sales so my KM's have dropped a lot this summer coming into town once or twice a week at most so not sure yet what I will try this winter.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I am pretty much a set a season just because of so many KM's driven (200 plus per day commuting plus any extra). Last year I ran the Duratracs through an entire year for a change which was nice. Now I am trying to work from home a lot so I can actually work on the business rather than just sales so my KM's have dropped a lot this summer coming into town once or twice a week at most so not sure yet what I will try this winter.

That's not bad for such high KM driving, or at least it doesn't seem like it.

Out of curiosity, what is your go-to for a higher performance winter tire? Nokians? I mean for a performance car, not necessarily the best possible tire for winter in general.

[tirebob]

That's not bad for such high KM driving, or at least it doesn't seem like it.

Out of curiosity, what is your go-to for a higher performance winter tire? Nokians? I mean for a performance car, not necessarily the best possible tire for winter in general.

Again, I really have no specific go to. I talk with my clients and ask them questions and try and refine the subtitles down. It sounds really kind of shitty to say it like this but the truth is most people just want me to help them feel like their idea of what is best is what is best so for the most part, if they are not thinking out to lunch I just confirm they understand the positives and limitations and let them select what they like. As long as they are truly comparing apples to apples, they are getting apples. IDGAF if they want a Michelin or a Pirelli or a Conti etc... One might be slightly softer running while one is slightly crisper while one is slightly longer lasting while one is slightly stickier, but nobody agrees on any of it so whatever. My idea at that point in time is picking the one where I can provide you the best value within the range that suits your needs rather than saying this or that is "better" overall, but to you, if brand is important then cool... No problem. I know it is still a good tire so I am not fussed about it.

Where I start getting a bit more sticky about it is when someone comes in saying they want prices on 3 different tires because their buddies or neighbours or parents or whatever says they are all "the best", but they are all radically different products such as one being a deep off-road lug type snow type tire and the next one is a studded Hakka and the next one is a Pilot Alpin PA4. They don't know any better other than just thinking they heard they are all good. that is where you have to get into it.

Sorry I know that doesn't really help you pin down my personal thoughts on preferences but truthfully, these are pretty fluid and change with the situation.

edit - I have been on enough tire testing trips etc to know that there is no imperial evidence that dictates true superiority in any one product in all regards. It always seems that no matter who sets up the tests, their shit always finishes at the top. Even with "consumer testing" the problem is tire tests are done under a very fixed set of variables. Change the temperatures by 10 degrees, put the tires on heavier vehicles, have different drivers behind the wheels, test on different road surfaces materials, etc etc... The results change.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Seems reasonable, thanks Bob!

[The_Rural_Juror]

Are the sottozero 3 better than the last two gens? They were slick on ice.

[tirebob]

Are the sottozero 3 better than the last two gens? They were slick on ice.Out here I would go with the Michelin or Conti first in the sport winters personally just because I find they do more extreme cold weather a bit better but in environments like Vancouver or even Kelowna where it is closer to Zero more than super sub zero, the Pirelli is always quite well liked. Even here I have clients who swear by them but I think I get more clients likes with the other other two.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My dad swears by Sottozero but I think he’s going to try PA5 for one of the cars this year.

[zechs]

Wanted to do a test, bought the cheapest studdable chinese winters from a shop in Calgary for the BMW last fall.

Were just as good as Hakkapeliitta's I've ran previously and have great wear characteristics. Loud as all hell due to the wide tread pattern, not very stable at speed, and don't ride the greatest. They were also $330 for a set, vs $800-$1200 for name brand tires. Haven't died yet in a rwd manual transmission car, which I was told would be a death sentence. Overall, I am satisfied. Better than any all season for sure.

Tirebob is right I think, 99% of people wouldn't be able to tell a difference between most tires.

The F150, the debate is between W965's or General Arctic Grabber LT's with studs. A friend with an older 2wd cummins with a locker surprised me with its winter traction on W965's. Ran studded Nokians on my duramax, wholly.unimpressed again.

[haggis88]

The F150, the debate is between W965's or General Arctic Grabber LT's with studs. A friend with an older 2wd cummins with a locker surprised me with its winter traction on W965's. Ran studded Nokians on my duramax, wholly.unimpressed again.

