Think iv decided on nokian winters. What model ??

04yamaha

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Mazda, Cx5 GS awd
After reading for about a week straight the nokian seem to be about the best tire you can get. Just can't decide on the model. Priced hakkapeliitta 7 non studded at kal with rims 1500$ all in. Friend of the family deals tires and can get the nokian's aswell. What should I go with. Hakka 7 non studded. Wrg3 suv or the hakka R2 suv ??
 
These are all great tires, so no matter what you do I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The 7s are an older generation tire than the others, and are meant to be studded (although they can be bought studless in Canada). So you might not get the full benefit of these.

The R2 put hard crystals in their rubber so you get added traction on ice. Not as good as studs, but a lot quieter. I have these and absolutely LOVE them.

The wr g3 are all weather (not to be confused with all season). That means they will do well in just about any condition and season, but not great. You know the saying: "Jack of all trades, master of none". They will probably do better on dry roads in cold conditions than dedicated snow tires, but not as well in snow or on ice. They will also wear quicker in warmer conditions than summer or all season tires because of the softer rubber.

Just to put in more confusion, Nokian now also have the Hakka 8 that are meant to replace the 7. They look quite awesome too, though I know less about them...
 
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I can't seem to find the Hakka 8 in the size we would need. ?? Drive will be the usual Ontario road conditions. For the most part they are pretty good. If I'm going to spend this kinda money on a tire I would like it to last atleast 4 seasons. 50,000kms min so I'm leaning towards a wgR3 just for the longevity but if the r2 will get me though 4 seasons it sounds like they are the best option now. Kal tire said the r2's arnt available at this time. Any other places in Ontario. GTA deal Nokian
 
I'm not sure there is such a thing as typical Ontario road conditions... Thunder Bay would be very different from Toronto I would expect!

I'm pretty sure both tires will last you at least 4 seasons, provided you change them before it gets too warm. I've always kept my tire sets at least 5-6 years. The intended use of the wgr3 are to be used year round, which would decrease their longevity a lot. If you intend on changing them anyway, go for a dedicated winter. That way you'll get the maximum performance year round.
 
Hard to find a 17" nokian tire that not on back order. Has anyone tired a 16" rim. Dealer says no???
 
I have the newer Hakka R2 SUV. They grip really good on the snow/ice covered roads. Also they handle good and are quiet on dry pavement. Don't know about longevity yet, but my last set of of Hakka's were a couple seasons old and still looked new.
I didn't want studs so no 8's for me,.
You are chosing a good tire but crappy part is the 225-17" is a popular size for many vehicles.
 
I can't seem to find the Hakka 8 in the size we would need. ?? Drive will be the usual Ontario road conditions. For the most part they are pretty good. If I'm going to spend this kinda money on a tire I would like it to last atleast 4 seasons. 50,000kms min so I'm leaning towards a wgR3 just for the longevity but if the r2 will get me though 4 seasons it sounds like they are the best option now. Kal tire said the r2's arnt available at this time. Any other places in Ontario. GTA deal Nokian

Have you tried Kaltire?
 
If you are looking at all weather, from my real world experience, I got close to 90,000Km on my original WRG SUV tires, and my wife's WRG2 are at about 70,000km right now, but their winter performance is diminished (I actually took them off and put on Michelin X-Ice3 for the Winter.) Keep in mind, we don't get extreme winter conditions here in the Vancouver area. Maybe less than a week of snow all winter long, but many days of slush and black ice and they perform great in those conditions. When my Yoko's die on the CX5 I will swap them out for all weather tires - in an area like Vancouver where we don't get deep snow and the roads are usually plowed quickly, they are a great compromise tire. My Dad lives out in the valley where they do get a lot more snow and he swears by the Hakka's and had them on his minivan for many years before he swapped to his VW wagon. The dry and wet weather performance of the WRG's is better than snow tires for at least the first half of their life.
 
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