Speaking about the harsh winter, many imagine severe frosts, heavy snowfalls, snowstorms and blizzards. However, for the driver, a harsh winter can mean completely different weather conditions. Often this is a turning point between the plus and minus temperatures, when the snow on the road melts, turning into a dirty mess, then freezes, forming a slippery ice crust with numerous sharp protrusions. The main task in this situation is the competent choice of car tires, which will behave equally well in any condition of the road surface. One of the best options for such universal tires is the Finnish "Hakapelita 8", reviews of which we will consider closer to the end of the article. Let's find out why it is remarkable and why many drivers make a choice in her favor.
Start of development and history of the series
In 2013, after four years of continuous painstaking work of designers, chemists and other scientists, the eighth generation in the legendary tire series was created. This manufacturer is considered the authority in matters of rubber, which is adapted to difficult climatic conditions.
After a study conducted in the countries of Northern Europe, it became clear that the main criteria for the quality of winter tires for drivers is their behavior on ice and snow. It is because of their adaptability to abrupt weather changes, good grip and, as a result, increased safety, drivers appreciate the Hakapelita 8 tires, reviews often confirm this.
The eighth generation was developed on the basis of its predecessor, launched on the market in 2009. During this time, a lot of tests were collected and taken into account. It is worth noting that the predecessor was not at all bad, and was able to take prize-winning places in tests from well-known automobile magazines more than 30 times in the span of only four years. "Nokian Hakapelita 8", the reviews of the owners of which are at the end of the article, has recently been striving to break this record.
Tread shape
As the company’s management itself expresses itself, numerous tests have shown that for winter studded tires there is only one, the most successful tread pattern principle, and it is embodied in this rubber. This is a directional symmetrical pattern, which received tires "Nokian Hakapelita 8". Reviews notice the positive aspects of this development.
The fact is that it is he who allows the most rational spread of the spikes over the entire surface, which provides a more reliable coupling on slippery surfaces. In addition, such a move reduces the noise of rubber on a clean surface, such as dry asphalt, which adds extra driving comfort.
The main motto of the new generation
As the company’s management expresses, the main goal of any winter tires should be the ability to equally comfortably move on any surface and in any condition of the roadway, whether it is slush, snow porridge, loose or rolled snow, or even ice, and Hakapelita 8 winter tires, feedback about which we will consider a little later, fully prepared for such tasks.
In the twentieth century, the company was one of the first to start developing this type of tire. And he does not plan to slow down, rolling out more and more advanced models to the market. According to the head of the development department, the eighth generation is designed to provide the greatest possible safety for winter trips, while minimizing the destruction of the road surface.
New Product Testing
Before allowing users to enjoy the new generation of tires, they passed a series of rigorous tests, during which absolutely all parameters were checked thoroughly. The purpose of such tests is to achieve the most perfect combination of studding rubber with the design of its tread. At the same time, the composition of the rubber mixture is adjusted, the tire design itself is being finalized. As a result, we can see a finished product that can deal with truly harsh operating conditions. This can be seen by reading about "Nokian Hakapelita 8 SUV" reviews from reliable sources.
What did the tests lead to? Development of a new studding concept
The test results are not in vain, and even four years is a considerable period for which it turns out to try many options, from which you can subsequently choose the most successful. In our case, the new Eco Stud 8 technology turned out to be the best studding option. Its essence lies in the fact that the stud is not just firmly attached to the rubber. Similar fastenings have been used before.
In Nokia Hakapelita 8, reviews of which are summarized in our article, under each spike there is a small pad of soft rubber. It is designed to reduce the impact of studs on the road surface, as well as improve grip on clean asphalt. In addition, its presence significantly reduces the noise of the rubber, which inevitably appears due to spikes.