I was using the Firestone Winterforce2 UV with studs on the 2WD F150 last winter, didn't have any issues with traction at all and they were still reasonably comfortable and quiet (as far as studded winters go)

[tirebob]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

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[killramos]

Cool. I like tires.

[Tik-Tok]

built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market

That's normally a marketing term for "Same product we sell elsewhere, but at twice the price for no reason"

[tirebob]

That's normally a marketing term for "Same product we sell elsewhere, but at twice the price for no reason"

No, this one for sure was designed with Groupe Touchette with the engineers working and testing within Canada. More money? Quite probable but it was definitely an active effort.

[ExtraSlow]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

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Get me a quote for these in Honda Fit fitment. .
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.
.
.
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Nah, JK.

[rage2]

If I had the time (and garage space), I'd have 2 sets of wheels. One with performance winters, one with Hakka's, and swap them depending on the days. Instead, I have 2 similar cars, one with performance winters and one with Hakka's.

Hakka's are great for 2 weeks every winter in absolute shit conditions. Performance winters are better 95% of the time but terrible as shit on those 2 weeks. Since the SO doesn't drive like a dick like me, the Hakka's are perfect for her all winter round.

Weight has a huge impact on wear. I'm 3 winters in on the E class and the studs are pretty much done 1/2 way through this winter, so now the tire is basically a winter tire. When we had it on our B class, we managed 4 winters on it with tons of stud length left. The B is something like 2000lbs lighter.

[killramos]

If I had the time (and garage space), I'd have 2 sets of wheels. One with performance winters, one with Hakka's, and swap them depending on the days. Instead, I have 2 similar cars, one with performance winters and one with Hakka's.

Hakka's are great for 2 weeks every winter in absolute shit conditions. Performance winters are better 95% of the time but terrible as shit on those 2 weeks. Since the SO doesn't drive like a dick like me, the Hakka's are perfect for her all winter round.

Weight has a huge impact on wear. I'm 3 winters in on the E class and the studs are pretty much done 1/2 way through this winter, so now the tire is basically a winter tire. When we had it on our B class, we managed 4 winters on it with tons of stud length left. The B is something like 2000lbs lighter.

Jeez what are you driving under 400km a year or something to get that long of tire life /errchry

[ercchry]

Jeez what are you driving under 400km a year or something to get that long of tire life /errchry

95% on harder compound performance winters... pay attention!!! You’re supposed to be good with details :rofl:

[heavyD]

I'm not the biggest fan of the Hakka all-weather tires. We used them on my wife's Outback and they were unbearably noisy once they got half worn. As Rage said performance winter tires are perfect for Calgary roads in the winter where the roads are wet/dry a large majority of the time. You just have to be a little careful on the chaotic days we get a massive dump of snow.

[max_boost]

What Hakkas do I get? I currently on Blizzak WS90 and to me it's the best ever but maybe I'll try your best ever.

[The_Rural_Juror]

That's normally a marketing term for "Same product we sell elsewhere, but at twice the price for no reason"

Which part of Canada are they designed for?

- - - Updated - - -


What Hakkas do I get? I currently on Blizzak WS90 and to me it's the best ever but maybe I'll try your best ever.

R3.

[max_boost]

Which part of Canada are they designed for?

- - - Updated - - -



R3.

But bro they rated WS90 ahead of the R3. Fake news? https://www.apa.ca/wintertire_reviews.asp

[tirebob]

Which part of Canada are they designed for?



They were designed apparently for the most severe conditions as opposed to Vancouver like conditions. Again, I have not handled them yet. I am just going by the propo releases. They are going after the Nokian/Hakka consumer.


But bro they rated WS90 ahead of the R3. Fake news? https://www.apa.ca/wintertire_reviews.asp

Well of course anything that goes against our own personal notions is fake news... That is common knowledge!

Seriously though, I never put my faith in any comparative testing as I have said numerous times, there are to many variables that dramatically affect results so even the one real change can alter the rankings, and in the real world, there is no constancy to blanket make the claims the testers come up with. I have been to so many different ride and drives comparing models and brands and the one putting on the event always comes out at the top. It never fails.

