Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

rmasteller · #1 11-11-2004, 07:18 PM

I just bought a set of these today and I will report over time my satisfaction with the tire.

Eurpean Site: http://www.nokiantyres.com/passengercars_product_en?product=610499&name=NOKIAN+HAKKAPELIITTA+RSi#

USA Site: http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub.cfm?cid=1&sid=1

First impression is that they are very slippery! I have read on this forum about this brand having an issue with their mould release compound making the tire slick for the first few days or so. I will follow up on that as time goes by.

Lots of sipes! I'm not sure if it has the Sipe Activators and Rim Guard as showin in the above web site. I'll have to look in the day time.

More to come!

rmasteller · #2 11-16-2004, 10:08 AM

I had two issues with the tires so I called the North American office in charge of all N.A. distribution. They were very polite and somewhat helpful.

Nokian Tyres Inc.
339 Mason Rd.
La Vergne, TN 37086
615-287-0600

The first was my misunderstanding. I thought in the photo on the web site that the sipe activators were small rubber posts that spread the sipes apart under pressure. In actuality, they are little cups or dips in the rubber. I guess having a wide gap at the end of the sipe helps activate it. Having seen my tire, I then understood the photo.

The second is unresolved, at least in my mind. The detailed picture of the Rim Guard feature indicates that there is a raised bead of rubber that is very near the rim and helps protect it from foreign objects. The person on the phone said that the feature is actually where the tire meets the rim, not visible with the tire mounted, and it protects against getting salt and small debris between the tire and rim. The person on the phone got on their European web site (www.nokiantyres.com) and on their USA web site (www.nokiantires.com) and in both places the picture of the RSi showed the raised bead that I was expecting. They said this was a computer generate picture, not an actual picture of an actual tire, and that it was probably created during tire development to do marketing before the tire was available. I was told that I should not expect to see on my tire what is on the picture, but not to worry as the Rim Guard is there even though that raised bead is not. I'm not so convinced!

Anyway, here's a little tire review after 6 days and about 150 miles or so. On totally dry pavement the car seems "squirrelly" when cornering. I turn the wheel, the steering starts turning the car, the suspension then takes the load, and then the tires give a little then catch. You definitely have to keep it to the speed limit on curvy roads and on ramps, at least with my type of car. It's raining again today, so I'll report back later to let you know if the wet weather slipperiness has gone away yet.

rmasteller · #3 12-05-2004, 02:09 PM

An S4 is a great car! A friend of mine has an A4 cabrio with a V6 and CVT. I think if you want performance, you're not going to find it in a top quality winter tire. I think they have softer side walls as my tires are at 35 psi, but they look under inflated. My old Michelin MXV4+ tires were at 30 psi and did not look under inflated. Softer sidewalls mean less cornering performance. The RSi has a very soft tread compound, as would the best winter tires. This mean less directional control. These two characteristics will keep you from driving in a sporty or aggressive fashion. If you want to compromise between maximum winter traction and sports car traction, you'll loose out on both attributes to get a some of both.

I did see a set of 17" Nokian WRs at the tire dealership yesterday (I had my RSis re-balanced and they mounted a 5th tire on my full size spare) and they were a very similar design. The main tread pattern was the same, but there were fewer sipes and no sipe activators. The rubber was a little harder. They had the wheel rim protector (thick rubber ridge) I expected to get on the RSis, but didn't. I imagine the WRs would be a very good snow tire as well, but it is geared more toward all-season rather than just snow. It might be the tire for you.

Once my RSis wear out, I will probably go toward a WR type tire next time as the RSi is meant for lots of snow all the time. By the end of January I expect I'll know how they are in the snow. By the way, it's sunny and 55 degrees today here in central Ohio.

Thanks,
Rodd

----- Original Message -----
> Hi Rodd,
>
> I live in Minnesota where we used to get ice and snow for 5 months,
> but the last couple of years have been mild. For example, there's
> only a dusting of snow on the ground right now and the streets are
> bone dry.
>
> I'll be getting an S4 in December and am a bit of an aggressive
> driver, but will switch to summer tires in March so I was looking for
> a great winter tire. At this point it's a guessing game with the
> weather so I'm looking at WRs, RSis, and Vredestein Wintrac Xtremems.
>
> I like the thought of a dedicated winter tire like the RSi since
> that's what I'm buying them for but I don't want to get something that
> handles worse in wet slushy weather; the exact benefit I'm hoping to
> get is wet/snow/ice performance in exchange for less dry handling.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Thanks again!
>

#4 12-06-2004, 10:18 PM

I also have a new set of Nokian RSI. I have them on my 1990 350 SDL. Only 500 miles on them and no snow use yet. Ran them in the rain today and they were fine. I am actually very satisfied with their dry performance. I don't push hard around corners and these cars barely have enough power to pull the skin off pudding so I'm not too worried about the tires being overwhelmed. They are quiet at speed. The 205-65/15 RSI are rated for extra load and seem to have a sturdier sidewall than the other sizes that I saw at the dealer. My choice of winter tire came down to the Michelin X Ice and the RSI's. I'll now better if we see any of the white stuff.
Andre

Toxicant · #5 12-07-2004, 09:22 AM

I wouldn't be to concerned about the rim guard missing, they don't actually work. Most damage done to a wheel is caused by wheel contact to a curb and that small bead of rubber is not going to prevent any damage.

