Anyone Run Nokian Hakka LT3 Winter Tires

What am I doing for this winter? Well, praying for snow! Last year we didn't get a damn thing. But I digress.

On to tires, my OEM GY Territory M/T's are on their last leg (48k miles). I'm waiting for Milestar to release their A/T Pro's in 315's. If that doesn't happen in time it's a toss up. Go back to GY (because they are cheap and) fine in all conditions though I haven't driven in more than 2" of snow, 2 years ago. Or I'm liking the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's. Of course you can't ever go wrong with BFG A/T's either. My only suggestion is STAY AWAY from Nitto Ridge Grapplers, had them on wife's Jeep 2 years ago and they had all kinds of problems in snow & rain.

Granted we don't get nearly the snowfall you are probably seeing, and everyone has an opinion on what they like. This was just my 2 cents.

As for Nokian, I never heard of them. Then again, there are so many (no-named) tires out there today that who knows how good any of them are.

That tire looks to have everything I would look for in a hard pack/ice driving condition. Lots of sipeing, studs, probably a soft compound rubber.... Will not last long on pavement though. Don't put them on until you have hard pack and take them off at the first sign of dry pavement in the spring and they should last you.... I would go for it. Those would be night - and - day verses the GYs.

If you do your research, you'll find that Nokian is pretty much the best winter tire. It goes beyond the tread pattern, it's what's in the compound that keeps the tires soft in extreme cold. They are from Finland where it is cold!

I've had a few different sets over the years. Even the Hakki 1s with studs were unstoppable in the snow on my Impreza. The last set I had were Hakki 3s, they weren't studless, also snow and ice killers. (second from the right) I've been through a whole bunch of tires over the years, these were the ones I had for one of my Imprezas.

EvlNvrDys

What am I doing for this winter? Well, praying for snow! Last year we didn't get a damn thing. But I digress.

On to tires, my OEM GY Territory M/T's are on their last leg (48k miles). I'm waiting for Milestar to release their A/T Pro's in 315's. If that doesn't happen in time it's a toss up. Go back to GY (because they are cheap and) fine in all conditions though I haven't driven in more than 2" of snow, 2 years ago. Or I'm liking the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's. Of course you can't ever go wrong with BFG A/T's either. My only suggestion is STAY AWAY from Nitto Ridge Grapplers, had them on wife's Jeep 2 years ago and they had all kinds of problems in snow & rain.

Granted we don't get nearly the snowfall you are probably seeing, and everyone has an opinion on what they like. This was just my 2 cents.

As for Nokian, I never heard of them. Then again, there are so many (no-named) tires out there today that who knows how good any of them are.

LOL - Yeah, Prayer's our best option here too!! Good to see you're mileage on these Territories. They seem such light-weights, I wasn't expectiong more than 20k. Gotta say that looks like our ours have held up well after couple hundred miles over Colorado's very rocky mtn trails. It's too early to really know, but don't see any cuts or tread damage so far.

Agree, your AT options are top tier. We're also interested in new stuff from both BFG & GY. You may know that YouTube's TrailRecon runs Milestar's Patagonia. They look like great value 3 season tires.

Cheers

Nokian winter tires are top notch. We are located in the interior mountains of British Columbia Canada so we are also used to deep snow, icy roads, and cold temps. I have not used the Hakka LT3's myself but we have had other Hakka winter tires on various other vehicles. We currently have Hakka SUV non studded on our non Sas 2022 and they are super in the snow and the ice. I personally go back and fourth on the need for studded tires. Definitely helpful in hard packed snow and ice but not needed and possibly worse in softer snow and pavement so it depends on your preference and usual drive. Love the Hakka tires in my opinion they are superior to Blizzaks and I'm not sure if you've looked at other sized rims for dedicated winter tires to get to a 35" size or at least close to it.

Unicorn

That tire looks to have everything I would look for in a hard pack/ice driving condition. Lots of sipeing, studs, probably a soft compound rubber.... Will not last long on pavement though. Don't put them on until you have hard pack and take them off at the first sign of dry pavement in the spring and they should last you.... I would go for it. Those would be night - and - day verses the GYs.

Thanks for your reply! Yeah, we're thinking 'bout mounting winter snow tires on Wildtrak's OEM wheels for December - April. December's our coldest month, & April's the snowiest. In May, we'll at least consider adding custom wheels for 3-season tires starting with these Territories.

We're really surprised there's only one tire maker with dedicated winter tires in 35" LT sizes.

Cheers

EZAPAR

If you do your research, you'll find that Nokian is pretty much the best winter tire. It goes beyond the tread pattern, it's what's in the compound that keeps the tires soft in extreme cold. They are from Finland where it is cold!

I've had a few different sets over the years. Even the Hakki 1s with studs were unstoppable in the snow on my Impreza. The last set I had were Hakki 3s, they weren't studless, also snow and ice killers. (second from the right) I've been through a whole bunch of tires over the years, these were the ones I had for one of my Imprezas.

WOW, Great tire collection - Truly meats for every occasion!! Yeah, we had a -16f last December with 24/7 snowy & icy roads until March. Our road's 'bout 1/4mile that climbs a northfacing hillside above a small creek. It's a great sled hill that our grandkids & I greatly enjoy. However, there's frequently a little too much drama driving this road.

Thank you for your reply !

