Thu March 14 11:00 am 2019 in category Product news
New Nokian WR Snowproof – peace of mind for wintry ways
First class safety and exceptional grip for all forms of winter
The new Nokian WR Snowproof is a safe and reliable winter tire specially developed for Central European passenger car drivers. The tire’s most important characteristic is superb winter safety giving drivers peace of mind in sudden snowfalls and slushy lane changes.
The Nokian WR Snowproof is a new premium winter tire crafted to deliver peace of mind for Central European winter journeys. The Nokian WR Snowproof offers state-of-the-art safety for daily driving ensuring excellent winter grip on snow, slush and rain. Nokian Tyres’ new Alpine Sense Grip concept masters all the wintry weather challenges ensuring that the driving feel is predictable and balanced whether you drive on urban traffic, speedy autobahns or scenic mountain roads.
To cover all the wintry weather conditions, the new Alpine Grip rubber compound of the Nokian WR Snowproof is a tailored new mix designed to tackle the demanding and cold winter conditions, while offering excellent performance in milder weather across a wide temperature range. The Nokian WR Snowproof comes with a very low rolling resistance, which means less fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
The new tire is offered in speed categories Q (160km/h), T (190km/h), H (210 km/h), V (240 km/h) and W (270 km/h), and its comprehensive size selection covers 55 products from 14 to 20 inches. The new Nokian WR Snowproof will be available to consumers in autumn 2019. Nokian Tyres’ versatile winter tire range for passenger cars also includes Nokian WR D4 and Nokian WR A4. The extensive range for modern car models covers nearly 150 sizes.
The Nokian WR Snowproof is developed by Nokian Tyres, the world’s northernmost tire manufacturer and the inventor of the winter tire. The Company holds over hundred winter safety patents and is a global leader in safety and sustainability.
Alpine Sense Grip – Excellent winter grip, enjoyable handling
Unexpected changes in winter weather are common these days all across Europe. Heavy rain is becoming more frequent which increases the amount of the ever-dangerous slush. The road conditions can become treacherous quite quickly as the snow on the roads can be watery and slushy due to heavy road salting.
According to Nokian Tyres’ consumer survey, almost 60% of drivers in Central Europe considered specialized winter tires as the most important car safety equipment during the winter months. Nearly 70% of respondents found the tire’s grip and handling in winter conditions as the most valuable characteristics, while safety in extreme situations like on snowy roads and tire's grip on slushy roads made it to the top three.*
The new Alpine Sense Grip concept used in the Nokian WR Snowproof provides an exceptional combination of first class grip on snowy, slushy, and wet roads while offering predictable and balanced driving experience. In this eco-friendly premium tire, each tread block and sipe has a specific role that, together with the Alpine Grip rubber compound, support safe and comfortable driving. Handling is balanced and easy to control even under surprising conditions.
- Cornering on slushy roads and sudden lane changes to avoid wild animals, for example, are challenges for drivers. In line with our product development philosophy, the new Nokian WR Snowproof acts like a seat belt, maximizing safety at the extremes. It remains controlled and reliable at the grip limits. Our Alpine Sense Grip concept allows our winter tire to adapt to weather variations, providing much-needed grip and control for the most extreme driving situations even before the car’s electronic safety systems are activated, says Marko Rantonen, Product Development Manager for Nokian Tyres.
Safely in the snow
The optimized tread blocks, sipes, and grooves in this symmetrical and aggressive tread pattern are designed to offer superior safety in alpine blizzards and on rain-slick autobahns alike. The arrow-like tread pattern, seen in the Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires designed for the arctic Northern winter, effectively removes snow and slush from between the tire and the road.
The tread blocks’ sipes with their varying contours and depth create a dense Tailored Siping mesh that ensures excellent lateral and longitudinal grip even in deep snow. The stiff shoulder blocks have heavy sipes to improve traction. This design improves grip on snow and handling during cornering.
The multifaceted Snow Claws between the tread blocks and in the shoulder areas provide balanced grip on ice and snow, particularly when braking and accelerating. The Brake Boosters on the tread blocks do their part to improve the excellent braking grip.
Controlled handling, even in the slush
The new Nokian WR Snowproof is a winter road chameleon whose structures and rubber compounds were fine-tuned all over the world in the laboratories and authentic tests of the world's leading manufacturer of winter tires. The development included over 4 years of testing in Lapland’s arctic conditions at Nokian Tyres' own White Hell testing center in Ivalo, Finland. In addition to the kingdom of ice and snow, the new product's wet and dry road characteristics were also fine-tuned on several Central European test tracks in Germany and in Spain.
Slushplaning resistance was one particular focus area for the development. Research shows that slush is one of the most dangerous and feared elements of winter. The combination of melting snow, the water cushion at the road surface, and potential ice is dangerous even for an expert driver. The unique slushplaning testing method available on the Nokia test track allowed for the long-term development of the slush characteristics.
