Wheels/Tyres: Nokian WR Tyres and Average MPG.

[tem]

Originally Posted by sfiente

I called Nokian distribution centre (Tyreco Trading Ltd) and spoke with a guy called Dudley, he informed me that there is no difference in tread depth. The garage in question did say that he can fit the winter tyres for the same price as the summer tyre which was £350.00 for 4.

Please look at the data sheets:-

http://www.nokiantyres.com/files/nkr...n/NRVi_SUV.pdf
for the summer tyres.

http://www.nokiantyres.com/files/nkr..._en/WR_SUV.pdf
for the winter tyres.

I think that you will find that Dudley has made a mistake.

tem.

[sfiente]

His response:

Yes the winter tyres do have more tread, however they are usually disposed of once the tread gets to 3mm as they will struggle to grip in snow. These tyres are suitable for temperatures of 5 degrees and below so I personally would not advise to have these fitted to your car.

The summer tyre will be your best option, which I recommend that you have fitted even though these have the less tread it's all about the tread pattern.

I'm off to Derby to have the 4 fitted for £350.00

[tem]

Originally Posted by sfiente

His response:

Yes the winter tyres do have more tread, however they are usually disposed of once the tread gets to 3mm as they will struggle to grip in snow. These tyres are suitable for temperatures of 5 degrees and below so I personally would not advise to have these fitted to your car.

The summer tyre will be your best option, which I recommend that you have fitted even though these have the less tread it's all about the tread pattern.

I'm off to Derby to have the 4 fitted for £350.00

All I can say to this statement - "he does not have a clue what he is talking about".

I am a frequent visitor to the Norther part of Sweden and there they have large temperature changes from as low as -40C to + 35C and these tyres are all season.

In Scandinavia, the recommended minimum tread depth for winter driving is 4 mm, fortunately, we do not get their weather conditions.

No way, will you get the milage on the summer tyres. The Nokians that I use, have just past 40400 miles and still plenty of tread left. Between now and begining of September, I expect to add a further 5000 miles.

tem.

[sfiente]

Tem,

As you speak with vast experience (as you do travel alot of miles) I believe you. I am suprised that there is no noticeable noise level increase, however you have answered all your critics :-)

Get the snow tyres, they have alot more tread (even if you do not visit Sweden :-) Tell me though, if you did not travel to a country with extreme weather conditions, would you still use the winter tyre? My guess is that you would!

[tem]

Originally Posted by sfiente

Tem,

As you speak with vast experience (as you do travel alot of miles) I believe you. I am suprised that there is no noticeable noise level increase, however you have answered all your critics :-)

Get the snow tyres, they have alot more tread (even if you do not visit Sweden :-) Tell me though, if you did not travel to a country with extreme weather conditions, would you still use the winter tyre? My guess is that you would!

I have never, as far as I remember, ever used the words "Snow Tyre" or "Winter Tyre".
Before I got my first XC90, I looked at forums like this one, spoke to several owners of XC90's and the general feeling, the factory supplied Conti's were not very good. Pretty useless on snow and ice and definately not fit for mud.

Living in the North of Scotland, we do get some snow and I also do travel up the occasional dirt track, but I just wanted a good all round tyre that would get me from A to B, without any problems.

I previously owned two ML's and had difficulty in light snow and slush with the tyres supplied.

With this in mind, I asked some of my friends in Norway & Sweden, what they used? Several makes were mentioned, but the Nokian's came to the front.
Never heard of them before and was a bit worried, with them being so cheap, compared to Conti's, Michelin's, etc, how they would last and perfom.

No way am I saying that the Nokian's, are the "Be All & End All" as far as 4 X 4 Tyres are concened, I am just passing on my experiances with them.

Noise Levels? Please read all the reviews that have been written, regarding these tyres. Possibly in a Ford Transit van, one may notice an increase in noise level, but not in an XC90.

Anyway the choice is yours, no one is forcing anyone to do anything.

If ones XC90, is going to be used as a "Chelsea Tractor", then yes, the Summer Tyres, should do the trick.

All I am pointing out, to my surprise, these are a good "All Season", long lasting, tyre and so far, have been fitted to two XC90's, been through two winters and one very hot summer (melting tar), without any problems.

When I changed the XC90, last September, I sold the Conti's and bought another set of Nokian's, thinking, that I would have to change them by now. They are still in my store.

tem.

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by sfiente

His response:

Yes the winter tyres do have more tread, however they are usually disposed of once the tread gets to 3mm as they will struggle to grip in snow. These tyres are suitable for temperatures of 5 degrees and below so I personally would not advise to have these fitted to your car.

The summer tyre will be your best option, which I recommend that you have fitted even though these have the less tread it's all about the tread pattern.

I'm off to Derby to have the 4 fitted for £350.00

The Nokian web site says the WR tyres are suitable as an all year round tyre.