Unique tenon arrangement
According to the developers, the location of each spike was checked for relevance in several ways. As a result, it was possible to achieve unprecedented results - 190 individual studs were installed on each tire of the eighth generation, and not one of them fulfills when idling. In this case, the saying about quality and quantity is irrelevant, because it is with such quantity that it is possible to achieve quite acceptable results. And the loss of a pair of spikes in percentage terms does not look so critical.
This was achieved thanks to a good balance of both longitudinal and lateral grip on ice. As a result, the predictability of rubber behavior on very slippery sections of the road increased even when maneuvering. Among other positive aspects, this arrangement allows you to increase the service life of the spikes themselves to complete wear or loss even with an aggressive driving style, although reviews sometimes say the opposite about “Hakapelita 8”.
Improved tread design
Unlike the seventh series, in the updated model the number of tread blocks was increased, and their size was accordingly reduced. In addition to being able to accommodate more spikes, this has yielded other positive results. There are also more lamels, as a result of which water and loose snow are more efficiently discharged, and the road hitch in the snow is strengthened, this fact is confirmed by the Nokia Hakapelita 8 reviews left by adequate drivers.
Tire heating also decreased during heavy traffic, and this led to greater wear resistance. In addition to these indicators, drivers can be pleased, albeit slightly, but with a decrease in drag when driving, which has a beneficial effect on fuel consumption. Given its current value, this will be a nice bonus, especially if the mileage is pretty decent for the season.
Specially designed rubber compound
Of course, to achieve good performance is not enough just a beautiful tread shape or a competent arrangement of spikes. In this case, three-component rubber is used, which traditionally includes natural rubber, silica and coarse oil.
The third component is present in small volumes, and yet plays almost a key role. It is thanks to the coarse oil at low temperatures of harsh Russian winters that the interaction between rubber and silica improves, which significantly increases adhesion to the surface of the road surface under extreme conditions, whatever it may be, which allows calling the Nokian Hakapelita 8 tires truly universal. Driver reviews also emphasize this point.
In addition, as mentioned above, these tires can reduce fuel consumption. According to the manufacturer’s measurements, the rolling resistance decreased by 5 percent compared to the seventh generation. And this is also the merit of a specific rubber compound.
Caring for safety and convenience
In order to protect the owner of the tires as much as possible, a wear indicator is built into the tread. It is based on the principle of erasing numbers as the tread depth decreases. Unlike other manufacturers, which only inform about the fact of wear, on these tires you can see how many millimeters are still left without taking any measurements. When the last mark with “Nokian Hakapelita 8” disappears, the reviews of which we will now consider, it is an alarming bell that it is time to change the rubber, since its characteristics are far from the original.
A more extended information zone has been added on the side of the tire. It can be made the main parameters when replacing, for example, what pressure was maintained during operation and on which wheel which tire was installed. This information is definitely useful when installing rubber in the next year.
User reviews
Many of the comments that users leave divide drivers into two camps. The reason is that some people simply can’t handle winter tires using an aggressive driving style on a clean, dry road. The rest of the positive points regarding "Nokian Hakapelita 8" reviews note the following:
- Good stability with an adequate driving style.
- Good cross on loose and thawed snow.
- It is rarely buried even with inaccurate actions on the part of the driver.
- Good traction with ice due to the large number of spikes.
Of the minuses, the main one can be considered a rather high cost, which not everyone is willing to pay for a set of rubber. Of the other negative points of "Hakapelita 8" reviews stand out as follows:
- Fragile spikes. They do not fly out completely, but their sharpened tip breaks off or licks.
- Quite a high level of noise, despite the noise reduction technology, when driving on a clean highway.
Output
Rubber "Hakapelita 8", reviews of which we reviewed, will be an excellent help for those who are used to a leisurely and thoughtful ride, as it is designed to overcome any difficult situations that may develop on the road due to adverse weather conditions. The high cost is fully justified by the increased safety while driving, and there is nothing more important than this. In addition, by purchasing these tires, you can be sure that with moderate driving you will have enough for at least 2-3 seasons.