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Winter tire recommendations
- Thread starter colinb
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
I am now in my second season with the Hakka 7's on my Sig#37. They work great in all icy/snowy conditions, but the lack of traction on dry pavement and the noise is driving me nuts. I call them my rice crispy tires because of the under 20 mph noise. Even though I have a lot of tread in the Hakka 7's left, I am strongly considering getting a set of the Hakka R2's. The R2's should be almost as good as the 7's on wet ice, if you believe what Nokian says on their web site, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2:
The Cryo Crystal concept boosts the optimal lateral and longitudinal grip of the new tyre. Diamond-tough grip particles that have the appearance of a multi-edged crystal act almost like built-in studs, improving the tyre’s grip on ice. They grip the driving surface, providing sharp and tough grip edges. As the tyre wears down, the eco-friendly crystals that have been evenly divided into the tread surface come up and activate a grip reserve.
In most other conditions, they should equal or exceed the 7's. The more I read, it seems that modern winter tires are moving away from studs without a significant loss in winter traction.
I would appreciate any experience, thoughts, comments, etc.
BTW, here is a video from before I got my MS of my driveway in the winter. This winter, I will mount my GoPro on the MS and get the MS view on a good snowy day. Except in deep powder/before plowing, or sloppy slush conditions in the spring, the MS does great. My worst case grade is 15% just after that last turn.
Up the Driveway at Hole-in-the-Wall - YouTube
Forty Creek
Member
I've had my S since September and put Hakka R2's on a week ago. Haven't had much in the way of snow so cannot comment real winter driving yet. What is noticeable is the noise.... that is at low speed on dry pavement. I am accustomed to noise from winter tires, but this is a notch or two more than I've experienced. Had chalked it up to a quiet car and a lower back-drop of noise. Had Michelins on my Lexus and Blizzak on my Honda Accord before that. Both were good tires.
In the end, I bought the Hakka's for what I hope is the best / safest winter driving experience in the Model S. I'll try not to let the noise become an irritant and will post again after we get that inevitable first big snow.
mknox
Well-Known Member
Interesting. I put the Hakka R2's on a couple of weeks ago and found that they sound a bit different, but not really any louder. I was coming from the 19" stock Goodyears that came with the car.
One thing I do notice with the Hakka's (oddly) is that I get wheel spin when starting from a stop on wet pavement much "easier" than I did with the Goodyears.
mnx
2018 M3P
A lot of winter tires are crap on wet pavement. FYI, tHe Hakka R2's are rated "poor" by consumer reports for both dry and wet braking.
If I were getting winter tires for a Model S now, I'd probably go with the Nokian WRG3's, in the 255/40R19 size. (It's the only 19" size they make) You lose a little in the snow/ice traction over the R2's but you move up a lot in wet/dry braking, handling and hydroplaning resistance.
If I were getting winter tires for a Model S now, I'd probably go with the Nokian WRG3's, in the 255/40R19 size. (It's the only 19" size they make) You lose a little in the snow/ice traction over the R2's but you move up a lot in wet/dry braking, handling and hydroplaning resistance.
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Forty Creek
Member
I came from 19" Michelin Primacys. The Hakkas have a hollow fluttering sound at low speeds by comparison. At highway speeds the sound is far less noticeable to me. I agree with wheel spin experience and I wouldn't want to push the car very hard into corners either. Hey, it's winter after all. Time to behave.
Mario Kadastik
Active Member
Well I'm driving around with Hakka 8's now and it's icy on the smaller roads, but as I've driven almost all of my Model S usage with the Hakka 8 it's hard to say. They feel decent, but of course there's the noise from studded tires. I'll have to do some real snow trips to give any adequate thoughts on it and have to adjust to rear-wheel drive still, but overall I'm happy with them so far.
I've been enjoying the Michelin X-Ice 3 tires.
We had a few really awful days, with the temperature around 30 degrees F and constant precipitation, so I got to deal with rain, wet roads, snow, snow on the road, ice on the road, and slush, all at once. And as you may know, this town has lots and lots of very steep hills (I've posted my energy graph before, and it goes off both the top and bottom of the graph on pretty much every ten-minute trip, in good road conditions.) I had perfect traction, and TC only kicked in once (in the spot on the hill where it always kicks in even in summer, where I go over the manhole cover which is indented).