I'm useing Vredestien Wintrac 4 Extreme's all year round and they are fantastic in the wet. They cut through free water and streams on the road, heavy spray from lorries on the motorway, like they don't exist. On the windy Highland West of Scotland roads, in torrential rain, I was cornering like it was a dry sunny day.

[Arianne]

Hi guys,

I have a D5 185bhp XC90 and here's my personal experience if it helps anyone in the future:

- I find TEMs 40k on single set of Nokian WR amazing. If it was someone else I'd struggle to believe it. But TEM has been contributing to this and another XC90 web forum for at least 18mths. He's credible and I remember the posting when he first bought the Nokians.

- The Nokian WR is an All-Season tyre and is suitable for use in the UK Summer without excessive tread wear or problems with handling. As a tyre for serious snow and ice it is a compromise, as are all All-Season brands. But it's a good choice for somone living in Scotland who doesn't want the hassle of swopping Summer / Winter tyres twice a year. It's far better then a Summer Tyre which is, frankly, completely hopeless in snow and ice.

- I have used the Conti Premium Contact OE tyres. I have Pirelli Scorpians for the winter and now Nokian NRVi for the Summer. There's no discernable cabin noise difference between any of them.

- At 7c it's the tipping point for Summer / Winter tyres. Winter tyres will suffer excessive tread wear at warmer temperatures because of their compound. When my Winter tyres reach 3-4mm I run them on into the following summer as do my friends who live in the Austrian Alps.

- I have full Winter tyres because I ski-drive to the Alps every winter and I'm a risk-averse person where tyres are concerned.

- Anyone who tells you Summer tyres are ok on an AWD XC90 in the Alps is talking rubbish. Those extra rear wheels will give you a tiny bit of extra traction with Summer tyres in snow and ice - they'll probably all spin. And when you brake the 2 ton XC90 will just keep moving - you'll be worse off than the guy in the VW Golf as at least his car weighs less and so holds less energy to stop. And ABS won't help much.

- Snow chains on the front wheels mounted on Summer tyres will give traction as good as any other rubber. But the rear wheels will not grip in braking. Picture hairpin turns decending from ski resort......on bend you'll have front end steering as you watch the back of your XC90 kick out to overtake your bonnet. Effect.......you drive like a frightened rabbit at 15mph with local traffic in your mirrors as far as your eyes can see while they curse you for not knowing where the snow on your piste falls from. Not nice.

Best wishes TEM. BTW, how's peegee these days? Very quiet.

Arianne

[RoyMacDonald]

Although Arianne says the Nokian WR is a compromise on snow and ice. Nokian themselves say that's what the tyre does best and is the best at it in Europe. It's all to do with the sipes apparently . My Vredstien Wintrac 4 Exreme's also make the same claim and also have the sipes.

Arriane's Scorpians are the most off road orientated tyre you can get for the XC90 but they are not the best for snow and ice as I understand.

I wanted a tyre that would be a good in the snow and better off road than the Conti's and it came down to a choice between the Vredstien Wintrac 4 Exreme's or the Nokian WR's for me.

[Arianne]

Roy,

A misunderstanding, me thinks.......

Scorpion is a generic brand name for Pirelli. Within the brand are a range of specialist tyres.

My winter tyres are the Ice & Snow variant - a dedicated winter tyre. In 2006 this tyre was recommended by various German motor magazines when tested on both Mercedes M-Class and VW Touregs.

Having not used the Nokian WR I can't comment upon them to any great extent, except to say that it seems to me that a tyre designed for all year use is unlikely to perform as well as a specialist winter tyre. But the WR will perform much, much better than a summer tyre in snow & ice.

As the attached picture gallery will testify, Pirelli's Ice & Snow Scorpions certainly did the trick in the Austrian Alps this winter.

Sipe technology is pretty standard these days - my previous Continental WinterContact TS810 tyres for the 2003 Ford Galaxy had them.

Best wishes.

Arianne

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by Arianne

Roy,

A misunderstanding, me thinks.......

Scorpion is a generic brand name for Pirelli. Within the brand are a range of specialist tyres.

My winter tyres are the Ice & Snow variant - a dedicated winter tyre. In 2006 this tyre was recommended by various German motor magazines when tested on both Mercedes M-Class and VW Touregs.

Having not used the Nokian WR I can't comment upon them to any great extent, except to say that it seems to me that a tyre designed for all year use is unlikely to perform as well as a specialist winter tyre. But the WR will perform much, much better than a summer tyre in snow & ice.

As the attached picture gallery will testify, Pirelli's Ice & Snow Scorpions certainly did the trick in the Austrian Alps this winter.

Sipe technology is pretty standard these days - my previous Continental WinterContact TS810 tyres for the 2003 Ford Galaxy had them.

Best wishes.

Arianne

Sorry Arianne I forgot about the Ice and Snow variant and I assumed they were the semi offroad ones. Did the test include any other tyres?

The WR's aren't designed as an all year round tyre as I understand. Nokian just say it's OK to use them all year, though they are specifically designed for max grip in snow, and I think there is something a bit different about their sipes according to Nokian anyway.