RedCSX

Local tire place has a sale and I'm thinking up picking up either a set of Nokian Hakka Rs or 7s for the Q5.

No question I live in a place with a harsh winter environment but I do almost all city driving in the winter. The manager said the 7s are the best on snow and ice because of the studs but recommends the Rs for me. So, I'm leaning that way but keep reading so many positive European reviews on the 7s.

Any first hand experience with either?

kleinbus

On pure ice conditions, there is nothing that beats new studded tire on normal city and highway speeds...

Once studs are a bit worn out, lets say one season old (late fall-winter-early spring), stud are slowly wearing out like any other part of tire and further on while driving on bare pavement studded gets really noisy.

On snow studs doesn't offer clear advantage as snow is snow where stud doesn't have hard surface to grap like happens on ice.

Studs have their advantage but evantually, for example going up really steep hill, even studs will run out of grip and car starts sliding down, going further would need spiked chains like harvesting machines uses on snowy forest.

If you know you are on ice every day and rarely use bare pavement then get studded but I haven't seen that kind conditions here in States, sure I have seen few days or week but then sun comes out and melts the road back to pavement so I would pick studdles. You need to live above Arctic Circle to lack the sun and have enough cold to keep ground frozen and roads icy, unless you live in Alaska, rest of States doesn't go near such latitudes.

I used both, studded and studless but it was Hakka's previous model. I wanted Nokian but couldn't get set with the rims so I got Blizzak's.

yob2kanobe

Ive been running the Hakka R studless this winter season on my Q and love them. Solid ice no problem for these tires and even in the worst conditions I have yet to spin! go for it.

RedCSX

Thanks to both of you for your comments.

I was considering the Blizzak DM-V1 as well but the tire guy highly recommended the Hakka Rs.

Our main roads do get plowed down to bare pavement ( well sometimes they do). The side roads are a mixed bag - usually snow packed or ice.

But, it sounds like the Rs may be the way to go.

Thanks again.