Cheers

Steve22

Nokian winter tires are top notch. We are located in the interior mountains of British Columbia Canada so we are also used to deep snow, icy roads, and cold temps. I have not used the Hakka LT3's myself but we have had other Hakka winter tires on various other vehicles. We currently have Hakka SUV non studded on our non Sas 2022 and they are super in the snow and the ice. I personally go back and fourth on the need for studded tires. Definitely helpful in hard packed snow and ice but not needed and possibly worse in softer snow and pavement so it depends on your preference and usual drive. Love the Hakka tires in my opinion they are superior to Blizzaks and I'm not sure if you've looked at other sized rims for dedicated winter tires to get to a 35" size or at least close to it.

Thank you for your reply - Your's is a MOST BEAUTIFUL LOCATION!! We've visited Glacier NP, and really need to get ourselves up to Banff and also ski Whistler.

Thanks for commenting on your Nokian experience. These tires aren't very well known down here. At least, I've never seem 'em 'round here.

Discount Tire stock's LT3s in their Chicago warehouse and tells me this year Nokian's making only the studded version in this 315 size. We've never use studs, and our garage floor may not luv 'em, but they should help us on these icy roads.

Thanks again - Cheers

Ok snow fans - Looks like we're heading into a very snowy season .. again!! My snow gauge has 17" here so far, but that just our location. Here's a weekly chart of Northern Hemisphere surface's snow coverage.

As of last week, we're nearly bumping into the 57 year maximum snow coverage!! Also, the weather models have potential major winter storm coming in 'round Thanksgiving. I mean, it's early, and weather models are always wrong, but after record western snows last year - Let's go for BACK-TO-BACK Bomber Snow Seasons!!

Cheers

Got the Nokian LT3s mounted today. It's a good time as our neighbor's Jeep did a 180 in ice on our road last weekend. Discount Tire folks say the Hakkas are no problem mounting & balancing. Also, mentioned DT's selling more Nokians in Colorado this year.

I can hear these studded tires below 20 - 25 MPH, but any faster and there's really nothing more than the Goodyears sound, perhaps a slightly higher pitch white noise like sound. The highway ride & steering responce is fine - Very much like the Goodyears.

Last weekend's snow cleared from our roads today. Looks like a stronger storm coming in this Friday & Saturday. Looking forward to some fun in the snow soon!


Cheers

Kenneth

Got the Nokian LT3s mounted today. It's a good time as our neighbor's Jeep did a 180 in ice on our road last weekend. Discount Tire folks say the Hakkas are no problem mounting & balancing. Also, mentioned DT's selling more Nokians in Colorado this year.

I can hear these studded tires below 10 MPH, but any faster and there's really nothing more than the Goodyears sound, perhaps a slightly higher pitch white noise like sound. The highway ride & steering responce is fine - Very much like the Goodyears.

Last weekend's snow cleared from our roads today. Looks like a stronger storm coming in this Friday & Saturday. Looking forward to some fun in the snow soon!

Cheers

Kenneth, thanks for starting this post. This is a much better option than any of the All Terrain tires with the 3 Peaks Rating I've researched. They do not have the tread pattern or compound to give you the performance of a Winter Tire. I've owned Audi's, VW's BMW's and other brands with all wheel, front wheel drive and rear wheel, all of them having used the Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter months. They make a tremendous difference in winter snow and ice conditions over any M&S rated tire out there. Funny, no one thinks of safety until its too late, winter driving conditions are bad enough with all the kooks on the road. Not just forward traction but in braking performance. Never regretted spending the extra dollars for the best tire to get me through the winter. I like the peace of mind a quality winter gives me and my wife. I've turned the advantages of a Winter Snow tire onto many friends and they repeatedly thank me every winter for steering them into that market.

Be Safe

gtabert

Kenneth, thanks for starting this post. This is a much better option than any of the All Terrain tires with the 3 Peaks Rating I've researched. They do not have the tread pattern or compound to give you the performance of a Winter Tire. I've owned Audi's, VW's BMW's and other brands with all wheel, front wheel drive and rear wheel, all of them having used the Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter months. They make a tremendous difference in winter snow and ice conditions over any M&S rated tire out there. Funny, no one thinks of safety until its too late, winter driving conditions are bad enough with all the kooks on the road. Not just forward traction but in braking performance. Never regretted spending the extra dollars for the best tire to get me through the winter. I like the peace of mind a quality winter gives me and my wife. I've turned the advantages of a Winter Snow tire onto many friends and they repeatedly thank me every winter for steering them into that market.

Be Safe

Yeah, same here. Wifey & I've mounted snow tires every winter for ~ 20yrs. Living at 7,500ft in Colorado, we're driving hilly/twisty ice & snow packed roads 3 and some years 4 months - It's a no-brainer!

Gotta keep our heads on swivel looking out for the flatland drivers though. Our state & county road crews usually do a good job, but they can't keep-up with big storms. Also, residential and rural roads are frequently really bad.


Cheers

Yeah, these Nokians are the real-deal - Exceeded expectations!!. First drive tonight on icy/snow roads and Bronco didn't seem to notice the slippery conditions. Sure, 1st 12 - 15 miles we followed freeway traffic going half the speed limit, getting off the interstate the last 8 - 10 miles opened up and we easily did the 50 MPH speed limit. Anti-lock brake pump kicked-in at couple stop lights, and that was the only clue WildTrak gave we were traveling icy roads - 2 Thumbs way UP!!

Cheers