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My new snow setup, OEM 18s w/ Nokian
Got these put in just in the nick of time. Specs are OEM 18" wheels mounted with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R snow tires in 245/40-18 all around. The 245s on the rears are a bit stretched but within Nokian specs and they seem to look and feel alright. Love the OEM 18s for winters since they should hide the dirt and wear a bit better - I will get some 19s for summer use.
Now to the tires... I have to say after owning Blizzak LM-22s and Wintersport M3s, that these things are just in another league. I've never had such a grippy performance winter tire, hugely confidence inspiring at highway speeds in medium snow/slush. Great directional stability and loads of grip under acceleration and most importantly braking. They even feel noticeably sticky and pliable to the touch when dry. The downsides will undoubtedly be high wear rate (although the square setup should help since I can rotate), a little higher noise level and more rolling resistance. They also are really squishy when driving in the dry, so need to be careful...
Can't say enough about them for those of you still deciding on a setup. I will post better clean car pics this weekend but love seeing it well used in the winter!
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