11-23-2015, 12:56 PM | #1 |
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Review: Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 on 513M
To make a long story short, after reading tons of reviews, I ended up getting a set of new 513Ms I found on craigslist for $1600 and mounted Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s at Discount Tire for $922 (including installation). Plus TPMS from Hernandiaz11, bringing down the grand total for the winter setup to around $2700. I got a staggered setup with 245/45/18 and 255/45/18. I was a little apprehensive about the sizes, but both Tire Rack and Discount Tire said they would fit fine. They also said a ratio of 45 is not a bad idea for our crappy Michigan roads. They were right. No rub whatsoever and IMO they do not look stretched on the 513Ms.
One of the rims got scratched during installation, but the manager at DT offered to replace or re-finish it. I couldn't ask them in good conscience to replace a $600 rim over a 2" scratch, so re-finish it is. They said it would look like new. So kudos to DT for owning up their mistake. The handling on dry pavement sucked sweaty balls, as feared. In part because the tires were brand new, in part because it was unusually warm the day I got them mounted. I knew it would get better with colder temperatures but still... It immediately made me miss the PSSs. But luckily, we got a decent snow storm on Saturday, which totally redeemed the R2s. It didn't take long for me to feel very confident driving on the highway. Even switching lanes at 50 mph was a breeze and the car did not lose grip once in a >1h drive. The parking lot was not plowed and probably had 4-6" of fresh snow on it. I ended up getting stuck while making a slow U-turn. It took <1 min to get moving but enough for my SUV-on-stock-tires-driving-buddy to make fun of me. Whatever. If anything, it made me glad I didn't go with performance winter tires. Essentially, if you get enough snow, don't have a backup SUV, and don't get snow days at work like me, I think you'll be happy with the R2s. But be prepared to give up significant dry pavement handling, especially on warmer days. [u2b] [/u2b] Last edited by TI.3VOM; 11-24-2015 at 11:03 AM.. |
11-24-2015, 09:55 AM | #3 |
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These tires are no joke. I had a track day scheduled at Road Atlanta in March, but thanks to the late winter storm we had double-digit snow on the ground and single-digit temps. I didn't have any winter tires for the TT RS and scrambled to find some; luckily Discount Tire Direct was able to source some Hakkas for the set of OEM wheels I wasn't using (they were the only winter tires in stock available in 255/35/19). The car is quattro, but tires still make the difference and they performed great. The highway was covered in significant snow until I got halfway through Kentucky, and I never had a concerning moment. That much snowfall is rare for us, and I was impressed.
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11-24-2015, 11:01 AM | #4 |
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No problem! I previously had PA3s on a 330i. They were great on dry pavement, and decent on snow/ice. They were good enough that I kept them until I sold the car, but I wanted better traction this time around, especially with the torque of the S55 and the wider wheels.
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11-24-2015, 11:07 AM | #5 | |
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12-12-2016, 04:29 PM | #6 |
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UPDATE 12/12/16:
First, kuddos to Discount Tire who refinished the wheel after they scratched it. They offered to replace it but I could not in good conscience accept that. It looked like new after. Second, we got almost a foot of snow yesterday and I drove to and from work. No issues at all. So glad I went with Hakkas! LOVE THEM! The performance on dry pavement is still not great but a price I'm more than willing to pay for their reliability and safety on thick snow and ice. I cannot recommend these enough to anyone who doesn't have a 4x4 truck for days like yesterday. I now look forward to driving on snow knowing I can have fun and not worry about getting stuck or losing control. |
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513m, hakkapeliita, nokian, tires, winter |
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