First off, I am looking in 196/65R15. I would consider 205/60’s if it was something I couldn’t get in the 195’s, but the 195’s will be cheaper. I am most highly considering hakka 5’s. I’m wondering if anyone has an opinion about the hakka 7’s versus the 5’s that is based on actual use and experience. If for some reason I should go with 7’s I would. The hakka r’s can’t be studded so they are out.
I can get hankook ipike w409’s for less, and winterforces for even less. For normal driving the winterforces are great snows but I know they aren’t the best I can get.
I basically want the best performing studded snow for ice driving. If you have another suggestion let me have it.
Again, this is not a basic snow tire thread. I have driven on plenty of snows and know that even cheap ones can work great under normal conditions. I want to know what the opinion of people who have done aggressive driving on ice is.
ANY studded Hakka on ice will rape, pilage, and destroy. I ran studded Nordman’s, which are Hakka’s that they sold the mold to Nordman, at a winter driving event on a frozen lake and I was very happy. Another idiot I know has studded 5’s and they are VERY VERY good on ice. What is the price difference between the 5 and 7?
These are what I ran. I think that I lost MAYBE 5 studs over all 4 tires and I was not gentle on these
If you want to do the rally Xs during the winter I would recommend studded Hakkas. The ice can build up quite thick at Bruce’s place and anything less sucks as you try to power brake its more of a lost cause. I have not used the 7s nor even seen them yet, they are new this year I think. The Hakka R’s were rated for extreme ice driving specifically or so my Nokian rep told me. I have only used the 5’s studded and not. Studded, they might as well be tank treads.
I don’t have any experience with the 5 vs. 7 but I wouldn’t immediately assume that the 7 is better than the 5 just because its newer. I ran hakka Q’s and then went to the hakka rsi when the Q’s wore out…The Q was miles better in snow and slush while The RSI had better road manners and rain performance. Nokians get beat up for poor rain or dry road performance, In this case I think they compromised too much
FUCK THAT SHIT!!! If you told him you’re going to be doing some ice driving events and he said the R’s are good for that, punch him in his stupid fucking face! I can not stress how much I raped everyone’s asshole on ice in a piece of shit car with studded whatever the fuck those up there are. There was a 1.8T A4 there with studded 5’s and he was doing quite well. But, I still raped him in his ass as he tried to keep up and ended up on top of a huge snow bank while I kept right on going.
Interesting thread. I have a set of un-studded Norman 5’s that I ran last year and loved, but im thinking they need to be studded this year. Anyone have and input as to whether its worth it to stud them, or just purchase new studeed ones ? Mind you the two that where on the rear are a bit worn.
Have to see how my schedule is looking in Jan/Feb, but I’d like to again.
I always thought that once you ran them on the road, you couldn’t get them studded at a later date? Also, if Nordman 5’s use those Eco studs there aren’t any places that can stud those locally.
