Winter Tire Help - Nokian's on Backorder

[nicu2001]

Hi all,

I am trying to source winter tires in 245/45/19 or 255/45/19 or 265/45/19 for my Model S and my first choice of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3's are on backorder in 255/45/19. I tried calling as many places as I can and nobody has them and Nokian said they have no ETA on re-stock. I did find a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 in stock in 245/45/19 but Michelin has discontinued this size for this tire.

Questions:

Would you wait a little longer to see if the Nokian's re-stock? I am in Northern NJ and I am running summer tires so prob a few more weeks before I have to do something.

Would you go with the Alpin 5s but buy 5 of them to have a backup incase one tire fails?

Any other recommendations for winter tires in these sizes?

Thanks !!

 

[GtiMart]

I don't know how it will work for your region. Here in Quebec, once they ran out in the past couple of years, they wouldn't get more until the next winter. No one wants to get stuck with tires that they cannot sell for 6 months.
The closest replacement for the Nokians that has been suggested to me is the Continental Viking Contact 7. That's what I just bought to replace my dying Pirelli Sottozero 3's Tesla sold me when I bought the car 2 years ago (because I couldn't get Nokians in December...). I bought them in advance this year and will be installing them in a month or two. The tire place selling them was adamant that they were as good as Nokians. Time will tell.

 

[nicu2001]

I don't know how it will work for your region. Here in Quebec, once they ran out in the past couple of years, they wouldn't get more until the next winter. No one wants to get stuck with tires that they cannot sell for 6 months.
The closest replacement for the Nokians that has been suggested to me is the Continental Viking Contact 7. That's what I just bought to replace my dying Pirelli Sottozero 3's Tesla sold me when I bought the car 2 years ago (because I couldn't get Nokians in December...). I bought them in advance this year and will be installing them in a month or two. The tire place selling them was adamant that they were as good as Nokians. Time will tell.

Thanks this is helpful. The Continental Viking Contact 7 is one of the only tires available in my size that is also in stock so my local garage is pushing these on me as well over the Michelin's as they are discontinued. Just not sure what to actually believe, etc.

 

[GtiMart]

The only really trustable source would be an independent test, done on a similar car as yours, in conditions similar to where you live. That is very difficult. Barring that, you must scrape reviews and comparisons. I've looked at some Nordic country magazines a couple years ago, along with some Canadian reviews. Even then, sometimes they put the Bridgestone Blizzak at the top but I know I would hate that tire: it's too mushy for my tastes. Your tastes may vary. (The Nokians are always close to the top.)
In this particular case, I trust the place I bought the tires from. They told me they go to tire tests sometimes and their experience with this Continental was great. Again, that's just one source I chose to trust. Only time will tell if they were good for me in my model 3 (and my wife's Crosstrek) in my Quebec City conditions.

EDIT: This is one such guide: Top 10: Best Winter Tires for Cars and Small SUVs, 2021-2022. The continental is fifth.

 

[nicu2001]

The only really trustable source would be an independent test, done on a similar car as yours, in conditions similar to where you live. That is very difficult. Barring that, you must scrape reviews and comparisons. I've looked at some Nordic country magazines a couple years ago, along with some Canadian reviews. Even then, sometimes they put the Bridgestone Blizzak at the top but I know I would hate that tire: it's too mushy for my tastes. Your tastes may vary. (The Nokians are always close to the top.)
In this particular case, I trust the place I bought the tires from. They told me they go to tire tests sometimes and their experience with this Continental was great. Again, that's just one source I chose to trust. Only time will tell if they were good for me in my model 3 (and my wife's Crosstrek) in my Quebec City conditions.

EDIT: This is one such guide: Top 10: Best Winter Tires for Cars and Small SUVs, 2021-2022. The continental is fifth.

Thanks again -- your winters are definitely worse than mine so trusting this tire after doing research and speaking with a trusted shop makes me feel better if the Nokian's cannot be sourced in the next few weeks!

 

[nicu2001]

I actually just found a set of 245/45/19 R3s in stock. The 255/45/19 is still on backorder. I think the 245s may perform better in the snow anyway, but maybe won't look as good on a Plaid but who minds as its for winter performance not looks.

 

[GtiMart]

As long as you stay within the normal 3% of overall diameter...

 

[jslaner]

Hi all,

I am trying to source winter tires in 245/45/19 or 255/45/19 or 265/45/19 for my Model S and my first choice of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3's are on backorder in 255/45/19. I tried calling as many places as I can and nobody has them and Nokian said they have no ETA on re-stock. I did find a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 in stock in 245/45/19 but Michelin has discontinued this size for this tire.

