Nokian studded tires

[Jeeps17]

Hello all,

I am currently trying to decide which winter tires to buy for my upcoming S (I live in Montreal), and have narrowed it down to Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7s, either with or without studs.

I have never owned studded tires (or a RWD car, for that matter), and would be curious to hear from any S owners who bought the studded tire package from Tesla.

Impressions on dry / wet traction, snow / ice traction and noise would be greatly appreciated.

There is precious little information to be found on these tires online (I know they are good though), and even less with a powerful RWD electric car...

Thank you!

 

[William13]

Unfortunately, I don't know about studded version. I do know about the Hakka R which is not studded. It is great. The studs theoretically only add ice traction but decrease snow traction.

I see lots of snow. No question about my choice.

The car is overpowered and could use a little less traction control, but the snow is the only time the traction control allows "fun."

 

[clea]

I am also still hesitant about getting the studded version of the Hakkas 7s and am also considering getting the non-studded 7s.

The current option I am mulling over is to take the winter tire package with the studded 7s (which is a good deal considering what it would cost to get the tires separately) and if I decide later that the studs are too noisy or the wet/dry traction is unsatisfactory I will remove the studs before next winter season. I have seen people describe the procedure and it seems that the only downfall (besides being labour intensive) is that you could create a leak. They were not talking specifically about the Hakkas 7 studs however.

Is there anybody out there that has removed studs from studded tires before or had it done and can comment?

 

[Yagi]

(...) would be curious to hear from any S owners who bought the studded tire package from Tesla. (...)

patp wrote about a friend of his in Montreal that has studded tires on his S here. Maybe he will be able to give you more info.

 

[clea]

patp wrote about a friend of his in Montreal that has studded tires on his S here. Maybe he will be able to give you more info.

I had completely missed that post, thanks!

 

[PatP]

I am also still hesitant about getting the studded version of the Hakkas 7s and am also considering getting the non-studded 7s.

The current option I am mulling over is to take the winter tire package with the studded 7s (which is a good deal considering what it would cost to get the tires separately) and if I decide later that the studs are too noisy or the wet/dry traction is unsatisfactory I will remove the studs before next winter season. I have seen people describe the procedure and it seems that the only downfall (besides being labour intensive) is that you could create a leak. They were not talking specifically about the Hakkas 7 studs however.

Is there anybody out there that has removed studs from studded tires before or had it done and can comment?

Yes... I did this after one winter on my Audi A3... I took about 4 hours. It's a long process. I used lot's of WD-40.....

 

[clea]

Yes... I did this after one winter on my Audi A3... I took about 4 hours. It's a long process. I used lot's of WD-40.....

Thanks. That doesn't sound too bad. Were they the same kinds of studs that are on the Hakka 7s?

 

[richkae]

I have Nokian Hakka R's ( no studs ) and I am very happy with them.

I do not want to make a large sacrifice of grip and safety on dry,wet or snowy pavement for improved grip on ice.
I will remember to drive more slowly and carefully when on ice, and believe my net safety to be vastly improved over studded tires.

 

[mknox]

Just want to point out you will be ticketed in Ontario with studded tires, and may even have your car impounded. I don't think it matters if you have out-of-province plates either. My father had studded winter tires back in the '60s (when they were legal here) and you could clearly see sparks from the tires on dry pavement at night. Just a heads-up in case you're planning any winter road trips to Ontario!

 

[clea]

Just want to point out you will be ticketed in Ontario with studded tires, and may even have your car impounded. I don't think it matters if you have out-of-province plates either. My father had studded winter tires back in the '60s (when they were legal here) and you could clearly see sparks from the tires on dry pavement at night. Just a heads-up in case you're planning any winter road trips to Ontario!

thanks for the heads up but according to the MTO out of towners and northern Ontario residents are allowed to have studs.

 

[mknox]

thanks for the heads up but according to the MTO out of towners and northern Ontario residents are allowed to have studs.

Ahhh... that's new. I see they say "...can now use studded tires". I wonder when that changed? I see they also say "Only lightweight Scandinavian studs can be used..." I remember Ontario made a big huge deal of this years ago when they were first banned. One of the concerns, I recall had to do with studs coming loose and being flung into other cars and pedestrians.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Jeeps17]

I have Nokian Hakka R's ( no studs ) and I am very happy with them.

I do not want to make a large sacrifice of grip and safety on dry,wet or snowy pavement for improved grip on ice.
I will remember to drive more slowly and carefully when on ice, and believe my net safety to be vastly improved over studded tires.

The reason I am going through all this angst is that in Montreal in autumn and spring we often have thaw-freeze cycles during the same day, leading to transiently icy roads. My driveway is inclined (similar to PBrulott's if you saw his videos), and I work in downtown Montreal at the corner of Pine and University streets, which happens to be the top of a hill.

I have occasionally seen, under bad conditions, powerful RWD cars unable to navigate this area (think Merc AMG), one I remember just had his wheels spinning and he was going sideways! :scared: Of course this does not happen often, but it can sometimes be unpredictable.

In this context, my last three vehicles have been AWD, and I am a bit anxious about the S during these types of days, but have zero experience with studded tires... Obviously I expect them to be even noisier in a quiet car like the S, but cannot conclude if the pros outweigh the cons at this time.