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This particular video is Nokian marketing literature. Why would it show anything else except for Nokian being far superior? LOL. I had to chuckle when that first stopping test had a competitor non-directional tire set up against the Hakka 5 directional tire. Obviously, even if everything else is equal, directional tires have significant advantage in stopping. Then that second stopping test shows a WS60 with suspiciously smooth tread blocks . . . were these worn or so brand spanking new that they still had shipping/storage "caps" on? Bridgestone product description mentions the need for the first few hundred miles to scrape off the shipping/storage "caps" before the tires are in full service condition.
Studless snow tires are indeed very temperamental animals. What exactly do we suppose will happen to the Hakka R after the "patented" tiny pockets that can be no more than 1/10" deep on the tire surface are worn away? Much worse performance than when new, just like the Blizzaks. That's why I'm skeptical about the applicability of the old school winter/summer swaps in an age when some all-season perform very close to snow tires when new. The snow/ice on the ground is too dumb to read the label on your tire, LOL, but it can feel the difference in tread depth and sipes.
In the video, there is no indication that the two sets of brake tests were done at the same speed, and from the shadow, they seemed to be done at different times. BTW, these tests show that even regular all seasons as chosen by a snow tire commercial, as opposed to especially winter-capable all seasons, came off remarkably well. In one of the test, for some reason, the "competitor's premium winter" became grouped much close to all-seasons than to the other two winter tires. The especially winter-capable all-seasons that have come on the market in the last year or two can probably do far better.
I may have used the word "obsolete" unfortunately when I wrote earlier that the first 1/3 tread wear on new snow tires like the Blizzaks and follow-up competitors practically made studded tires obsolete, I did not actually mean to specifically argue that the studded tires performance on ice were vastly surpassed by the latest studless winter tires, but that the performances were close enough that the sacrifices that usually come with studded tires have become unnecessary for the overwhelming majority of driving conditions. The Tirerack test (they sell both studless and studdable winter tires) showing studless tires actually being superior on ice came as a surprise to me too.
posted by 96.233.42...
, Sun, 12 Dec 2010 11:12:16
, Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:19:28, Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:48:02
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