Oppo Review: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2

"AkursedX" (akursedx) 01/27/2016 at 11:14 • Filed to: None

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Photo from the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

This past July, I purchased a new 2016 Subaru WRX STi. From the factory, it comes equipped with Dunlop Sport Maxx RT in 245/40-R18. While this tire is a pretty grippy tire and rides nicely, it certainly wasn’t something I wanted to drive on through a Buffalo, NY winter. So that meant it was time to go winter tire shopping. Unfortunately General Tires doesn’t make my favorite snow-tire, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 18” sizes, and I didn’t want to downsize, so I had to look elsewhere.

I was up in the air on what I wanted to do. I thought about cheaping-out and just finding a so-so winter tire that was cheap. But then I realized that I will be putting more miles on this car in the winter than I will in the summer, so I should probably buy something that I liked.

I have owned snow tires from a number of brands and I have heard from many people how great Nokian snow-tires are. My only previous experience with Nokian Tires was a worn set of WRG2-SUV’s that were on an ex-Michigan State Police Tahoe that I owned. They were OK in that application and got me through a mild Michigan winter just fine.

My STi in its winter-form

After a little bit of reading and research, I decided on buying a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2’s in 225/45-R18 through !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (free shipping). I went a little narrower because it’s generally accepted that narrower is better in the winter and also because that size was $42/tire cheaper. But at $792 total, they were far from cheap. I had a friend of mine install them last Novemember and have been running them ever since.

For the Wet and Dry segments of this review, I am going to provide my feelings about this tire in two categories: Over 40*, and Under 40*. This particular tire acts very different in the warm and cold and I feel it’s important to address both areas separately.

Dry Grip

Over 40* - In the warmer weather, the compound on this tire gets extremely soft. Sure, this is true for pretty much all winter tires, but I have never had such sponginess in a tire. There was a day I had to drive to work when it was 70* out and I took a right-hander kind of hard and it felt like I was driving on pudding. It felt like the tires were going to fold over on themselves. After this happened, I upped the tire pressure to 43F/41R-PSI to help compensate. It helped, but not much. I felt I had to be a much more tentative driver. 4/10

Under 40* - Once the compound in these tires firm up a bit, they are a totally different tire. Even in single digit temps, they provide excellent grip. Where even all-seasons start to feel like riding on hockey pucks, the Hakka’s are still pliable and grabbing the road for all the mechanical grip they can provide. They still aren’t the stiffest tires in the world and have a good amount of sidewall flex, but they aren’t designed for track handling anyways. 8/10

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! mudflaps; for when you don’t want to drop $200 on Rally-Armors

Wet grip

Over 40* - Once again, the compound these tires are made of are downright scary in warm situations. I had a couple of heavy understeer incidents on wet pavement in the warmer weather (60*+). It almost felt like my tires had a coat of oil on them. Hydroplaning in standing water is something that snow-tires tend not to handle well, but the few times I hit some with these, I had no issues. 4/10

Under 40* - Wet pavement became nothing to fear. Handling seemed predictable, and you could feel the loss of traction at a much higher threshold than when it was warmer out. Hydroplaning resistance remained strong. 8/10

Ice Grip

I took my STi to an empty lot one evening after a freezing rain left a nice sheet of ice on the lot. ‘Wow’ is about all I can say. On Nokian’s website, they talk about how this tire has microscopic crystals within the compound that help dig into the ice. Well, it works.

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Acceleration and braking were excellent. I had to put quite a bit of input into the throttle to get significant wheelspin and brakes had a good amount of modulation before the ABS would start engaging. Cornering was the same. I cornered as hard as I was willing to and the tires held strong. When they did break grip, it felt predictable and easy to regain control. I did own an ’11 WRX with General Altimax Arctics, and I feel that on ice, the Hakka’s are far-superior to those. These perform as good or better on the ice than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 and WS80's that I have used. I really think you would have to go to a studded-snow-tire to find better grip. 10/10

Snow Grip

I had a fair bit of time on snow-covered roads and these tires tore through it like a boss. As long as there is not enough snow on the ground to where my STi simply can’t clear it, these tires will get through it. The aggressive design, jagged edges, and insane amount of sipes provide plenty of area for the tread to tear into and through the snow.

