Why is chosing a set of tyres and a place to fit so hard, or is it just me?

[Sasquatch]

I've never heard of Nokian tyres before,

Got a link?

Im surprised that a wise oracle of your stature has never heard of them!

Very famous for high quality winter tyres for motor vehicles and bicycles, part of the wider Nokia industrial group that included Nokia phones. At one time the group was worth something like 15% of Finlands GDPR. A real industrial juggernaut.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Yes but the rating was for fuel efficiency not tyre efficiency. More friction (heat) than is needed to transmit the power is a loss when it comes to fuel efficiency, however you want the extra friction when it comes to braking and non standard events.

I think we're talking about the same thing, I.E. friction between the tyre & road surface. In which case I'd say that the higher the friction the higher the efficiency. Heat comes from slippage between the 2 surfaces and is a loss, so lower efficiency. The higher the friction, the lower the slippage, less heat is produced, more energy is transmitted to the road surface, ergo a more efficient tyre. Think of it as driving on snow, lower friction, wheels spinning, engine revving but going nowhere, very inefficient. Or a slipping clutch, lots of heat and smoke, not much motion. That's how I understand it. Rolling resistance is a different matter, my assumption (could well be wrong) is that a high friction (i.e. grippy), low rolling resistance tyre is the most efficient.

 

[Lubrown]

Nokian SeasonProof 2 came out top in this test (and a BFGoodrich all season 2nd):

Best SUV All Season Tyres for 2025

Nokian have just announced the Nokian SeasonProof 2, the first tyre from their new, state of the art factory in Europe. They are hopeful this will finally be the tyre that brings them to the front of ...

www.tyrereviews.com

He reviewed the latest all season tyres from other (I suppose the more ‘premium’) brands too. Pirelli, Michelin, Continental etc.

Be interesting to see how this group stacks up against the other.

You can input your tyre size, seasonal requirements and even select your chosen percentages for which aspects get rated higher - comfort, economy, wet grip etc.

Seeing as though he can never do the full group test due to different release dates, track availability and just video size I’d get on his website and compare scores ‘manually’ before buying.
You generally get deals on the ‘premium’ brands at times that make them the same cost as the less well known (in this country) brands. Although I appreciate Nokian are a big company with lots of history, especially in cold climate areas.

 

[Skyliner33]

He reviewed the latest all season tyres from other (I suppose the more ‘premium’) brands too. Pirelli, Michelin, Continental etc.

Be interesting to see how this group stacks up against the other.

You can input your tyre size, seasonal requirements and even select your chosen percentages for which aspects get rated higher - comfort, economy, wet grip etc.

Seeing as though he can never do the full group test due to different release dates, track availability and just video size I’d get on his website and compare scores ‘manually’ before buying.
You generally get deals on the ‘premium’ brands at times that make them the same cost as the less well known (in this country) brands. Although I appreciate Nokian are a big company with lots of history, especially in cold climate areas.

Stacks up against which 'other'?

I know you can adjust the percentage weighing on the website I linked to, but can't see how to change the tyre size.
It is surprising how often he comments that the same tyre in a different size behaves differently.

I also noticed the CC3 in 245/45R19 (the size for a transporter) is only available in the SPORT version. Not exactly what I was, i would rather have the less sporty more comfortable version.

 

[dubber36]

Have you not considered a 255 tyre Jon? I think it's a more common size on SUVs, so more to choose from. Plus an extra bit of rim protection is no bad thing.

I has them on my Cantera wheels, but cheaped out on Avons which just about managed 10k miles on the front.

 

[Skyliner33]

Have you not considered a 255 tyre Jon? I think it's a more common size on SUVs, so more to choose from. Plus an extra bit of rim protection is no bad thing.

I has them on my Cantera wheels, but cheaped out on Avons which just about managed 10k miles on the front.

255 rub on my van.

My 19s had some Devanti Wintoura+ on when I bought them They have done over 30k in nearly 4 years since I put them on. Running all year round as well.

 

[Lubrown]

Stacks up against which 'other'?

I think I was remembering the group test for car sized all season tyres although others such as Pirelli, Michelin etc. do produce SUV all season tyres so there are other options.

