[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jonas Hedvall
[B]225 you say? Sounds good but I really really wanted the Nokian Hakkapelita NRWs, based on the reviews. I was only able to find them in that size for 16" last winter when I bought them. Maybe they have expanded the range. But, hey, I have an even easier time at throttle steering

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Krazy
[B]First off, I don't hate this car.

 

xviper - Nokians haven't caught on in Canada? Most of the recommendations for Nokians I get are from Canadians or Americans in the northern US snowbelt. Maybe it's because they don't have a huge distribution network (Firestone/Sears/WalMart/KMart/..) like Bridgestone has. There are only 5 Nokian dealers in the entire Chicagoland area. Maybe its because they don't have the immense advertising budget? Maybe its because they cost more than Blizzaks (but wear much longer). Or maybe its because TheTireRack ™ doesn't carry them?

IMO - Nokians are the best group of winter tires available for climates that actually see significant amounts of snow. Blizzaks are optimized for wet ice traction and excel at that and nothing else. They wear very quickly and are poor on dry or wet pavement. If I lived in Tennessee or Japan (or an ice skating rink) I'd get Blizzaks. Otherwise Nokians (Q, 10, or NRWs) are my favorite.

 

snoopy, I just happened to come back from shopping for snow tires for my wife's new PT Cruiser. Of the two tire shops I went to, neither carried Hakkas, one didn't even carry Blizzaks. The one that did said that Bridgestone is cutting back on the Blizzak model lines. They could only quote me high performance uni-directional Blizzaks for the PT sizes. I don't need such high class snow tires for a PT. What's going on?

 

xviper,

Sounds fishy. They could be pulling your leg.... and/or just trying to get you to pay more.... Then again, the whole Firestone/Bridgestone mess IS hurting the company, I know that for sure.... so there COULD be a little credibility to the shop's statement.

elanderholm,

You didn't mean that the WRX's transmission was strong, did you? I wasn't sure.
If so, I disagree. A lot of we Subie folk do. The 5-speed box is pretty weak, to tell the truth.... The only two options that seem to be out there for bulletproofing the transmission (for heavy-duty driving/racing anyway... otherwise I guess the tranny is fine) are to get a dog box system, or pay BIG BUCK$ for a complete STi 6-speed changeover. Which.... I don't even think would be smart! Might as well wait for the whole car, the WRX STi, when it comes out. (Er.... "if" .... )


As for Nokian, I think they're great. My Hakka 1s are wonderful in the snow, even though we haven't seen any yet this year, in Iowa. I dunno if I should get 1s again next year (when I'll have to get a new set), or if I should go with Qs or even NRWs. The 1s are studdable, so they're the baddest of the bad, as far as snow tires go.... I wonder if the Q model would be better-suited to all the long distance driving I do....

-S2-

 

Siper2 - on an AWD vehicle in Iowa I'd think the Qs would be best if you do a lot of rural travelling. In an urban area like the Chicago 'burbs they usually get the roads cleared in a couple of days. My local Nokian dealer told me, in his opinion, Qs on a Subaru in Chicagoland would be real overkill. He thought I'd get much better use out of NRWs. The tread patterns are very similar, but the winter-only Qs have softer rubber than the four-season NRWs (which again have softer rubber than most "all" seasons). The NRWs appear to wear about twice as long as Qs and you can leave them on much longer into the warmer weather if you want.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]Remember the "James Bond" film with Diana Rigg in it?

 

Well, I checked the tire pressure today and the tires all had different pressures! I inflated / deflated the tires to the 32psi and the car doesn't seem to be wandering anymore.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Siper2
[B]xviper,

Sounds fishy.

 

Very true, but that's because very few companies can build a transmission like Honda can.

There's help for the Impreza though. www.kartboy.com ... The best Subaru short shifters/bushings in the world.

-S2-