Topic: Tire Review: Nokian WR G3 All-weather Tire Year-Long Test

[Northernridge]

Isn't 5 hours nw of Thunder Bay the middle of Lake Winnipeg??

How is the wear during the summer?  It would be really good to hear from All Weather tire owners who leave them on all year.   Right now I only know about the Optimo 4Ss, the Nokian WRs and a Kumo which I've never owned or spoken to anyone on.

Do these things go over 100k and still give decent snow traction in the 3rd year (or second last year depending on mileage)??  I can't see how they would.  If they did, I too would just buy the 4Ss or Wrs and pack the Michelins in.

Cheers,
John M.

Come on now. I'd guess somewhere around Vermillion Bay but not as far as Kenora. Another 5 or so hours are required to make it to the middle of Lake Winnipeg.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Dryden is almost 5 hours


Mark

[WRX_Pilot]

That's about Sioux Lookout.  Dryden is 3.5... about halfway to Winnipeg.

I have the WGR2's... the previous gen.  The previous owner must have not done any rotations, since two are very worn, the others are about 50%.  Still performing well I would say, notably the sipes are all the way through the tread.  Unlike the Wrangler Duratracs on my last TJ... which were only siped to what seemed like 25% so the sipes gradually disappeared...

[jaari]

Isn't 5 hours nw of Thunder Bay the middle of Lake Winnipeg??

How is the wear during the summer?  It would be really good to hear from All Weather tire owners who leave them on all year.   Right now I only know about the Optimo 4Ss, the Nokian WRs and a Kumo which I've never owned or spoken to anyone on.

Do these things go over 100k and still give decent snow traction in the 3rd year (or second last year depending on mileage)??  I can't see how they would.  If they did, I too would just buy the 4Ss or Wrs and pack the Michelins in.

Cheers,
John M.

Come on now. I'd guess somewhere around Vermillion Bay but not as far as Kenora. Another 5 or so hours are required to make it to the middle of Lake Winnipeg.

I do leave them on all year but since we just got the car in March and installed these. There has been zero wear as expected with about 10,000 on Them now.
Mine are rated for 80,000 but in reality probably about  65,000 before I replace them.
I don't mine replacing these a little more often as I don't have to pay extra for a set of rims and tires now so I think the costs would even out hopefully. Though I did get these for 89$ each for a 215/70/16
The all seasons tend to crack after a few years , my Yokohama Avid TRZ were cracking badly where the tread meets the tires face after 3.5 years. Was going to replace them but got rid of the Sonata.

[wing]

Winter tires for Winter summer tires for summer. 

I hate to compromise on the only connection to the road, but if you are driving a sloppy SUV I could see the appeal.

[JohnM]

"Winter tires for Winter summer tires for summer."

Winter optimized all seasons for mostly clear roads in winter.   In the little snow we've had, I'm very happy with the WR2s compared to the almost new Destinys.  Much better planted but they feel almost too soft.  I think the 4Ss feel tighter and lighter (and you can't beat them in the wet) but may not have the snow grip of the WR2s.

Cheers,
John M.

[Kris78]

How is the wear during the summer?  It would be really good to hear from All Weather tire owners who leave them on all year.   Right now I only know about the Optimo 4Ss, the Nokian WRs and a Kumo which I've never owned or spoken to anyone on.

Do these things go over 100k and still give decent snow traction in the 3rd year (or second last year depending on mileage)??  I can't see how they would.  If they did, I too would just buy the 4Ss or Wrs and pack the Michelins in.

I have Optimo 4Ss, and leave them on all year. I now have close to 40k on them, and have plenty of tread depth, and in the early going, they are doing well in winter #2.

I am considering getting fancy wheels for the Civic next Spring, in which case I will go to winter/summer tires. That said, if I stick with the low cost option, I plan on replacing the tires next fall. By then, they will have close to 80k on them, and I won't bother finding out how winter #3 would go. As I have a Civic LX w/15 inchers, replacing all 4 isn't exactly a bank buster.

Winter tires for Winter summer tires for summer. 

I hate to compromise on the only connection to the road, but if you are driving a sloppy SUV I could see the appeal.

Tires are a very important part of the connection with the road, but I believe that other factors such as a car's weight, tire size, and weight distribution also contribute to how much control you have over your car in winter conditions. I've driven cars with winters that did not have the grip as my Civic or CR-V with all-weathers.

Now, would winters on my Civic out-perform the Optimos? Yes, but I find that the level of grip I get from the Optimos is sufficient to drive safely in the winter time. If I didn't have that experience, I'd be switching them in a heartbeat.

[HeliDriver]

I thought wing was taking about summer as much as winter.

Unless you're driving a SUV with lousy handling anyway (and even then, why would you want to make it worse?), why would you want to suffer through prime driving season with non-optimal performance winter all-weather tires?

[rrocket]

Winter tires for Winter summer tires for summer. 

I hate to compromise on the only connection to the road, but if you are driving a sloppy SUV I could see the appeal.