[pheoxs]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

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I'm sure there's science behind the stud pattern for optimal grip and longetivity but with there being no symmetric pattern it looks like someone was drunk with a stud gun putting those in

[The_Rural_Juror]

They were designed apparently for the most severe conditions as opposed to Vancouver like conditions. Again, I have not handled them yet. I am just going by the propo releases. They are going after the Nokian/Hakka consumer.

Ok well I am looking for one optimised for Strathmore.


But bro they rated WS90 ahead of the R3. Fake news? https://www.apa.ca/wintertire_reviews.asp

Is Blizzak still only sticky to 50% tread? That's like 2 trips to Costco for some people.

https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=3&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=no&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://www.naf.no/forbrukertester/dekktester/vinterdekktest-2019/

93110

[Mitsu3000gt]

What would be the difference between a tire specifically designed for Canada, and one designed in the Northeast USA, Finland, Iceland, etc? Sounds like marketing to me since a cold, harsh, winter is not unique to Canada by any means. The more choices the better though so I can't really complain.

[tirebob]

Ok well I am looking for one optimised for Strathmore.



Is Blizzak still only sticky to 50% tread? That's like 2 trips to Costco for some people.



I laugh that stigma is still alive and kicking. Waaaay back in the 90's when the Blizzak first came about they were the first company do really tackle that type technology, but it was quickly dumped and moved to full depth compounding and has been that way ever since, but people still like to throw that around, especially in the disreputable stores that don't sell Blizzak and they like to move people away from them with scare tactics.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I laugh that stigma is still alive and kicking. Waaaay back in the 90's when the Blizzak first came about they were the first company do really tackle that type technology, but it was quickly dumped and moved to full depth compounding and has been that way ever since, but people still like to throw that around, especially in the disreputable stores that don't sell Blizzak and they like to move people away from them with scare tactics.

Fine. 4 trips to Costco.

[tirebob]

What would be the difference between a tire specifically designed for Canada, and one designed in the Northeast USA, Finland, Iceland, etc? Sounds like marketing to me since a cold, harsh, winter is not unique to Canada by any means. The more choices the better though so I can't really complain.There are things to consider like road surfaces, average conditions, common vehicles, speed limits (think autobahn vs Canadian highways), consumer demands etc. There are a lot of common things we share but not everything is the same. For sure this is playing on patriotism but it is not uncommon. Just like people believe if it was made for Finland it must be good in winter. I think they are just trying to give it a Canadian spin.

The Duratrac for example was designed and built by Goodyear working with the oil patch in mind. They apparently spent six months working within the oil industry in Canada to build a tire that they wanted and it took off like wildfire.

[you&me]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

Apologies if I've misunderstood, but are you going to be carrying these, Bob? If so, I'd probably give them a shot for the wife's school bus... Any idea on pricing?

[tirebob]

Fine. 4 trips to Costco.


Maybe from my house lol...

The last set of Blizzaks I used were on my wifes QX56 and were the DMV2. Granted she barely drives and is very gentle on her stuff but she ran them summer and winter (I know I know... A tire guys wife should not do that lol) and I took them off after 30k or so and they were still half tread.



Apologies if I've misunderstood, but are you going to be carrying these, Bob? If so, I'd probably give them a shot for the wife's school bus... Any idea on pricing?


I am expecting to but I have not locked it up yet.

[max_boost]

The DMV2 I had on the GLK were incredible. I just love Blizzaks, have sampled many diff tires through the years and keep coming back to them. Agreed tho that you gotta match the tire to your needs and what's most important to you.

Anyway, interesting, the R3 and WS90 are very close price wise, looks like I just might give them a try next but I'll make sure I stay away from Kal :D

[HiSpec]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

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I was hoping they would bring their IceContact3 to N/A. As that tire performed quite well in reviews.

https://www.continental-tires.com/car/tires/icecontact-3

[tirebob]

I was hoping they would bring their IceContact3 to N/A. As that tire performed quite well in reviews.

https://www.continental-tires.com/car/tires/icecontact-3I think there is quite a bit of tech from that tire into this new one with a few tweaks.

[schocker]

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I have the vikingcontact 7 and they were excellent last winter. Great for maneuvering around the morons on shaganppi and 14th st.

