Nokian Pre-Winter Trials Escape

[Art]

With the Nokian WR receiving so many accolades from forum members, a trio of us decided to put it to the test over the weekend. The setting for our test bed would be in the heart of the Alberta Rockies and would include drives around the Banff townsite, Canmore, Lake Louise and Kananaskis in a variety of conditions. Much to our glee, the forecast for the weekend was calling for snow to start falling well before the waking hours of Sunday.

My wife and I arrived in Banff on Saturday to meet up with forum member MGC who had driven up on the previous day from Spokane, WA via Cranbrook and Radium, B.C. John@CdnRockies and his wife Faye joined us on Sunday morning from Calgary and reported that a number of vehicles had already entered the ditches along the main highway on the approach to Banff.

Our own 3 hour drive to the mountains was hampered by fog on Hwy 22 between Cremona and Cochrane, AB, roughly 130 km (80 miles) northeast of Banff.


The skies cleared as we approached the park boundary. There were plenty of XC sightings on the road this day.


MGC's and our rig parked at Lake Minnewanka.


Stop over on the way to the Canmore Nordic Center with a glimpse of the TransCan Hwy in the background.


Spray Lakes Reservoir above the townsite of Canmore.


MGC's Decals


I snuck out of the hotel before breakfast on Sunday and took these early morning shots of Bow Falls and River



The start of the drive to Lake Louise along Hwy 1A. The current temperature was -7 C.


Slushy road conditions at the outset created an ideal test ground for the tires as a thin base layer of ice had already formed earlier in the day. This didn't appear to phase the WRs as they made short work of this stretch of road.



Things started to get interesting from here on in. Powder, plenty of it and virtually no traffic on this old highway.




John was doing his best impression of a snowplow which was evident from the large plumes of snow that his car was ejecting. Much of the road was now relegated to single track and there were also moments when we felt inclined to break our own trails through the deep powder. The WRs dug in and handled pretty well anything that we threw their way.



A much needed break by the side of the road to clear the wheel wells of snow. By now there was a thick crust of hard pack hanging above my own tires. Much of it had turned to ice making it virtually impossible to extract. I can’t imagine how much additional weight the XCs were dragging around.





Off once again to make the final push towards Lake Louise Ski Resort


Lake Louise Ski Resort and the Ten Peaks Lodge


Appropriately attired for the event.




We encountered numerous vehicles that had either slid off the road or were simply stuck and left stranded by their owners. Apparently many people were still caught off their guard despite the ominous weather forecast.


Back on the TC (Trans Canada) Hwy, things didn't improve much. Again the WRs handled themselves remarkably well and never flinched.


One of the many plows that were on the road that day as we began the drive back to Calgary.


This tractor trailer slid off and lost its load along the TC heading towards Banff.


On this day, the Nokian WRs ruled. The scope of road conditions were a testament to these very capable tires. I can't comment on the full potential of the WRs as the ambient temperature was still much in their favor. However, with one winter season already under his watchful eye, John reported that his WRs also performed well when subjected to much colder surroundings so I'm confident that they will do fine. With that said, the superior dry traction and handling capabilities of these tires is icing on the cake.

[MtDog]

Sorry if I missed it, but which WRs are you running on your car?

[MGC]

Art

Great photos and a wonderful recap of the days outing, it was a lot of fun and hopefully we will be able to do it again in the future.

I'm really impressed with the Nokian WRs they are by far the best tire I have had on this car. The driving conditions Sunday made me a believer in Nokian tires.

Thanks for posting,
MGC

Morrie

[Art]

Originally Posted by MtDog

Sorry if I missed it, but which WRs are you running on your car?

The SUV versions. 225/55/17 XL

Originally Posted by MGC

Art

Great photos and a wonderful recap of the days outing, it was a lot of fun and hopefully we will be able to do it again in the future.

I'm really impressed with the Nokian WRs they are by far the best tire I have had on this car. The driving conditions Sunday made me a believer in Nokian tires.

Thanks for posting,
MGC

Morrie

Thanks Morrie. We also had a blast and the fortuitous dump of snow that we received on Sunday left a permanent grin on my face. Hey, you can always do it over again on the return leg of your trip!

The WR’s also exceeded my expectations and I’m convinced that they will continue to do so as winter approaches.

[MGC]

Originally Posted by MtDog

Sorry if I missed it, but which WRs are you running on your car?

Mt Dog

I'm running the 235/60/16 that Gibbons has posted about.

MGC

[jpalaska]

Great photos! I almost feel like I was riding along with you.
Some of the scenes looked like up here in Alaska.
Are you going to use the Nokians just in the winter, or all year long?

JP

[Art]

Thanks JP. Hard to recall a moment when I had that much fun in a XC!

I can't speak for John or Morrie, but my plan is to run the WRs over the course of the winter season which, for us, can sometimes seem like an eternity. Every so often, Albertans can expect to see snow fly in May so it's also convenient to have a tire that can take us well past the spring thaw.

We drove up to Alaska (summer of '98) as far north as Fairbanks and have great memories of that trip even on those nights when the black flies and no-see-ums invaded our tent. Hope to do a similar trip in the not-so-distant future this time with the XC.

[budrichard]

I don't think your vehicles ability to manage the road conditions was due to the Nokiens. The Volvo XC deserves the accolades. To do a true test you would need similar XC's with other manufactures tires and some way to objectively evaluate the differences in performance. I still run the P ST's both off road/on road and in all types of snow conditions that we get in Wisconsin. The only time I have been stuck was in a drift on a snowmobile trail in a flat condition. I have no doubt that my XC would have had no more or no less capabilty than an XC with Nokien tires. -Dick

[Art]

Point well taken. Perhaps the XC deserved just as much if not more attention than the Nokians received in the trip report. If anything, the Nokians only served to enhance the traction of the XC.

Driving on snow tires here equates to sound common sense. I simply can't imagine running 'all seasons' again through one of our cold winters, it just wouldn't be as safe, IMO. When the temperature drops to -40 C one appreciates the softer tread compound and siping that true winter tires provide.

FWIW, I drove the first winter here on stock STs, but after switching to dedicated snowies, I'll never go back.

[gibbons]

Originally Posted by budrichard

I have no doubt that my XC would have had no more or no less capabilty than an XC with Nokien tires. -Dick

I have doubt. I drove our XC with on back to back days with STRs one day and WRs the next. That's why I put WRs on my mom's car and on wife's car before their old tires were shot. Driving is believing. I guess you would have to experience them for yourself. The modern technology of tread siping vs tread lugging is amazing.