Hi, I live in Toronto, Canada where we get quite a bit on snow (depends on your luck during winter). I recently got an Audi A4 1.8Quattro and is looking into snow tires. Here are a few questions that I would like your feedback:
1) advantages of getting studded vs non-studded tires. Pardon me, but can someone tell me the main differences?
2) is this legal in Toronto to get studded tires (Ontarians please help)?
3) I am looking into Nokian tires. What is the differences between Hakka 1 and Hakka 10?
4) Any other recommendations of alternatives brand of snow tires?

Thanks.

Sam
1999 A4 1.8 Quattro Sport Package

Studded tires are ONLY good on solid ice, IMO; they are noisy and don't grip well on dry roads. With quattro you should do fine with any snow or winter performance tire.

I have Pirelli Winter 210 Asimmetricos on my 1.8Tq. I make weekly ski trips to the Colorado mtns and have never had a problem. I chose to go with a winter performance tire, because the roads are usually dry in Denver most of the winter. HTH.

CraigB

You really do not need studded tires, even if they are legal. They are noisy and handle quite poorly in the dry/wet. You will likely be quite happy with any of the "ice" compound tires, like the Nokia Q.

Is the Nokia Hakka Q as good as Michelin Alphine(heard the Alphines are pretty good).

Any comments?

Thanks.

Sam
1999 1.8T QS Tip

Studded tires are good NOT ONLY on ice but ALSO on snow. Although on snow they are not better than the best non-studded snow tires. Studded tires reduce braking distance on ice by 30 % on the average compared to the best non-studded tires. That is their main advantage. They also loose grip more progressively and make slides easier to control. Their main weakness is that they make noise on dry roads. The amount of noise they make depends very much on the thread pattern, the type of studs used etc. but it is noticeable for sure.

I don't know where the idea of bad grip on dry or wet roads came from. Maybe they use a lot of studs in NA. In Scandinavia they allow about 100 studs per tire and the size and the weight of the studs are also limited. With that amount of studs there is not much difference in grip between studded and non-studded snow tires on the dry.

Having seen Ontario winters a couple of times I would definitely choose snow tires and worry less about performance on dry roads. To choose studded tires I would consider how much I would be driving on icy roads. In my opinion studded tires are the safest bet if you can bear the noise.

> 3) I am looking into Nokian tires. What is the differences between Hakka 1 and Hakka 10?

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 is an old design. I would choose Hakka 1. It is more stable, quiet and has better grip. It has been in the market for a couple of years and it is among the best snow tires.

>4) Any other recommendations of alternatives brand of snow tires?

For non-studded Hakka Q and Blizzak's. Michelin Arctic Alpines have been recommended here often. Looking at the thread pattern it looks like it is the same tire as Michelin Maxi-Ice, which is sold here in Scandinavia. If it is then it would also be a good choice.

For studded, Hakka 1 and Gislaved Nord Frost II have beaten the rest during the past couple of years. I am not sure if you can get the latter in NA.

Jari

Two different purposes. The Alpine was rated tops by consumers and at the bottom in two german tests. In the US, we don't mind quiet tires that handle so-so. It does seem like an excellent tire if your roads are well-plowed.

The Q, which I have not driven, is the 4th generation snow tire from a famous scandinavian tire company. They apparently have taken to heart some very real complaints about gen 1 and 2 and come out with the super snow and ice tire.

Neither tire is very sporty, but what sort of chances are you willing to take? There are only a few awful snow tires still out there, you will probably like either.

I was talking to someone at LLTek recently about several different upgrades to my A4. And even though LLTek doesn't sell tires, the guy gave a very strong recommendation to the Toyo Observer.
And he lives in Canada (Montreal).

I've never even heard of the Toyo Observer snow tires, let alone tried them. But since the original poster (Samantha) is from Canada, I thought I'd pass along some information from another Canadian.

If anyone else has any knowledge of these tires, I'd be interested to know too.

-- Peter