I do like that he always gives budget tyres a chance, just in case, yet we consistently see they are pathetic. As we saw in this one wet braking at motorway speeds would be over 20m difference between a good tyre and a budget and by the time you reached the point at which the good tyre had stopped you’d still be doing 60km/h on the budget tyre. Potentially stuffing the front of your vehicle into something else (which doesn’t sound cheap).
Shame he didn’t include a summer tyre as a benchmark like his usually does. All season are a compromise and for me, living in the midlands so literally can’t remember the last time I saw snow or ice on the roads, summer tyres still win. I haven’t got stuck on any wet fields but I have the best chance at handling and stopping quickly on wet roads - decent summer tyres are never beaten in wet tarmac tests.

 

[Linoleum Bonypart]

You can source tyres in web then just get them fitted by ur local trusted place

 

[Skyliner33]

I think I was remembering the group test for car sized all season tyres although others such as Pirelli, Michelin etc. do produce SUV all season tyres so there are other options.

I do like that he always gives budget tyres a chance, just in case, yet we consistently see they are pathetic. As we saw in this one wet braking at motorway speeds would be over 20m difference between a good tyre and a budget and by the time you reached the point at which the good tyre had stopped you’d still be doing 60km/h on the budget tyre. Potentially stuffing the front of your vehicle into something else (which doesn’t sound cheap).
Shame he didn’t include a summer tyre as a benchmark like his usually does. All season are a compromise and for me, living in the midlands so literally can’t remember the last time I saw snow or ice on the roads, summer tyres still win. I haven’t got stuck on any wet fields but I have the best chance at handling and stopping quickly on wet roads - decent summer tyres are never beaten in wet tarmac tests.

I agree that summer tyres are better most of the time. However its not just snow and ice. From the reviews I have seen all season or winter tyres perform better when the temperature drops below 7*C.
Ideally I would have 2 sets of tyres, one with summer tyres and another set with all season or winters on.

 

[Skyliner33]

You can source tyres in web then just get them fitted by ur local trusted place

That's my problem, I don't have a "trusted place".

 

[doncarlyon]

That's my problem, I don't have a "trusted place".

Defo try the refurb place

 

[d8smt]

Also looking for tyres (255/45R18s 103Y) and got it down to Michelin Crossclimates (£160 a corner) or Kumho PS72s (£104 a corner). Just waiting to see if any deals pop up on Costco this week before taking the plunge!
Looked at the Nokians, but apparently the weatherproof have problems on the transporters with premature degradation of the rubber (but had Nokian on my BMW-6, great tyres). Apparently Nokian are part-refunding a lot of owners for it (check the tinternet).
101 W tyres aren't rated/legal for T32. Not sure which van you have.

 

[DaveD]

Also looking for tyres (255/45R18s 103Y) and got it down to Michelin Crossclimates (£160 a corner) or Kumho PS72s (£104 a corner). Just waiting to see if any deals pop up on Costco this week before taking the plunge!
Looked at the Nokians, but apparently the weatherproof have problems on the transporters with premature degradation of the rubber (but had Nokian on my BMW-6, great tyres). Apparently Nokian are part-refunding a lot of owners for it (check the tinternet).
W tyres aren't rated/legal for T32. Not sure which van you have.

I had Nokian Weatherproofs on my T6 a couple of years ago, they were brilliant in every respect for the first couple of years but after 20K miles they became so noisy I thought I'd got dodgy wheel bearings! They'd still got over 3mm of tread on them, evenly worn, but the noise got so bad I binned them.
Funnily enough I realised it was the tyres because I was so fed up with the droning I decided on a whim, just to try putting my old Claytons back on to see if it made a difference - suddenly the droning noise stopped, I'd found the culprits!

 

[Bigsidavies]

Should have bought them online before refurb. Coyote cover the rims with protective tape before refitting and balancing. You need to choose a fitter carefully with that new finish.

 

[ginkster]

W tyres aren't rated/legal for T32

Why not? They are greater than the H rated shown on the tyre sticker so fine as far as I’ve ever seen. Going lower than the correct speed rating is not good though.

 

[d8smt]

apologies, you're right, out of context. T32s need to be 103s and these are normally Y rated. 101s are normally V / W rated and 101s aren't legal for T32. speed rating isn't really that relevant, it's the load rating

 

[dubber36]

That's my problem, I don't have a "trusted place".

Awesome GTI do tyres.

 

[Skyliner33]

Should have bought them online before refurb. Coyote cover the rims with protective tape before refitting and balancing. You need to choose a fitter carefully with that new finish.

In hindsight I realised that myself .