The grooves tailored along the entire length of the tread pattern accelerate the removal of slush and water. The deep Dual Grooves on both sides of the center rib efficiently store water and quickly transfer it away from the tire and driving surface via the inter-connected grooves.
The wide and stylish Polished Grooves that open toward the side also accelerate the removal of water, providing added safety and assisting drivers in the rain.
Precise and balanced driving
The varying winter weather caused by climate change will mean that a large part of winter driving in Central Europe will take place on rain-soaked or bare asphalt roads. The new tread pattern and precisely optimized tread pattern structure give the Nokian WR Snowproof balanced road contact and quick and predictable steering response. The steadier, more dynamic contact results in excellent grip and better durability regardless of the weather.
A strong, unified rib that can be felt in the excellent steering response and stability dominates the tire’s center region. Tread blocks with a heavy zigzag sipe pattern connect to the sturdy rib on both sides, in the shape of a growing tree. The sharp zigzag edges open and close during braking and acceleration to improve grip.
Combined Blocks are tread blocks combined in groups of three to improve snow grip; they are also supported by handling supports at the groove bottoms, which enables precise steering and exact handling even at higher speeds on dry roads.
Comfortable and eco-friendly driving
In addition to safety, driving comfort is also an essential part of a pleasant driving experience. The new Nokian WR Snowproof is safe, comfortable, and silent to drive on different road surfaces.
Silent Sidewall Technology increases driving comfort. The tailored special rubber compound between the sidewall and tread actively dampens the sound and vibration originating from the road and the tire structure; this is further improved by the use of the Clinch rubber compound developed for the tire’s bead area. Both innovations ensure pleasant interior rolling noise.
The EU tire label makes comparing tires easier for consumers and indicates the unique nature of the Nokian WR Snowproof. In addition to its safe characteristics on snow, this genuine winter tire can master rain and slush.The wet grip is on the top-level in class B. The rolling resistance class, indicating fuel economy, is in class B or C depending on the size.
New rubber compound maximizes wet grip and fuel efficiency
The new product’s rubber compound combines the Nokian Hakkapeliitta rubber compound, designed for the demanding and cold Northern winter, and a compound that provides excellent performance in milder weather across a wide temperature range. The modern Alpine Grip rubber compound combines natural rubber, silica, and functional polymers in an entirely new way. This new, dynamic compound innovation allows peak performance in terms of both snow grip and wet grip.
Due to the lightly rolling tread pattern and the high amount of silica in the rubber compound, the Nokian WR Snowproof has a very low rolling resistance, generating fuel savings and reducing harmful emissions.
Patented safety
The patented Winter Safety Indicator (WSI) further improves safety. It is located in the tread, and displays the remaining tread in millimeters together with a snowflake symbol. The snowflake remains visible until four millimeters of tread remain. Once the snowflake has worn out, we recommend buying new winter tires in order to ensure safety.
The installation location and pressure indicators in the info area also improve safety. The info area allows for recording the correct inflation pressure and installation location when changing tires. For convenience, an additional area is also provided for recording the lug nut torque.
Nokian WR Snowproof – Peace of mind for wintry ways
- First class grip on snowy, slushy, and wet roads
- Predictable and balanced driving experience
- Smooth rolling saves fuel and preserves the environment
Main innovations:
Alpine Sense Grip concept. Excellent winter grip in snow, slush, and wet. The Optimized tread design effectively removes snow and slush from between the tire and the road while the Tailored siping ensures excellent lateral and longitudinal grip even in deep snow. The Alpine Grip compound tackles the demanding and cold winter conditions, while offering excellent performance in milder weather across a wide temperature range.
Snow Claws: balanced grip on ice and snow. The snow claws effectively grip their surface when driving in soft snow and on other soft terrain types, providing high-class grip when braking and accelerating.
Brake Boosters for better braking grip: Brake boosters on the tread block shoulders improve braking grip on snow. The serrated pattern of the brake boosters improves snow grip.
Tailored grooves: Premium slushplaning resistance. The tailored grooves accelerate the removal of slush and water. The Dual Grooves efficiently store water and quickly transfer it away from the tire and driving surface. The Polished Grooves also accelerate the removal of water, providing added safety and assisting drivers in the rain.
Silent Sidewall Technology. More driving comfort. A unique combination of compounding and structural design. The special zone on the tire sidewall helps to filter the noise and vibration from the road surface, reducing noise inside the vehicle.
Download product photos and videos
*Winter tire survey 2019. The data is based on an online panel survey taken in December 2018-January 2019 by Nokian Tyres in cooperation with YouGov research company. The survey was conducted in five countries (Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Czech Republic) with a sample of 500-2, 000 respondents from each country.
Further information:
Nokian Tyres plc,
Communications Manager Teemu Sainio, tel. +358 10 401 7296,
[email protected]
Technical Customer Service Manager Matti Morri, tel. +358 10 401 7621
[email protected]