voyetra8 Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 I live in Southie, so Ijust ran down to Castle Island a few minutes ago to play around in the parking lot and some of the back industrial roads... I had bought a set of Nokian WRs earlier in the season, and since we've had zero snow since, I haven't had a chance to see how they behave in the flakes. Not a car on the road, outside of about 15 plows and one cop, and all of the cars had been moved off the road last night... w00t!!!11 The Nokians are fantastic. I tried many different start from stop scenarios, and they never once let me down, even when the road was uphill and unplowed. Stopping was *much* more assured and controlled than my Proxes 4 were. Of course, getting on the brakes heavily will still cause the ABS to kick in, but not nearly as much as the 92s or the P4s. I am now completely convinced that the WRs present an ideal blend of dry/winter performance. I might very well have become a lifetime Nokian convert today... although I'd like to try a set of their summer performance tires first. One thing is for certain: the Finns have made a great tire with the WR. The ensuing parking lot mayhem was a complete blast. I made a slow run through it first to make sure there were no hidden curbs or other hazards hidden under the snow, and once I was comfortable that I wasn't going to kill myself and/or the car, decided to get her sideways.... The snow was very powdery, and I kicked up huge plumes that enveloped the car in a maelstrom of white. (I had to stop periodically to roll down the windows so that I could see again.) I was genuinely impressed by the tenacity of the WRs- I could get the back-end to break loose, but could just as easily get the WRs to grab again with a little throttle modulation. After about 10 minutes of bombing around, I decided to head home before my wife sent out a search party. By this time the conditions had worsened to a near white-out, so I threw on the hazards and cautiously brought her home. Fun times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondas123 Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Awesome to hear, after a lot reading and reviews I'm going to get the Nokian's next fall. How do you feel the noise level and handling on dry pavement is compared to the stock RE 92's? - The Mortgage Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyetra8 Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Awesome to hear, after a lot reading and reviews I'm going to get the Nokian's next fall. How do you feel the noise level and handling on dry pavement is compared to the stock RE 92's? Night and day. The 92s were outright dangerous, in my opinion. It might be heresy to some, but I think the WRs are almost as good as the Proxes are in the dry. At least at the level that I drive at... I am not autocrossing or anything. In the rain, the WRs are definitely better than either. As for noise, I've noticed some on certain road textures, but nothing worth mentioning, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Have a closeup of the tread pattern, by chance? Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhesketh Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 This them? http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub.cfm?cid=1&sid=3 neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyetra8 Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Have a closeup of the tread pattern, by chance? Charging the camera now. Going to go out and take some pics in a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyetra8 Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 http://www.nokiantyres.com/files/nkr/ha_talvi/wr_tuote_iso.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highwaydrifter Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 if you search on these forums for nokian wr groupbuy you should see the groupbuy i setup. Last i heard the deal still stands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 It's a blast out there right now. I just did an Acton - Andover round trip on Rt. 2 and I-495. On the way back, both highways had about 3-4" of fresh powder, which I found easier to drive in than the ruts most of the other traffic had been using. Still, there were very, very few vehicles out there besides the plows. 40-45mph in powder kicks up quite a plume behind you. This was on the dreaded RE92s. I can't wait to get something better for next winter. Still, if you're experienced with winter driving, I think the RE92s are (barely) adequate. This is my first AWD car. I'm loving it. Every snowfall I go out to a nearby empty parking lot to get used to how it responds to various throttle inputs. I love being able to kick the rear end out a bit on a turn and than reel it back in fairly predictably. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Charging the camera now. Going to go out and take some pics in a few. Great. RSI in 225/55r17. Tread depth was almost 12/32nds new. http://www.geocities.com/theseventhfirst/nokianrsi.jpg Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_j Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I concur with your report. My wife/I are on our 5th set over 2 cars which we used them year round. In snow she did not think our WRX with WR's was signicantly better than her previous Civic/WR's which says a lot for their winter traction. We plan on getting them for our LGT on probably around next winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Voyetra8, How are the Proxes 4 in the snow? I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyetra8 Posted February 14, 2006 Author Share Posted February 14, 2006 Voyetra8, How are the Proxes 4 in the snow? Bad enough that I bought a set of WRs. Seriously though- was not comfortable letting my wife drive on them in the snow. Great in dry/wet but not really suggested for snow. The ABS would basically kick on immediately in the snow under anything greater than feather-like braking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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