Sipes and aggressive tread: these tires have it

Like on the ice, you really have to be heavy on the pedals to spin the tires or engage the ABS. A conservative, safe winter driver probably would very few white-knuckled drives with these tires and Subaru’s AWD system. 10/10

Ride Comfort/Noise

When I first put these tires on the increase in road noise was instantly noticeable. They are a fair bit louder than the stock Dunlops. The STi isn’t exactly European-quality in its cabin-isolation so the added noise would probably be annoying to some. To me, I don’t mind it as I enjoy hearing what my car is doing (Seriously. I hardly ever even drive with the radio on) , but I feel that the noise increase is worth mentioning.

As for the overall comfort of the tire, I can’t complain. The tire does a good job of absorbing bumps and rough roads. I’m sure the softer compound and sidewall contributed to that. I would say that while the noise increased over the Dunlops, the ride quality improved as well. 7/10

Conclusion

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2’s are probably one of the best snow and ice tires out on the market period. The way these tires handle bad weather is remarkable and they have excellent grip in cold-dry weather.

These tires have the all-out snow performance of the General Altimax Arctic with the superior ice-grip of the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 all in one.

That said, this performance comes at a sacrifice. For as great as it is in the cold, it becomes downright scary in warm weather. If you live in a place that only has relatively mild winters with the occasional warm-snap, I would certainly recommend you buy something else.

But if you are like me and live in a frozen-tundra of lake-effect snow, single digit temps, and sub-40* weather from November to March with little-to-no relief, this tire might be one you want to consider.

In all honesty, unless the only thing that matters to you is having the best in snow and ice performance, I wouldn’t recommend this tire to most. There are a lot of tires out there that are cheaper, have better handling characteristics in warmer weather, and still have 90-95% of the snow and ice capabilities of this tire.

Final score: 51/70

atrombs > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:19

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I just remember these being the tires that Tom and Ray raved about on Car Talk. They seem to be the cream of the crop.

atrombs > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:20

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Awesome Car, BTW.

Master Cylinder > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:26

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I want to try these after my Blizzaks wear out. I think I have about one more winter before they’re too far gone to use safely. The Blizzaks are great in the snow and OK on ice, but downright garbage when the road is wet, especially when the temps are above 40-45 degrees or so. I have heard lots of good things about these Nokians and would just like to compare the two.

McMike > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:30

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I have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliittas, too.

Compared to my three-season tire, they make a WORLD of difference. Glad you like them.

Agrajag > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:32

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I own a set as well and can confirm the terrifying qualities in above 40degree weather. They are fantastic otherwise.

spanfucker retire bitch > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:36

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I’ve seen an STi a couple of times in the last few months. You work or live by Amherst/Williamsville by any chance? I can’t imagine there are that many brand new STis around here in your color.

Also, how are you getting by without a front license plate?

AkursedX > spanfucker retire bitch 01/27/2016 at 11:38

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No, I don’t go that way much. I live in Lackawanna and take rt5 into Buffalo.

And I do have a front plate but its mounted out of the pic in a grimmspeed plate mount that installs in the tow hook.

spanfucker retire bitch > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 11:44

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Well that clears all of that up!

spanfucker retire bitch > Master Cylinder 01/27/2016 at 11:46

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Checkout the Micheline X-ice Xi3s as well. TireRack has done some reviews on several snow tires and found those to work really well on dry/wet roads in warmer conditions.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 12:03

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I see you’re also a proponent of the 7 point scale (in its 70pt form here)

Awesome!

I’ve had Haks on my old Jetta. Maybe R5? Expensive, but worth every penny. Unstoppable and safe in the snow and cold

AkursedX > Agrajag 01/27/2016 at 13:01

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I’m glad someone else here can confirm this. Warm weather useage was certainly an afterthought in the design of this tire (although its totally understandable since it is a winter tire)

AkursedX > atrombs 01/27/2016 at 13:01

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Thank you!

Agrajag > AkursedX 01/27/2016 at 15:47

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Yeah, were it not for the unseasonably warm weather we had in the northeast I’d have never found out.

e9xforest > AkursedX 02/18/2016 at 09:27

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Nice car! Also, nice review. I was torn between spending the extra cash on these or just settling with some WS80s, and I ended up with the WS80s (though if I was able to get the same price as you, I would have bought the Nokians).

I’m not sure if the conditions I’ve seen have just been super low traction or what, but I feel that my braking in slush/snow is quite limited. I think I’ll either move to a performance winter tire next time, or these. Obviously depending on if I stick around in the north (NE Ohio).

