Club 80-90 Forums

Like the heading says, what snow tyres are you guys in Norway, Sweden and Finland using this year?

Hankook Zowac Hpv401 215r14c studded.

Bought these last year and really happy with them, good traction and works great on anything from sleet to black ice and hardpacked snow.

Used to run Nokoan hakkapeliitas on my old vans, like the Hankooks better.

What part of the world are you in?

till now it hasn't snowed yet on the roads i use. will i need my winter wheels to get back from the med at the beginning of october?

According to the norwegian automobile association (NAF) the best this year is Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 in the studded category and Goodyears UG Ice+ in the unstudded category. Heres a google translate link to the article, the "best" is not always best for what your use so reading up can pay off.

Interesting .... I know a chap in Goodyear over here!

I have a set of studded tyres in our stock, not sure which make they are, but can check for you if you like. Its not time to fit them just yet though, usually put them on near end of November, early December depending on weather forecast.

Mickyfin wrote:I have a set of studded tyres in our stock, not sure which make they are, but can check for you if you like. Its not time to fit them just yet though, usually put them on near end of November, early December depending on weather forecast.

Cant use studded tyres here as they are too harsh on the roads

The syncro doesn't get to see much of the winter roads around here (living near the ocean and tons of salt on the roads all winter), but when it does I generally use studded Hakkapelittas. Will be trying out some Cooper Discoverer M+S without studs this year though, will be interesting to see how they do.

Sebastian S wrote:The syncro doesn't get to see much of the winter roads around here (living near the ocean and tons of salt on the roads all winter), but when it does I generally use studded Hakkapelittas. Will be trying out some Cooper Discoverer M+S without studs this year though, will be interesting to see how they do.

Now thats something that surprised me. Salt on your roads. Not good, same as UK. Here in Finland, we use no salt, but an alternative which does not hard vehicles bodywork, or floors.

Studded not legal in the UK...

I'd like to find some 205r14's with a decent tread to make them AT ish.. (215/75r14's would do too) so i can run them all year.. the Semperit vangrips (185's) I have on at present have done 40-50k km.. and work well in the summer and great in the winter.. but are prob about as low as i'd like for winter.. want the bigger tyres to gear it up a little...

syncropaddy wrote:Cant use studded tyres here as they are too harsh on the roads

toomanytoys wrote:Studded not legal in the UK...

Maybe UK highways need to try repairing what's left of the tarmac after the last two winters...I doubt that a bit of stud erosion is going to make them much worse round here!
Anyone ever tried their luck running studded in the UK in the winter? Could you argue it on grounds of increased safety when they can't be ar$ed to grit the roads?

studs dont last very long on the tarmac either.. funny seeing sparks flying off the tyres at night though... (a few locals in France had some studded tyres...)

I never have any problems with normal snow tyres on the T3 or the T4 shop van, goes everywhere we need to.
Studs are for places where the ground is nore or less covered with packed snow/ice, that doesn't really happen here.

T3's on some old Vredestein tyres, T4 is on some Hankooks.
I have chains if it gets bad but never needed them here.

Are you starting to believe the weather man Andrew ? We were also meant to have a heatwave this summer so predictions of snow in October I'll take with a pinch of salt ran around on bfg at's last year and had no problems whatso ever on and Offroad only time it got anyway interesting/slippy was on wet ice when it was thawing