[03ozwhip]

I had the hakka 9 studded on my 2015 X5 and of all the winter tires I've had, hands down, they were the best I've used, including R3.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I am going the other way from hakka 9 to r3. Loved the studs but the last few winters have been mild. Maybe I follow what maxboost is doing and get the ws90.

[03ozwhip]

I am going the other way from hakka 9 to r3. Loved the studs but the last few winters have been mild. Maybe I follow what maxboost is doing and get the ws90.

From wildflower ranch? No way.

[The_Rural_Juror]

From wildflower ranch? No way.

Slick people rather than slick roads.

[rvd]

The Duratrac for example was designed and built by Goodyear working with the oil patch in mind. They apparently spent six months working within the oil industry in Canada to build a tire that they wanted and it took off like wildfire.

How do you like the the duratrac's on the truck in winter ?

[tirebob]

How do you like the the duratrac's on the truck in winter ?I was pleasantly surprised! I‘d drive in from Water Valley every day and back again on unplowed backroads, compact snow and all kinds of shit without issue. Don’t get me wrong though... On the real icy stuff my winter took it up a notch, but they were totally manageable and wicked in snow!

[ThePenIsMightier]

Apparently Continental has come out with a tire built and designed exclusively for the Canadian market called the IceContact XTRM. It will have the option to purchase with factory coated and molded in TriStar Tikka studs from Finland and apparently all reports suggest these will be a killer, ultra-premium tier product. It will be interesting to get some real world feedback on these.

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I'll rush out to buy anything Continental right after I get my next set of consumer (non PSS or Cup Sport) Michelin tires so I can report back. Stay tuned for my results when Hell freezes over.
In the meantime, it's Blizzaks for eternity.

As long as Calgary drivers actually purchase WINTER tires, I guess I'm still for it - even if Continental... It hurts me to say that!

[speedog]

I was pleasantly surprised! I‘d drive in from Water Valley every day and back again on unplowed backroads, compact snow and all kinds of shit without issue. Don’t get me wrong though... On the real icy stuff my winter took it up a notch, but they were totally manageable and wicked in snow!

I've got Duratracs on my beater work Suburban and can concur with Bob, only noticeable thing was tire noise on dry roads - they certainly are not the quietest tire I've ever ran.

[killramos]

I've got Duratracs on my beater work Suburban and can concur with Bob, only noticeable thing was tire noise on dry roads - they certainly are not the quietest tire I've ever ran.

You just need more engine to cover up the tire noise :rofl:

I love my duratracs year round, really liked them on my jeep too. Never really left me wanting for more tire except on sheer ice.

I guess if you really wanted to you could run studded duratracs in the winter and have another non studded set for summer.

[speedog]

You just need more engine to cover up the tire noise :rofl:

I love my duratracs year round, really likes them on my jeep too. Never really left me wanting for more tire except on sheer ice.

I guess if you really wanted to you could run studded duratracs in the winter and have another non studded set for summer.

Nah, I just need to get places - I'd actually get a 50-60-70's vintage Suburban in beater looking condition but they're damn near impossible to find.

[tirebob]

I've got Duratracs on my beater work Suburban and can concur with Bob, only noticeable thing was tire noise on dry roads - they certainly are not the quietest tire I've ever ran.See that is funny because mine are not noisy in the least! I suspect many people do not realize they have maybe worn theirs a little lumpy over time and then any aggressive tire is going to get noisy, but new they should not be a noisy tire at all. I guess though driving a Suburban is like a giant speaker box behind you reflecting noise everywhere! lol!

[speedog]

See that is funny because mine are not noisy in the least! I suspect many people do not realize they have maybe worn theirs a little lumpy over time and then any aggressive tire is going to get noisy, but new they should not be a noisy tire at all. I guess though driving a Suburban is like a giant speaker box behind you reflecting noise everywhere! lol!

Mine were even noisier when they were new.

[killramos]

I really have never noticed any noise on either my wrangler or Sierra with duratracs.

P’s on the Wrangler, C’s on my truck.

[tirebob]

Mine were even noisier when they were new. Weird... Maybe you just have that dog hearing that can pick up on noise frequencies outside the norm? :rofl: