Nokian bags German tyre test wins

Nokian claims a pair of tyre test victories for its summer products; the Nokian Z G2 scored a win in the German Volkswagen and Audi specialist magazine “Gute Fahrt”, while the Nokian H took top honours in the “Auto Zeitung”, which is also published in Germany.

The Nokian Z G2 won the Gute Fahrt (3/2012 edition) summer tyre test, which included six size 225/45 R 17 W tyres, and received the top “very good“ grading. The Finnish tyre also received the “Gute Fahrt recommendation” and was praised for its good safety properties. “For the first time, a Nokian tyre wins a GF tyre test…and it completely deserves to, as the very balanced Finn manages to reach top marks not only for braking on wet surfaces, but also for rolling resistance,” the magazine commented.

“The Finn is mostly neutral to drive and free of load change reactions,” said Gute Fahrt. “It masters handling, offers great stability and good grip on wet surfaces, and achieves the best braking scores. Only longitudinal aquaplaning could be better. Comfort is good and rolling noise remains low. And as the icing on the cake, it provides the lowest rolling resistance. The frontrunner Nokian has 22 per cent less rolling resistance than the worst ranked tyres, meaning that it can save up to half a litre of fuel per 100 km compared to them.”

Nokian H

When Auto Zeitung held its summer tyre test, which included seven premium and one budget size 185/60 R 15 H tyre, it was the Nokian H’s turn to come up trumps. In its overall verdict, Auto Zeitung (6/2012 edition) extolled the tyre as follows: “A clear victory for Nokian H that not only provides excellent performance on wet surfaces, but is also fully convincing on dry road and in the rolling resistance test.”

Auto Zeitung also commented favourably about the tyre’s wet test results: “Fastest in handling, top-class for driving safety, and very strong in braking. The Finnish Nokian is a true professional on wet surfaces.” Remarks for dry road performance are summarised as follows: “The Nokian receives points for its low rolling resistance, it brakes strongly, and it is also quiet to drive. It grips well at the limit and always reacts predictably.”