Great Deal on these new tires....Thoughts on them???

Pote · **Posted:** Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:26 pm

http://www.nokiantires.com/en/tire_vati ... son=summer

hey everybody...I am looking at putting these tires on my '03 Sport. they are rated exactly like Revos or AT KO's and have an almost identical look (style/tread/wall-wise). they are 245/70/R16s and have a really nice squared shoulder and are extremely well-siped. they are about $50 cheaper per tire than the Revos and comes with the same 60K mile warranty, road hazzard, lifetime rotate/balance, yadda yadda. Here's where the deal gets better. the four shoes on the jeep right now are about as crappy a tire as one can have .. hey it came used with a brand new set of Contitracs and now I know why...they are god-awful. won't even get into what's the various problems with those...not worth wasting your time. If you've ever had those (wouldn't put them on a minivan let alone a jeep) you know what I'm talking about.

Anyhow, back to the better bargain. I have a brand new factory Wranglers on the back door that has never been off the spare rack and is 100% new. This particular tire shop that came recommended in my area from another forum member (BIG THANKS!) said they would give me $90 for the Wrangler since I need 5 new tires to match the new extra bit of width Im putting on...that to me was the deal sealer. A few other places already told me I would have to "eat" the new tire and they had no use for just one Wrangler - no kidding!!! LOL. This "trade-in" of the tire, basically gets me the fifth tire for free. How could I not like that?!!

Of course this offer stands for any tires I buy there, and he said these Nokia tires rate head to head with the Revos and the AT KO's. He said in testing in harsh weather, the Vatiiva literally embarasses the competition like Michelin LXT's and the like...leave it to the snow-bound Finns to come up with highly rated AT tires. I live in northern Ohio and we have been seeing feet of snow falling in a single day lately...winter driving and a 72 mile round trip commute to work in that weather has me thinking that MY "OFFROAD" is mostly horrible snow from December thru April...sometimes longer. We Clevelanders are used to it - its not the UP in Michigan, but we get spanked pretty bad on any given week.

Just one guys review but with some nice pics of how they look: http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/sh ... erid=74549

And a fellow forum members thoughts: http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... ia+vatiiva

OTD will run me $515 including tax, mounted, balanced, with all the replacement roadside guarantee and lifetime rotation for ALL 5! (remember that includes $90 to buy back my unused spare Wrangler which is a huge bonus since I won't have an oddball brand new tire just sitting in my garage...I doubt anyone would ever buy 1 crappy like new Wrangler tire off me anyhow)

Sooo, before they go on the Libbey, I was wondering if anyone has fallen in love with these tires like all the reviews I'm reading. Nothing but rave reviews in all my googling. I thought I'd come to you guys who are real world reviewers to see if anyone has any pros or cons about these tires. Its a very old tire company (started in 1939!) that is relatively new to the US (I think the early 90's they arrived here). Everything I've read has said they are as good as anything the US companies are putting out...so what say you guys? ETA on the Jeep is tomorrow morning if I like what I'm hearing here as opposed to the salesman and all the stellar reviews on the net. Just looking for a bit more from you guys.

thanks in advance.
Dave

Pote · **Posted:** Thu Sep 27, 2007 3:16 pm

well...I suppose I answered my own post by providing the review links. LOL

anyhow, I got them put on this morning along with a break job...went to the 245/70/r16 size and they are awesome! BTW, not one ounce of rubbing anywhere on the stock 03 KJ...so for those wondering about going to that size with a real aggressive tread, no worries...mine clears with plenty of room. anyhow, I will report back after I get some miles underneath these shoes, and so far so good...they look real nice on it as well.

andOrr · **Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:46 pm

My uncle put the Vatiivas on his two-wheel drive Dodge pickup, since he was getting stuck here in the winters with the stock tires. He's real happy with them, said he noticed a huge difference in winter conditions.

The only complaint I've heard about these tires is from a guy I work with. He took them off his pickup, said they felt 'squirmy'.

One question though about these tires: if they work so good in the winter, how come they're in Nokian's summer category, and don't have a severe weather rating?

Pote · **Posted:** Wed Oct 03, 2007 1:23 pm

EVERYTHING they make whether summer or winter is rated for snow and severe weather. Remember, these are tires from Finland and their core market is Northern Europe (think Alps!!) who see more snow than we care to think about. These "AT" tires have the M+S rating but are considered a "summer" tire due to its new offroad design. these are a spin off of their WR line which is the winter specific version (rounder shoulders, shallower treads). These are rated as AT with a bigger aggressive tread, nice square shoulder, but use the exact same WR winter-tread pattern and siping.

I have found them to not be squirmy at all. Really smooth on the pavement and superior grip in wet cornering. Can't wait to see what this winter has to offer.

One thing to remember about these new Vatiiva's lug and tread pattern is the HUGE amount of siping on them. That, in conjunction with their compound used in the tire give them the ultimate stick. They are a multi-compound rubber just like the Bridgestone Revos...meaning that as the treads wear, you get into softer, grippier material. That gives more traction to make up for the tread loss. Again, another benefit is that their siping goes 100% through the tread...others stop around 50%. So as you really wear these down, the siping is still in your favor. I'm learning alot about these tires, and so far everything is tip-top. I have yet to find anyone who is disappointed, and more over, have yet to find anyone who has gone back to another tire after having these put on. Over in europe, Canada, Alaska and VT, Nokias are truly common first picks.

I also just found out that the Vatiiva is going to be severe weather rated this year sometime. they simply weren't submitted (new tire) for the review until recently.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

I have them and plan on returning them under 30 day trial.

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=24330
http://jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33660

I am not sure, I may be returning them.. They are great at dry cornering, softer and quieter. but they definitely squirm a lot.
And also I noticed this morning it was a bit slippery out following a drizzle. these feel like they are a-dancing over every single bump and feel like my jeep is moving sideways.. I just couldn't believe this after I read so many reviews claiming that these were great and had HUGE difference over stock tires!? My crapyear wrangler HPs reacted so much better and had faster response, these are a bit late, and I blame their softness..

PS: I drive what you may call "spirited" so, WRs might have been a better choice for me...

Tires are supposed to be made in USA by Cooper tire. They are very similar to Cooper Discoverer ATR.

Pote · **Posted:** Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:15 pm

hyedipin wrote:

I have them and plan on returning them under 30 day trial.

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=24330
http://jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33660

I am not sure, I may be returning them.. They are great at dry cornering, softer and quieter. but they definitely squirm a lot.
And also I noticed this morning it was a bit slippery out following a drizzle. these feel like they are a-dancing over every single bump and feel like my jeep is moving sideways.. I just couldn't believe this after I read so many reviews claiming that these were great and had HUGE difference over stock tires!? My crapyear wrangler HPs reacted so much better and had faster response, these are a bit late, and I blame their softness..

PS: I drive what you may call "spirited" so, WRs might have been a better choice for me...

Wow, sorry to hear the outcome for you. I got mine (245/70/r16s) for $103/tire. Out the door for 5, mounted balanced with all the lifetime rotation and road hazard for 3 years came to $515. Mine are stellar in the wet and dry arena. No squirm, just glued to the ground. I hope you find what you are lookin for...sounds like the HPs were your best performers, maybe a new set of those are in order.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Pote wrote:

sounds like the HPs were your best performers, maybe a new set of those are in order.

No way, those tires were really dangerous after first 10k on them. They were terrible in the rain and slid all the time, and were hydroplaning endlessly. They were great only for dry surface. So no HPs for me! Did you drive through water with these? Were there any hyrdoplaning? I don't know man, maybe I got the bad batch. who knows..
problem is I put a cut on one of their shoulder.. I hope they don't notice it.

Pote · **Posted:** Wed Oct 03, 2007 5:02 pm

hyedipin wrote:

Pote wrote:

sounds like the HPs were your best performers, maybe a new set of those are in order.

No way, those tires were really dangerous after first 10k on them. They were terrible in the rain and slid all the time, and were hydroplaning endlessly. They were great only for dry surface. So no HPs for me! Did you drive through water with these? Were there any hyrdoplaning? I don't know man, maybe I got the bad batch. who knows..
problem is I put a cut on one of their shoulder.. I hope they don't notice it.

Yeah, the last few days its been raining on and off here. They are gripping real well. No hydroplaning at all. What other tire are you considering? Grabbers maybe?

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Pote wrote:

hyedipin wrote:

Pote wrote:

sounds like the HPs were your best performers, maybe a new set of those are in order.

No way, those tires were really dangerous after first 10k on them. They were terrible in the rain and slid all the time, and were hydroplaning endlessly. They were great only for dry surface. So no HPs for me! Did you drive through water with these? Were there any hyrdoplaning? I don't know man, maybe I got the bad batch. who knows..
problem is I put a cut on one of their shoulder.. I hope they don't notice it.

Yeah, the last few days its been raining on and off here. They are gripping real well. No hydroplaning at all. What other tire are you considering? Grabbers maybe?

No grabbers, I think I'll go down to something with shorter treads, maybe goodyear forteras or silent armors.. not sure yet.

andOrr · **Posted:** Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:58 pm

I picked up a set of Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors last week, on sale 4 for 3. Reviews on them have been pretty favorable, supposed to be a great all-terrain tire.

I barely have 100km on them, but initial impressions of them are real good. Handling is fairly responsive, almost equal to the Bridgestone Traction highway tires I have on 17" wheels, my Silent Armors are on 16". I was pulling a trailer this weekend weighing about a ton and the tires didn't feel too soft (using P-rated). Noise (so far) is definitely no more than the Bridgestones, but they weren't real quiet.

Off-road, snow, ice is going to be the next test, I can't wait to "experiment" :wink:

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Great Deal on these new tires....Thoughts on them???

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