Nokian WRG4

[gravitylover]

Anybody tried a set of these yet? My car does lots of miles (30k/yr) in all sorts of conditions year round.

[wolffbite]

I had the WRG2 on my old car (pontiac G5) and thought they were fine. Couldn't afford a dedicated winter set at the time so I gave them a try.

I have a set of WRG3 on for winter right now (stock size on stock rims). They were going to be my year-round setup based on generally liking them on my old car until I decided to get a set of dedicated summer tires (Michelin PS4S).

An all weather tire is going to be a compromise in all areas of performance... jack of all trades, master of none. Slightly better dry and wet grip than the stock tires, and they are fine if you only get a little bit of snow. I found that they struggle in wet slushy snow which is what we mostly get here.

Once they are worn out I will be getting a dedicated winter tire. Not really a fan of them on this car, and budget is less of a concern for me now. Maybe the WRG4 is better, but it would have to be a massive improvement for me to consider them again. YMMV.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by wolffbite

I have a set of WRG3 on for winter right now (stock size on stock rims). They were going to be my year-round setup based on generally liking them on my old car until I decided to get a set of dedicated summer tires (Michelin PS4S).

An all weather tire is going to be a compromise in all areas of performance... jack of all trades, master of none. Slightly better dry and wet grip than the stock tires, and they are fine if you only get a little bit of snow. I found that they struggle in wet slushy snow which is what we mostly get here.

How are they in the wet and are they relatively quiet on the highway? These are two of the things I need out of this next set of tires. The other is they need to handle well on mid speed (50<>70mph) twisty roads. I also need to get at least 30k (miles) out of them so I don't have to get new tires again before next winter.

Yeah I know. I've had Conti EC DWS for the last 30k and dedicated winter tires for the last 3 years but I figure this year if I need to be out in the snow I'll take the beater old Durango out and just suck up the crappy mpg so snow isn't a concern at this point but I will drive it at every opportunity on cold dry pavement and most all seasons are pretty terrible when it's really cold and these new all weather tires are supposed to be better for that.

[wolffbite]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

How are they in the wet and are they relatively quiet on the highway? These are two of the things I need out of this next set of tires. The other is they need to handle well on mid speed (50<>70mph) twisty roads. I also need to get at least 30k (miles) out of them so I don't have to get new tires again before next winter.

Yeah I know. I've had Conti EC DWS for the last 30k and dedicated winter tires for the last 3 years but I figure this year if I need to be out in the snow I'll take the beater old Durango out and just suck up the crappy mpg so snow isn't a concern at this point but I will drive it at every opportunity on cold dry pavement and most all seasons are pretty terrible when it's really cold and these new all weather tires are supposed to be better for that.

They are very quiet on the highway. I'm quite used to driving in the rain where I live and I haven't experienced any hydroplaning issues or felt I lacked grip in the wet when I needed it. They are a step up from the primacies for sure, but not a huge one.

They seem to handle well in the dry and I found them adequate for some spirited driving on twisty roads. It's hard for me to qualify if the handling is "good" since I'm not a track guy.. it's not a performance tire so I never really pushed them that hard but I never felt like they were going to kill me when I got a bit more enthusiastic on the curves.

The stock size WRG3 have a 65,000km tread warranty so that is right around 40k miles. I would assume the WRG4 is the same or better but I haven't looked into it. How long they actually last will depend on how you drive of course.

Hope that helps...

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by wolffbite

.....

Hope that helps...

Sure does, thanks.

[ZionsWrath]

After some research I had concluded these would be the tires to buy if you absolutely couldn't have a winter/summer set and needed snow grip. i decided against them because I just hate the compromise and rather spend more having 2 dedicated sets wheel/tire.

I actually just recommended them to a friend because they complaining about their 3 year old all seasons can't get up a slight slope driveway. And they want to buy a "4 wheel drive" lol

[Go Frogs]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Anybody tried a set of these yet? My car does lots of miles (30k/yr) in all sorts of conditions year round.

No experience on a BRZ and no experience with the WR G4; however, I have had the WR G1/G2 on a Nissan Pathfinder SE 4WD.

Got the WR G1/G2 in OH. Our Pathfinder used 265/55/16s. I wanted something that was ALL Season to replace the crappy Dueller H/Ls and the Nokians were the only tire with the Mountain-Snowflake for severe duty other than dedicated winter tires.

Now that we were in OH, coming from CO, we know the importance of good traction on white stuff and SW OH can see its fair share of snow/ice. Plus, this was the wife's truck and I wanted her to feel safe. The Dueller H/Ls were not safe.

The WR G1/G2 were monsters in the wet. Yes, the extra sipes did make a little bit of noise in the dry, but I would gladly accept noise for their grip. Hwy speeds on a hwy during moderate rain (still "good" visibility) was no issue. All the road trips we did to Northern IL, KS, TX, MO, FL, NC were flawless and w/o drama.

Sure, the tires are going to have their limits, but I never really got to them, at any tread depth. The rating of 50k miles was doable. The built in treadwear marker was useful.

The only downside I can think of is finding a tire shop that sells them when you are outside your home area and when you really don't know the area you are in and where the Nokian dealers are - ask me how I know [cut a sidewall in Chicago on 94...]

I am a Nokian WR believer, but again, I have not tried out the WR G4 on a BRZ, or any car for that matter, but you better believe I will look into them when I need tires very soon for my GTI (225/45/17)

Right now, I'm enjoying my Mich Pilot Sport AS3 at 4/32...

[cjd]

I loved the WR G3 as a winter tire in the city,where we stay home when it gets deep. Still quite good in snow, but ice/wet/dry/slush is where they proceed their worth.

Not desperate enough to wear them out using in the summer, I have summer tires...

Using the same tire year'round costs more overall than proper seasonal tires. I'd still use these as my winter's though.