My Supra Turbo has them and the previous owner was still able to cause plenty of curb rash.

I can see your point about the picture...but.

deeph8 · #6 12-07-2004, 09:31 AM

I have used Nokian snow tires on my Saabs for years and they do a great job, almost as good as Green Diamonds.

rmasteller · #7 12-16-2004, 04:09 PM

I now have about 1,300 miles on the RSi's. The dry pavement handling & stability has either improved or I've adjusted to it. Either way, I now feel comfortable at 80 mph on the highway. I think the tires are rated to 100 mph. On the twisty paved rural roads, I feel fine doing the speed limit or 5 mph above at the most. I do need to keep an extra safe distance between me and the car in front of me. I've had to do a couple quick stops and the soft tires just don't stick like all-season tires.

No snow any worse than flurries yet, so stay tuned! I think we'll get some measurable snow this weekend, I'll just have to find a street that is not plowed or salted.

Car Nut · #8 12-18-2004, 03:03 PM

May I ask how much did you pay for the RSI? My local tire shop wants $198 per tire.

My tire size is 215/55R16.

Thanks
Car Nut
1999 E430 Sport

rmasteller · #9 12-19-2004, 09:14 AM

$108 per tire, includng mounting, balance, valve stems, etc (plus tax). 195/65R15.

rmasteller · #10 01-02-2005, 03:52 PM

Sorry for the delayed post:

We had a winter storm on Dec. 22nd. About 5 inches of snow fell at my place of work and across town there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground when I got home from work that day. On my way home I had to go "the back way" because of some errands I had to run. I had to drive on several unplowed and unsalted roads.

Quick summary: In normal circumstances, I never felt like I would get stuck.

Detailed summary: The car would engage the traction control (ASR) quite a bit, but I think that the V-8 engine caused that more than any poor characteristics of the RSi snow tires. The toughest test they got was leaving the boarder/groomer where I was picking up my two dogs. Their driveway was unplowed and when leaving I had to stop on an up-slope before turning left across an unplowed 4 lane highway. The traction control was working a lot when I was trying to pull out of that driveway and through the deep snow, but it did get me out. It's hard to say if a car with a V-6 would work better (less torque to spin tires) or how a car with all season tires would have done. Other than this tough test, in which the car almost got stuck, the tires did great. On level surfaces the acceleration, braking, and steering was really good. I felt comfortable going faster than the other cars on the road. I think these tires are made for, and do really well in, this kind of bad weather. If you don't often have several inches of snow on the roads, then the WR is probably a better pick. It's difficult for me to confirm that, never having driven on a set of WR tires.

dtf · #11 01-02-2005, 04:17 PM

I've got Hakka 2's on the wagon and when I switch off the ASR these tires really perform well on hills. Did you disable your ASR crossing the highway? It really helps, it allows the car to torque up a bit more than with the ASR on providing more guts to the tires.

Car Nut · #12 01-02-2005, 08:59 PM

I am glad that you have a good experience with the RSI. However, it is more difficult to drive in the snow with a rear wheel drive vehicle. No matter what electronic gizmos the car has, if the tires don't have traction, the car will not move. Switching the traction control to off does help a little bit. My experience tells me that in most case the car will get stuck in the snow while making a turn. The reason is that when the front wheels are turned to left or right in snow, they create more resistant to the car to move forward. If you straighten the wheel, you can get out of deep snow more easily.

Having said all that, I am still too lazy to change over to snow tires. I will probably do it next week.

Car Nut
1999 E430 Sport
2005 Audi A6 3.2 Quattro

rmasteller · #13 01-03-2005, 12:39 PM

In 1994 E-class there is no button to turn off the ASR. I felt that turning it off might help as well, but I can't. Yes, front-wheel-drive is better in snow than rear-wheel-drive. I bought the snow tires in hopes of counteracting that fact. I think it's worth it. It was just tough getting started on that upslope. Otherwise the acceleration, braking, and steering was very good for (relatively) deep snow on unplowed roads.

dtf · #14 01-03-2005, 04:40 PM

Rodd, On my '94 wagon I have a button with a picture of snow chains on it that delays the activation of the ASR mode until about 2000 RPM. Your car should have it too. I used the wrong terminology with 'ASR shut off switch'. In my opinion front wheel drive cars are easier to drive in moderate snow conditions but once you loose it, it is almost impossible to regain control while still moving. With a rear wheel drive car one always has a chance to correct your slide and pull yourself out of trouble. I 've owned many, many front wheel drive cars and I am as confident in my rear wheel drive wagon (properly equiped for snow) as with any front wheel drive car.

rmasteller · #15 01-04-2005, 09:55 AM

dtf,

Hi. I read in my owner's manual that this button was to be used when there are snow chains on the tires. It did not explain anything further about what really happens when this button is activated. If it eliminates ASR at low RPM, that would be great!

Can anyone else backup up this statement? What exactly happens when this "snow chains" button is on?

**** Found answer in this post ****
usage of snow chain button