I recently read a test of winter tires (in the heat of summer) vs dedicated performance summer tires...on a race track!  Winter tires were only 2 seconds a lap slower.

A compromise?  Sure.  But not as much as you'd think.  Technology is making this gap smaller and smaller.

[GearDrivenCam]

I picked up a piece of metal in one of my 2 year old Yokahama Avid TRZs fronts - and decided that I would just replace all the tires with Nokian WR G3s.   I really didn't like my TRZs for winter driving - very poor winter traction despite reviews suggesting otherwise.   With that said -  the Nokian's feel like they have softer tread blocks (which you'd expect) - and much firmer sidewalls (to improve handling performance I suspect) compared to the Yokahamas.  So the ride feels firmer (on a car with an already jarring ride at times) and the tires feel a bit sloppier in corners.   Overall - still acceptable to me - especially for a "winter" biased all-weather tire.  But the big difference I've noticed already is the traction I've gained on snow and ice.  A remarkable difference.  It's worth the compromise in summer handling to me.  I'm really liking these tires.

[EV-Light]

Update: The WR's do OK in ice, they struggle quite a bit to find grip taking off or stopping. They are better than All-Seasons, for sure...but not close to the WS-70s that are in the Taurus.

[Noto]

Nice update re: rain performance.  While it's always hard to judge without proper instrumentation, I like your descriptors as to why you conclude as you do. 

[redman]

I did notice that the listed tread rating life is low compared to similar priced higher end "all season" tires around similar priced higher end winter tires.

Nokian Tyres WRG3 $213.25 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500A A
Tread Warranty: 65,000KM

Michelin Primacy™ MXM4® $222.53 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 93
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500AAA
Tread Warranty: 90,000KM

Michelin X-Ice® Xi3™ $207.18 each. Winter
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: H
Load Range: SL
Tread Warranty: 60,000KM

[warp]

 Have had the WRG2s (H rated) on a Honda Accord since October 2011, about 40,000 kms so far driving around the GTA and Southern Ontario. Huge improvement over all seasons in the winter, dry handling is a bit squishy compared with the V rated Michelin orignals probably due to a softer sidewall. 4 winters so far and no complaints. The only negative is takeoff from a standing start at an icy intersection. This winter will probably be the last one on them (the tread is still about 5/32), if I don't change them before the winter.

[jyarkony]

Have had the WRG2s (H rated) on a Honda Accord since October 2011, about 40,000 kms so far driving around the GTA and Southern Ontario. Huge improvement over all seasons in the winter, dry handling is a bit squishy compared with the V rated Michelin orignals probably due to a softer sidewall. 4 winters so far and no complaints. The only negative is takeoff from a standing start at an icy intersection. This winter will probably be the last one on them (the tread is still about 5/32), if I don't change them before the winter.

^^Awesome input! Thanks for adding this as it is great to hear about the performance with some long-term wear.

[Trainman]

So I hate to bring an old thread back to life, but was there not going to be a final installment to this article?

In my last update, I’ll address hot weather performance and tread wear but after 20,000 km, it’s still looking fresh out of the press.

Have had the WRG2s (H rated) on a Honda Accord since October 2011, about 40,000 kms so far driving around the GTA and Southern Ontario. Huge improvement over all seasons in the winter, dry handling is a bit squishy compared with the V rated Michelin orignals probably due to a softer sidewall. 4 winters so far and no complaints. The only negative is takeoff from a standing start at an icy intersection. This winter will probably be the last one on them (the tread is still about 5/32), if I don't change them before the winter.

^^Awesome input! Thanks for adding this as it is great to hear about the performance with some long-term wear.

[dkaz]

I did notice that the listed tread rating life is low compared to similar priced higher end "all season" tires around similar priced higher end winter tires.

Nokian Tyres WRG3 $213.25 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500A A
Tread Warranty: 65,000KM

Michelin Primacy™ MXM4® $222.53 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 93
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500AAA
Tread Warranty: 90,000KM

Michelin X-Ice® Xi3™ $207.18 each. Winter
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: H
Load Range: SL
Tread Warranty: 60,000KM

H rated or slower and 55 or taller profile WR G3s have a 100,000 km tread wear guarantee.

[Trainman]

Thanks DK, CR also commented in their comparison review of the WRG3 and Celsius the mileage warranty.

I am going to keep the rest of the comments to my other topic unless this final part of the article is published.

I did notice that the listed tread rating life is low compared to similar priced higher end "all season" tires around similar priced higher end winter tires.

Nokian Tyres WRG3 $213.25 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500A A
Tread Warranty: 65,000KM

Michelin Primacy™ MXM4® $222.53 each. All season
Tire Size: 215/50R17 93
Speed Rating: V
Load Range: SL
UTQG Rating: 500AAA
Tread Warranty: 90,000KM

Michelin X-Ice® Xi3™ $207.18 each. Winter
Tire Size: 215/50R17 95
Speed Rating: H
Load Range: SL
Tread Warranty: 60,000KM

H rated or slower and 55 or taller profile WR G3s have a 100,000 km tread wear guarantee.