The Winter's Coming Winter Tires Thread

[sevenarms]

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

I wouldn't. Our highways are bare 98% of the winter. Studded would be loud, annoying and unnecessary imo.

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

As someone who lives off 12 Ave SW and spends a good deal of time 17 Ave, I'm gonna have to disagree, they're both equally awful. But as a car enthusiast, the tuners are a bit worse to my mind because they're ruining my hobby specifically.

I'm on 12th and go to 17th Ave as well. The bikes are still worse in my mind. I do get how the crackles can be grating when you know it's just for show, much like a slammed BMW.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

Depends where you live

As Sliver pointed out, in Calgary it’s overkill

In other parts of the province it is not.

[btimbit]

Studded for ice or heavy pack, non-studded for regular snow or bare/barely covered roads

Studless tires are so good now, no need for studs. Although it is fun to do a burnout at night and see some sparks

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

I’ve had both and the only downside really is the noise. It’s super noticeable at first, then you get used to it and the snow and ice kind of dulls the noise, but by spring you’ll be relieved to take them off. I wouldn’t call it annoying, but it’s noticeable.

Are they totally necessary? Absolutely not. Will there be a week or two every year where you are glad you have them? Absolutely. So it just comes down to whether those couple weeks worth of driving are worth the minimal extra cost and the noise.

There is something very nice about approaching one of those ice covered intersections that have been polished to a shine from people sliding or buses or whatever and knowing you can stop, go from a stop, or cruise right through without issue. Or climbing an icy hill and cruising around the vehicles that couldn’t make it.

[Fuzz]

Man, I loved our rear wheel drive MPV with studded tires. So much fun as a teen vehicle. Regular winters were not great back then, so the upgrade was bigger.

[Fuzz]

moving to Gear grinder thread.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I’ve had both and the only downside really is the noise. It’s super noticeable at first, then you get used to it and the snow and ice kind of dulls the noise, but by spring you’ll be relieved to take them off. I wouldn’t call it annoying, but it’s noticeable.

Are they totally necessary? Absolutely not. Will there be a week or two every year where you are glad you have them? Absolutely. So it just comes down to whether those couple weeks worth of driving are worth the minimal extra cost and the noise.

There is something very nice about approaching one of those ice covered intersections that have been polished to a shine from people sliding or buses or whatever and knowing you can stop, go from a stop, or cruise right through without issue. Or climbing an icy hill and cruising around the vehicles that couldn’t make it.

I went Studded tires in a Subaru once, It was great, but when I switched to other cars I noticed I was a worse winter driver as I was used to being in a beast of a vehicle on ice and snow.

[bossy22]

Does anyone have any experience with C-Wheels from Costco?

[WhiteTiger]

Just bought a new set for this year.


Gonna be fun hooning around with my Hakka R5's

[photon]

First impressions of the Pirelli Sottozero 3 winters is good for normal use. Surprisingly quiet, I had Hakkas previously and those weren't excessively loud or anything but were more noticeable than the Pirellis.

They feel very good too on dry pavement again don't feel like as much a transition to winters as the Hakkas did.

Which makes me nervous for when the snow comes, are they compromising snow/ice performance to be better in the dry. But we'll see.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

I live in the Koots, and I’m probably getting them again. For context they’re Hakkas, too. They aren’t as loud as I anticipated, preferably a car with decent noise insulation.

Those dicey, snowy-windswept, can’t see 30 ft, nor go faster than 40km/hr, hwy 22 trips, or climbing the sketchy passes; Paulson, Salmo. Where it snows heavy, and hard, and the plows can’t get it off faster, than it accumulates.

Highway 1/Coq, don’t need em.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

Question for the crowd. Should I go with studded or non-studded Hakkapeliitta's for my 4Runner?

I had the non-studded before and they were amazing. Now we'll mainly be doing highway driving in the mountains. The internet is failing me as a resource with this question.

Few more questions; how many KM are you on winter HWY's? which ones? Chasing snow?

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by photon

First impressions of the Pirelli Sottozero 3 winters is good for normal use. Surprisingly quiet, I had Hakkas previously and those weren't excessively loud or anything but were more noticeable than the Pirellis.

They feel very good too on dry pavement again don't feel like as much a transition to winters as the Hakkas did.

Which makes me nervous for when the snow comes, are they compromising snow/ice performance to be better in the dry. But we'll see.

I swear the latest gen of winter tires are much more quiet. I put winter Contis on the small car, they're extremely quiet. The Alpins on the big car are very quiet as well.

[Bill Bumface]

This site is really good to search various tire reviews:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tes...-Tyre-Test.htm

(I've linked a specific one with the Hak R5s, because IMO Nokian has been caught up to/passed by a lot of the other manufacturers, and no longer worth the price premium they used to command).

[Shazam]

Ah, those are the Contis I bought - Continental VikingContact 8.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

This site is really good to search various tire reviews:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tes...-Tyre-Test.htm

(I've linked a specific one with the Hak R5s, because IMO Nokian has been caught up to/passed by a lot of the other manufacturers, and no longer worth the price premium they used to command).

Appreciate this. I'm looking at studded, and looks like its probably get studded Hakka's again (10's). Constantly receiving good service at KalTire helps alot too.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tes...s-for-2025.htm


ps, anyone ever drive on those Triangle Tires? seem decent value, yet obscure..

[indes]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

I live in the Koots, and I’m probably getting them again. For context they’re Hakkas, too. They aren’t as loud as I anticipated, preferably a car with decent noise insulation.

Those dicey, snowy-windswept, can’t see 30 ft, nor go faster than 40km/hr, hwy 22 trips, or climbing the sketchy passes; Paulson, Salmo. Where it snows heavy, and hard, and the plows can’t get it off faster, than it accumulates.

Highway 1/Coq, don’t need em.

You must be around Castlegar and working in Alberta? I only ask as I lived around there for a decade and worked 14/7 in Alberta and put on thousands of K going over those passes. Some serious winter driving! Especially if you get an early start and get out before the plows.

[TorqueDog]

I'm thinking I have this and the next winter to squeeze out of my winters (Pirelli Scorpion Winter PNCS) before I need to buy new ones. This winter will be the real test of both the tires and the Rover's winter prowess as we're going out to Big White for Christmas this year instead of Winnipeg... debating whether I should snag a set of tire chains just in case.