They're good on dry roads too. And they seem to be good down to at least 15 F, which we reached recently at night.
Oh, also -- I've only noticed a slight worsening in the Wh/mile numbers on dry roads above freezing, not a significant worsening. These are LRR. (Of course, my mileage is far worse in the cold on snow and ice.)
We had a few really awful days, with the temperature around 30 degrees F and constant precipitation, so I got to deal with rain, wet roads, snow, snow on the road, ice on the road, and slush, all at once. And as you may know, this town has lots and lots of very steep hills (I've posted my energy graph before, and it goes off both the top and bottom of the graph on pretty much every ten-minute trip, in good road conditions.) I had perfect traction, and TC only kicked in once (in the spot on the hill where it always kicks in even in summer, where I go over the manhole cover which is indented).
They're good on dry roads too. And they seem to be good down to at least 15 F, which we reached recently at night.
Oh, also -- I've only noticed a slight worsening in the Wh/mile numbers on dry roads above freezing, not a significant worsening. These are LRR. (Of course, my mileage is far worse in the cold on snow and ice.)
TeslaSinHR
Member
Had our first snow fall in Hood River, OR a few weeks ago and realized that I really need to get snow tires on the Tesla.
Ordered Nokian Hakka R2 based on the comments on TMC and having used Nokian WGR2 on my Prius (WGR2 don't come in 19" or I would have gotten them).
Decided to just have the local tire shop remounted tires on my OEM wheels twice a year. Cost is $80 each time, $160/year vs. $1600 for wheels and TPMS sensors. Plus, I'm not the kind of person who would change the wheels out myself anyway.
Ordered Nokian Hakka R2 based on the comments on TMC and having used Nokian WGR2 on my Prius (WGR2 don't come in 19" or I would have gotten them).
Decided to just have the local tire shop remounted tires on my OEM wheels twice a year. Cost is $80 each time, $160/year vs. $1600 for wheels and TPMS sensors. Plus, I'm not the kind of person who would change the wheels out myself anyway.
Forty Creek
Member
i really think that you will be pleased with the choice. A bit noisy at low speeds, but they make the car feel sure footed and controlled, in my experience.
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
A short little discussion about the differences between all season tires and winter tires from Consumer Reports. Between 11.18-16.20:
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Usually the answer is "Yes it's worth getting a set of winter wheels".
1. Every time you mount and demount a tire there is a chance for damage.
2. Road salt and slippery conditions aren't kind to wheels. If you can find used--even better.
3. It's far more convenient to just swap the entire wheel and tire assembly.
4. It's often cheaper depending upon service prices in your area.
I wanted to have the 19" rims out of two reasons. First you need less energy due to the thinner tires than on the 21". Second the comfort on 19" is better than on 21". I had a test drive in both. Finally I had the 19" with air suspension.
Unfortunately, the wheels came with the suboptimal Goodyear Allweather, which performed awfully bad on the first snow. Braking on snow and ice scared me a lot.
So I decided to take the tires of the rims and replaced them with Pirelli Sottozero 3. This not the quietest tire. It ranges in the midfield. But its snow and ice as well as rain performance is phenomenal.
Until next spring I have to decide, how to move on. Perhaps I buy some used 19" for the Goodyear and clean its tire patterns on the race track ;-)
Unfortunately, the wheels came with the suboptimal Goodyear Allweather, which performed awfully bad on the first snow. Braking on snow and ice scared me a lot.
So I decided to take the tires of the rims and replaced them with Pirelli Sottozero 3. This not the quietest tire. It ranges in the midfield. But its snow and ice as well as rain performance is phenomenal.
Until next spring I have to decide, how to move on. Perhaps I buy some used 19" for the Goodyear and clean its tire patterns on the race track ;-)
kevincwelch
Active Member
I got a set of winter wheels and tires. It's a bit unfortunate: I like my Rials so much that I might want to make them my regular wheels! For me, the winter tires have made a noticeable difference in performance in the snow. I also purchased the TPMS sensors from Tire Rack, and I have had no issues with them at all.
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