Questions:

Would you wait a little longer to see if the Nokian's re-stock? I am in Northern NJ and I am running summer tires so prob a few more weeks before I have to do something.

Would you go with the Alpin 5s but buy 5 of them to have a backup incase one tire fails?

Any other recommendations for winter tires in these sizes?

Thanks !!

I have a new never mounted set of Nokian WRG4 255 35 19. I am out of town till the 30th. Would this be a possibility?

 

[Elkan]

Are Nokians supposed to be a good tire?

 

[GtiMart]

Nokians have some of the best winter tires that exist. I cannot talk about their summer tires.

 

[cityhpper]

You can expect very similar performance between the Viking 7 and the Hakka 3s. They are both strong performers on ice and snow. In my experience, the Continentals are a bit more quiet on dry roads. The Hakkas on the other hand, usually shows less wear after x km/miles. They are both a bit too soft in the sidewalls for spirited driving (in my opinion) but this can partly be countered by incrasing tire pressure by 6-10 %.

 

[GtiMart]

The Hakkas I have had in the past have been very resistant indeed, even when driven somewhat spiritedly. I have not found them overly mushy compared to blizzaks, Toyo Observes and ice tires in general. Highway lane changing was acceptable. The Pirelli SottoZero 3 I have now have been stiffer (almost 4-seasons-like) but they are not great on snow/ice. I'm eager to try the Viking 7s this winter. Judging from the few reviews I've had, I should be satisfied. Thanks for adding your input @cityhpper .

 

[cityhpper]

The Hakkas I have had in the past have been very resistant indeed, even when driven somewhat spiritedly. I have not found them overly mushy compared to blizzaks, Toyo Observes and ice tires in general. Highway lane changing was acceptable. The Pirelli SottoZero 3 I have now have been stiffer (almost 4-seasons-like) but they are not great on snow/ice. I'm eager to try the Viking 7s this winter. Judging from the few reviews I've had, I should be satisfied. Thanks for adding your input @cityhpper .

Pretty sure you will find that the Viking 7s are excellent performers. They would be my choice as well; had I still been living in the mountains where you get proper snow conditions for months at the time.

 

[nicu2001]

If running winters on a Plaid would you pick the R3s in 245/45/19 or the Viking 7s in 255/45/19?

 

[airborne spoon]

i have been running Pirelli Sottozero Serie II 255/40/20 on all 4 tires of my car for the last few winters. They work outstanding!

I grew up in the snow of the real California (north) and had to use snow chains a lot growing up. Once i moved to Alaska i started using studded tires and realized how much more convenient it was to just have a winter and summer set. Now that I'm back in CA i needed winter tires and these were my first set some years back and I've continued to buy them 3 times now.

With the tesla it is no different and since there are NO chains for the car i had to find a quality set of tires for the snow. Since the law is in chain control areas you need to put on chains OR you need to have 4WD/AWD AND be "Severe snow rated". These tires allow me to easily drive through chain control areas without worry.

Of course i need to know the limits of the tires I've got on these take a good bit to break loose. Meaning i have started to skid a couple of times but both times i was driving way too fast for the conditions and it was only for testing purposes. My normal snow driving these have never broken loose once, and while i do drive slower and safer in the snow and ice than dry roads, i still drive much faster than other cars on the roads and these tires handle perfectly.

 

[ModernElectric]

If running winters on a Plaid would you pick the R3s in 245/45/19 or the Viking 7s in 255/45/19

Were you able to make the 245/45/19s work? I have a PLAID in NJ, currently running with summer tires. I have 4 of the 245/45/19 Nokians on 19/8.5 rims sitting in my garage, but I've been reading that this configuration won't work in the back, and maybe not clear the brake shield in the front. Curious to know your experience and what you decided.

 

[nicu2001]

Were you able to make the 245/45/19s work? I have a PLAID in NJ, currently running with summer tires. I have 4 of the 245/45/19 Nokians on 19/8.5 rims sitting in my garage, but I've been reading that this configuration won't work in the back, and maybe not clear the brake shield in the front. Curious to know your experience and what you decided.

I ended up with Viking Contact 7s in 255/45/19 on Signature SV104s which were custom made for the Plaid so not sure about your current fitment working as tire size and rim size are two different factors in being compatible with the car.

As far as the Contact 7s sizing on the SV104s, I think they look pretty good and so far seem to work well in the snow we just had but probably still prefer the Nokians I had on my older Model S. I will also say that I can't really run Plaid mode with them as they can't get enough grip to launch so I use Sport mainly and Chill in the snow. Here is a pic: