Fri November 28 08:12 am 2014 in category Product news

More winter safety: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 is the winner of the winter tyre test by the Auto Motor und Sport Chinese edition

More winter safety for ordinary drivers. Top rating winter grip and honored as “The king of winter tyres” by the Chinese car magazine Auto Motor und Sport. Over 40 test wins for Nokian winter tyres in Europe.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 winter tyre is excellent on ice and snow, Auto Motor und Sport (10/2014) writes. In comparison test the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 was the supreme champion of winter conditions. It got the fastest speed on ice (51 km/h) and on the mountain road (56 s) among the seven tyre brands like Continental, Michelin, Dunlop and Goodyear. Nokian winter tyres are definitely worth to be called the king of the winter tyres. Auto Motor und Sport praises Nokian with words “excellent grip, good track follow ability, easy to get grip when accelerating and no loss of grip when climbing hill straightly.” The overall evaluate of Nokian is that “it makes everything simple”.

- Our excellent test success is proof of our unique expertise in developing safer winter tyres for demanding and varying winter weather. The new innovations can be felt and seen in the everyday lives of all road users. During the year, we test over 20,000 winter tyres at our own Ivalo Testing Center, north of the Arctic Circle, says Asia-pacific General Manager Pekka Oye from Nokian Tyres.

Test winner Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 offers supreme driving comfort and safety

The non-studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 safely tackles even the most demanding winter conditions. The handling characteristics of the tyre that has ultra-light and comfortable rolling, were fine-tuned using a new-generation rubber compound, a tailored tread model, and the Nokian Cryo Crystal Concept that boosts optimal lateral and longitudinal grip. Eco-friendly grip particles that have the appearance of a multi-edged crystal have been added to the rubber compound in order to improve grip on ice by grabbing onto the driving surface. The aggressive tread pattern is covered by a denser sipe mesh. Wider individual sipes provide much-needed grip surface, especially when friction is at its lowest on wet ice.

The sipe activators are located on the shoulder area and center surface of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. Sipes are the cuts on the tire tread that improve grip and ensure driving safety under rapidly changing weather conditions. The wider sipe activates the narrower sipe. This functionality adds grip for extreme situations in the most slippery weather, when the feel for the road is nearly non-existent. The tread surface is equipped with the Driving Safety Indicator (DSI) that is patented by Nokian Tyres. The numbers on the centre surface of the tyre indicate the depth of the main grooves in millimetres. The extensive size selection of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 that provides effortless driving for Chinese roads, is a perfect fit for modern vehicles.

Over 40 test wins for Nokian winter tyres during this autumn 

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tyres, designed for the demanding winter conditions, have dominated in the tyre tests by motoring magazines in the Nordic countries and in Europe. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded tyre and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Nordic non-studded tyre have won all the most important winter tyre tests in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and even Russia. In total, the winter tyres built by the inventor of the winter tyre and the world's northernmost tyre manufacturer, have achieved over 40 test wins during this autumn in Europe.

At the heart of test winning products: determined testing and tailoring 

Nokian Tyres' product development is based on know-how from over 80 years in the business, determined testing, and continuous search for better solutions.

The world's northernmost tyre manufacturer carefully tailors its products for different regions because different conditions place various demands on tyres. Close co-operation with leading car manufacturers ensures that the products utilise new technology in an optimal manner.

Ivalo Testing Center “White Hell” – Testing at the extremes

Nokian Tyres spends nearly half of its product development budget on testing products. Sufficient test results cannot be achieved under laboratory conditions alone. Nokian Tyres tests its products in real-life environments in order to make them work flawlessly under difficult, demanding, and varying conditions.

The company has its own testing center spanning over 700 hectares in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, to the north of the Arctic Circle. There, R&D and testing teams as well as test drivers put tyres to the test. The Ivalo Testing Center simulates winter driving extremes from November to May and during the day and night. The Ivalo Testing Center has more than 20 different test tracks. The continuously maintained test tracks span over 100 km in total. The tracks are used to test handling on snow and ice as well as the tyre’s acceleration and braking, for example.

Winter tyre inventor, world record holder and innovation leader

Already in 1934, Nokian Tyres developed and manufactured the world's first winter tyre to match the winter frost. Two years later, the northern winter witnessed the birth of Nokian Hakkapeliitta, the legendary snow road champion for passenger cars.

The new Guinness world record for fastest car on Ice was achieved by Nokian Tyres, when test driver Janne Laitinen drove at a speed of 335.713 km/h on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia in freezing winter weather. Grip and speed like never before were ensured by the Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Nowadays Nokian Tyres is the only tyre manufacturer in the world that focuses on products and services that facilitate safe transportation in northern conditions.

Test winner Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2:

Product photos: www.nokiantyres.com/HakkapeliittaR2

View the product video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C72NcBOjvH0

Product info: www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tyres/nokian-hakkapeliitta-r2/

Read more: Nokian test success winter 2014: www.nokiantyres.com/test-success

At the top of winter tyre testing: Ivalo Testing Center – White Hell 2014 http://youtu.be/UEGUTw7KHxE

Nokian Tyres history:
https://www.nokiantyres.com/company/about-us/history/

Nokian Tyres Baidu encyclopedia:
http://baike.baidu.com/view/8262321.htm?fr=aladdin

Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8: World record for the fastest car on ice, 335.713 km/h: www.nokiantyres.com/fastest-on-ice

World's first winter tyre with pop-out studs
www.nokiantyres.com/company/news-article/nokian-tyres-the-world-s-first-nonstudded-winter-tyre-with-studs/

How was the world's first winter tyre invented?
https://www.nokiantyres.com/first-winter-tyres

Comparing the world's first winter tyre to the state-of-the-art non-studded winter tyre
www.nokiantyres.com/company/about-us/history/this-is-how-the-winter-tyre-has-changed/

Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School – Towards safer winter motoring
www.nokiantyres.com/winter-driving-school

Further information:  

Nokian Tyres Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Address:
Room 906,No.99 Wuning Rd, Imago Plaza,Putuo District 200063,Shanghai,China
TEL+86 021 32020578
FAX+86 021 32020577
Asia-pacific General ManagerPekka Oey TEL+86 15800667900
E-MAILpekka.oey(at)nokiantyres.com

Sales & marketing managerTan     TEL+86 18616028519
E-MAIL:liang.tan(at)nokiantyres.com

Nokian Tyres Finland Headquarters
Nokian Tyres plc
www.nokiantyres.com

Finland

Development Manager Juha Pirhonen, Tel. +358 10 401 7708 E-Mail juha.pirhonen(at)nokiantyres.com

Technical Customer Service Manager Matti Morri, Tel. +358 10 401 7621 E-Mail matti.morri(at)nokiantyres.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NokianTyresCom

YouTube: www.youtube.com/NokianTyresCom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nokiantyres

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nokian-tyres-plc