Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7

Bottom Line

If your winter roads are consistenly snow- or ice-packed, the studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 is for you. With its built-in metal teeth, the Hakkapeliitta 7 literally bites into ice. Tests confirm that it performs better than any other studded or studless snow tire available in North America.

But studded tires have a downside. Their metal studs tend to skid over bare pavement, hampering performance and handling. They're loud, transmitting far more road noise than studless tires. And they can damage pavement; some states ban or restrict studded tires.

Performance

Flawless on ice, but disappointing on bare roads. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 is unbeatable on ice, finishing first place in three rigorous professional Scandinavian tests. "The Nokian is, as usual, the best choice for those who require safety and navigability on winter road conditions and was the test team's overwhelming favorite," say experts at Aftonbladet, after spending two months testing 28 winter tires north of the Arctic Circle. It's the best studded tire at ConsumerReports.org, too -- "even slightly better than the impressive studless Michelin X-ice Xi3\" (*Est. $105) on ice, editors say.

But on clear roads studded tires aren't so great. Their metal teeth skitter over bare pavement, and on wet and dry roads braking suffers. "That is the price one has to pay for the excellent ice and snow properties," say experts at Auto Motor & Sport, where the Hakkapeliitta 7 is still judged "one of the best tires ... on real winter roads."

Comfort

Like all studded tires, it's loud. "While ride compliance was impressive, there was no escaping the tire noise on cleared pavement," ConsumerReports.org testers say of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7. Scandinavian reviewers agree: The Norwegian Automobile Federation and Aftonbladet both judge the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 to be one of the loudest snow tires in the test.

Durability

No treadwear warranty or durability ratings. Durability data is sorely lacking. None of our sources have tested the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 for durability, and we couldn't find any large owner surveys for this tire, either.  Like most snow tires, the Hakkapeliitta 7 carries no treadwear warranty. Some snow tires do -- for example, the studless Michelin X-Ice Xi3 has a 40,000-mile treadwear warranty.