I thought I would leave it a while before I posted my feedback on the these all weather tyres.
I first read about these wet weather "A" rated braking Weatherproof tyres shortly after I bought my SL nearly two years ago, and after writing to Nokian I was disappointingly told they weren't intending on making them in the 225 45 R18 size.
I wrote back to Nokian explaining that their WR D4 snow tyre was great, but it was a PITA to change tyres over for 3-4months of the year and that no other reputable company offered all weather tyres in that format at that time with the A rating. So I was pleased to see that they launched this size earlier this year.
It was also a rated as a very quiet tyre at 69dB.
The Nokians lived up to their brief. Over the last 4 weeks, they have handled snow and ice with aplomb where other vehicles were stranded. Having previously raced over ice and snow and compared the difference between summer tyres vs all weather/winter tyres, I could feel the difference as they never failed to give me anything other than predictable grip and control.
The other more surprising aspects were:
- the NVH from all previous summer tyres was no longer prevalent
- there was not much more pronounced roll through corners
- they are so quiet that there's almost no audible tyre noise at 70mph (just wind noise), and I can listen to pod casts being played through my mobile without using the bluetooth through the car speakers
- they perform really well in the dry
- I'm still getting 52-54MPG for my motorway journeys and I believe the low rolling resistance characteristic are better than those of the Dunlops. Another 5000miles will tell.
These are by far the best tyres that this 6 has been shod with.
Up until now, I'd been running the Dunlop Sport Max RT tyres that were A rated for wet braking and as these were a Jag fitment they were allegedly a quieter 68dB. They were much better than the Pirelli Cinturato P7 and Continental combos which I disliked as they tramlined along any lines in the road. However, I still found the Dunlops to be a little noisy at all speeds, even though they were quieter than the other previous tyres.
My only reservation is that I doubt they will last as long as the Dunlops did. I have done over 40,000miles in my Dunlops and mostly on the M1 and the country lanes of Leicestershire, Yorkshire and Scotland. However, the lower NVH and noticeably quieter ride of the Nokians make owning this 6 a bigger pleasure than before. My 4 - 6 hour drives are no longer a chore and I can drive continuously without feeling as tired.
I had a choice of the Nokians or the Michelin CrossClimate 2 which I put onto my wife's car, and given the recent snow flurries we had, I prefer the Nokians.