Every self-respecting car enthusiast who has at least a little experience owning his own car knows some well-known brands of tire manufacturers. The Finnish company Nokian is one of the most famous in the segment of the middle and premium class. And her models created for the winter season have become a legend for a long time. We’ll talk about one of them, namely, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5. Reviews about it will help you figure out how successful it turned out. And there have been many of them over the years, due to the particular popularity of the manufacturer and this model range. However, first pay attention to the main characteristics.
Tire purpose
The lineup under this name has more than one generation, only the numbers at the end change. From the very beginning, it was intended for use in cars in the winter season. However, with each new version, development occurred, new sizes appeared, and as a result, tires began to be produced for almost any car, from light budget sedans to powerful sports coupes or heavy SUVs.
Such versatility and high quality, confirmed over the years, allowed the manufacturer to win the heart of many motorists, both amateurs and professionals, as evidenced by numerous enthusiastic reviews of the owners about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 .
The presence of spikes
A distinctive feature of the model range produced by the manufacturer is the installation of studs on all sizes. This approach, according to reviews of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5, made it possible to achieve good handling and traction during the winter weather when driving on slippery surfaces. With each new version, their structure will be improved, forms will change, and an option will be selected that allows them to squeeze the maximum performance out of them. This model was released before the requirements regarding the number of studs in each tire were updated in Europe, so there are much more of them than in modern versions. Together, they are folded into practically arranged rows of metal elements that bite qualitatively into frozen soil or ice, depending on which road you have to go at the moment. They guarantee excellent braking during icy conditions, which inspires confidence and allows you to drive the machine more relaxed.
Tread pattern
Over the years, the appearance of the tire lineup, according to reviews on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 Sport Utility, has not changed. Of course, changes are made to the shape of the tread elements that allow you to follow new trends and make them work more practical. However, immediately notice them is not so simple.
It is based on the standard V- shaped arrangement of the tread elements, which has proven itself on the positive side for many years of use. This is evidenced by a simple fact - manufacturers of low-cost cheap rubber very often copy the design of branded tires of a well-known brand, making minimal changes to it. This testifies to its practicality and reasonableness, which was achieved thanks to many years of research and the use of modern computer technology.
Stability
First of all, when driving along the winter highway, all types of drifts should be avoided, since it will be very problematic to get a car that is randomly sliding on the road surface from this state. Therefore, one of the main tasks facing the developers was to maintain exchange rate stability in any circumstances. As the reviews on Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 tires show , this was achieved thanks to the thoughtful middle rib that surrounds the tire along the entire length of the working surface. It plays several roles at once, but the main one is preventing the car from changing its course as a result of external factors, whether it is a ramp along the track or a small obstacle like a stone or a piece of ice.
The second, no less important task facing this tread element is to preserve the shape of the tire. Its presence allows you to constantly practically use the entire work surface. This increases the area of the contact spot with the track, which leads to improved adhesion, and also significantly reduces the abrasive wear of the surface of the tread blocks. This approach allows the tire to work more efficiently, and at the same time serve much longer. According to reviews on winter tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5, tires last an average of three seasons.
Shoulder zones of a protector
We did not disregard the detailed study of the side blocks. Each of them has an uneven structure that allows you to create as many sharp edges as possible. All of them help to deal with problems of a slightly different nature - this is deep loose snow or snow porridge. It is these edges that form the main repulsive force, as a result of which the rubber is capable of getting stuck to overcome even very deep unrolled snow without slipping and risk. By the way, this same property comes in handy during thaws, and not only on snow porridge and water, but also when driving on wet dirt roads, where the tire, as the owners say about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 SUV, also feels great.
Lamella system
However, all this would be useless if snow, and during the thaw - water, could not be diverted outside the working surface without problems. To this end, the manufacturer thought up a simple, at first glance, but quite effective system of lamellas, combined in one powerful mechanism that can qualitatively resist aquaplaning. During a thaw of water, there is always a lot of water on the road, and the lamellas, collecting it in the center of the tire, are immediately pushed to the edge, where it calmly leaves the limits of the contact patch with the slots between the side blocks. As the reviews of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 say , this process goes unnoticed, and it’s not always possible to understand whether you are driving on a dry or wet surface.
In such conditions, the tire’s capabilities can be checked for full, because often under the water there is frozen ice, which has become even smoother and slippery. Due to the presence of edges and lamellas, the surface tension of water can be overcome and broken into small groups, which in turn allows the spikes to work out as efficiently as possible. This tandem helps drivers who write reviews on Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 tires feel confident under any conditions, of course, if they follow the rules of the road in terms of speed and can soberly and carefully assess the situation.
Number of sizes
The manufacturer’s concern for the buyer is immediately evident when you learn about the number of options provided for each driver to choose from. In total, the developer provided for almost three hundred different sizes, among which you can certainly choose the right one for your car. The difference between them is in the speed indices, as well as the presence of reinforced cord and sidewalls for heavier cars. Owner reviews of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 often mention the surprise of drivers when they found out about such a rich choice.
A choice of tires with an inner diameter of 13 to 22 inches. Few manufacturers have the same wide range. In addition, especially for ATVs and similar vehicles, there is one standard size with a disk diameter of only 10 inches. It is clearly seen that the developer tried to achieve maximum versatility for all his users, and the positive reviews on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 winter tires show that he managed to achieve significant results .
Positive feedback on tires
It's time to get acquainted with the opinion of ordinary drivers about how well this rubber is suitable for domestic roads and the conditions prevailing on them. For this, reviews about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 were analyzed , and among the main positive points, the following can be distinguished:
Good grip regardless of weather conditions. The manufacturer was able to achieve excellent results by combining all the advantages in one model and giving it the opportunity to work equally well both on an ice surface and on dry clean asphalt.
Predictability of management. Drivers practically do not face situations when the car abruptly stopped “obeying the steering wheel” as a result of deterioration in the adhesion of the working surface of the tire to the track.
Passability in the snow. In the reviews about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta SUV 5, you can often find drivers who were the first to pave the way in the freshly fallen snow, and the tires did an excellent job of this task, showing excellent results and preventing the cars from simply getting stuck or stuck.
Good durability. As practice has shown, until the moment when the dynamic characteristics begin to deteriorate, drivers have time to drive an average of 40-60 thousand kilometers, which is a very good indicator for winter tires. At the same time, physical damage like punctures or cuts is extremely rare, which indicates a high strength and well-thought-out tires.
As you can see, rubber can basically justify its rather high cost. As some say in their reviews of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 XL , even newer generations hardly reach the quality of this development that has proven itself over the years. However, it has several disadvantages that cannot be ignored.
The negative sides of the model
First of all, many drivers in the reviews of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 complain about the quality of the studs and their fastening. In some they simply fall out, in others they break off at the level of the “skirt”. This suggests that you will have to periodically call in at the service station and add spikes in those places where they are no longer there, which will entail small additional costs.
The second minus, also associated with spikes, is quite high noise. Despite the fact that the manufacturer tried to reduce it to the maximum, the unpleasant sound effect, most manifested on dry asphalt, still remained.
Output
This model is well suited for those who do not like to save on their safety. She copes with all the main tasks that arise while driving on winter roads, but requires some care, associated with additional financial costs. If you are ready to come to terms with some of the minuses listed in the reviews for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta SUV 5, then you can safely count on a long service life and reliability in terms of control in any situation.