AkursedX > e9xforest 02/18/2016 at 12:21

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I had a pair of WS80's on my AWD Ford Escape and I wasn’t too impressed with them in the snow/slush. They had great ice-grip, but I thought that they spun too much and engaged the abs much too quickly on snowy surfaces. It was still far better than the stock Continentals though.

Mexifinn > AkursedX 02/29/2016 at 10:17

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Unfortunately General Tires doesn’t make my favorite snow-tire, the Altimax-Arctic in 18” sizes, and I didn’t want to downsize, so I had to look elsewhere.

Why not downsize? Not only is it snow/ice/temps, but the fact that roads get worse in the winter, so less of a chance of busting a rim. Yeah, there is a sacrifice in performance, but it is winter afterall. Also gives you a chance to go to a skinnier tire (maybe 205 or 225) which if I recall is recommended in winter due to contact patch and such.

Otherwise, yeah, great tire. I cheaped out for my wife’s car and got her Michelin X-Ice3's which at the time were rated almost as high as the R2's. I used to run RSi’s which were many generations ago of the Nokian R series tires and they were fantastic!

ateamfan42 > spanfucker retire bitch 02/29/2016 at 10:22

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yes!

I’m rocking the X-ice on my Miata this winter. With the freak warm weather we had in Dec, plus some oddball warm days right now, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to drive in temps where one generally wouldn’t run snow tires. They have performed quite well, and deliver great performance in the normal winter conditions too (as one would expect).

James May is my spirit animal > AkursedX 02/29/2016 at 11:19

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I have Gislaved Nordfrost 5's right now, and love them (going on 3yo?). Can't wait to try a newer tire in two or three more years, once these bite the dust.

James May is my spirit animal > McMike 02/29/2016 at 11:20

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Pure JALOP

haktical > AkursedX 02/29/2016 at 11:22

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I put a set of these on my GTI this year (I run the OEM summer tire option Bridgestone Potenza S001s in the summer), 225/40 18s (OEM size). Pretty much spot on with my thoughts as well.

The most obvious difference (in dry) is the sidewall flex; it’s brutal. It really takes away from the front-end feel, which is a little disorienting in a FWD car with an electric rack. Also, TC intervening in even 3rd gear at higher revs shows that their dry grip really isn’t their strong suit.

That said, they handle the white stuff like a boss. No issues on snow, ice, slush, puddles from melting snow, etc. I never have to look out the window and go “nah, the weather is too bad, let’s stay home.”

jjhats > AkursedX 02/29/2016 at 11:57

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why wouldn’t you downsize your wheel and tire combo?

AkursedX > jjhats 03/01/2016 at 09:36

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Vanity mainly. Actually, I’m not a big fan of the stock wheels and wanted something different for nice weather. So rather than buying a another set of smaller wheels for snows, I just put them on the stock wheels. Sure I could have sold them, but didnt feel like putting in the work.

AkursedX > Mexifinn 03/01/2016 at 09:39

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I wanted to buy new, better looking wheels for the summer, so instead of selling the OEM’s, it’s easier and more cost-effective over all for me to just run a snow tire on them. And I did downsize the width (I went from a 245/40 to a 225/45).

Mexifinn > AkursedX 03/01/2016 at 15:31

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Yeah - having two sets of rims is key too if you have the space to store them. Got two sets of wheels for each car, so I just do the swap in my driveway whenever I feel like it (or there is an impending snow storm of doom foretasted for the next day and I’m still on my summer performance tires...)

i86hotdogs > AkursedX 05/08/2019 at 12:57

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Reviving a dead thread here...I am on the fence between these and the Altimax Arctic’s for a rallycross tire. You mention a lot of sidewall flex in the Nokians, any comparison to the Altimax? 

AkursedX > i86hotdogs 05/09/2019 at 21:57

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If I were going to be rallycrossing, I think I'd probably go with the altimaxs. I think the bigger tread blocks that the generals have would provide better stability. But that is just a guess. 

i86hotdogs > AkursedX 05/10/2019 at 06:57

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I was thinking that too. Although I did find a set of Nokia R2's for $85/wheel which is astronomically low. I went ultra budget and got Sumimoto Ice Edge at $68/wheel. If these don’ t make it through the r allycross season, I’ll pick up the Nokia’s for actual winter use.