Interesting, still doesent change the fact that Nokian makes insane winter-tires, studded or not. Their lifespan is not as good as other brands, but when they're new, damn do they stick well.
All I know is the Hakkapeliitta R2s on my Volvo grip harder than the Michelin all seasons that were on it when I bought the thing in ALL conditions, even in the dry. They're significantly less responsive, but I mean they're winter tires, with those massive gaps between the tread blocks they're gonna feel a bit squidgy. IDGAF what the CEOs are doing, it's still a damn good tire. I got through every bit of snow I attempted that wasn't higher than my actual ground clearance, they're fucking great.
I own a pair of Nokian zLine summer performance tires. Bought them brand new last year, did around 15000~20000km with them and the tread is almost half gone.
They grip magnificently though.
My first two sets were the OEM Conti's and PureContact. They were both great in fuel mileage and (Dry) grab & release specs. I just put on a set of Nokian eTyers 8,000 miles ago . The three areas where (IMHO) the Nokians out perform the Contis is in: quietness, rain & snow. The Contis were better on dry pavement but were noisier.
I have the dunlops on my S4, and I'm quite happy with them. They' have about 10k miles on them, and are wearing better than I expected. For the price, you won't be disappointed.
I have never felt like the studless Nokians were terrible in the dry - I've had all-season tires I felt were worse - and the one key component that magazine tests can never capture is how traction holds up over time. I have 2 seasons on the Michelin's but not a ton of miles so I haven't seen how they do when worn yet, but in my experience that is the Nokian's trump card - that you get great snow and ice traction for the entire life of the tire, nearly down to the wear bars.
The most eye-opening trait of this Hakkapeliitta R2 is the way it steers on the snow and recovers from understeer. As steering angle increases, the R2 continues to turn the car where the other tires give up. Get into the push, dial it back a few degrees, and the grip returns. It feels more like a summer tire in the wet than a winter tire in the snow.
I have ~90,000 miles of winter driving under my belt, and will say that these Winter Sport 4D tires are probably the best that I've ever used.
Nokian Entyres = :thumbup::thumbup: after 2 months and about 2000 miles. Nokian WRG2's = :thumbdown::thumbdown: after 20,000 miles
The OEM Dunlops on my 12 GLI suck in the wet and I'm sure they would be worse in the snow.
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