Ivalo, Finland - Nokian is making headlines, and for good reason. After unveiling its brand-new Hakkapeliitta 01 winter tire with retractable studs, the Finnish tire maker feels its new product could be a game-changer in the field with its new technology.
Self-adjusting studs?
The idea of a winter tire with studs that emerge only on command was long the stuff of science fiction - that is, until Nokian engineers presented a wild project some 12 years ago.
There was one main problem with the concept, however. An external command was needed to extend the studs outward when approaching an icy patch of road. And this electronic command had to be operated by the driver from inside the vehicle. “Too complicated and, above all, too expensive...” noted Nokian’s presenter during the 01's debut at the firm's winter testing centre in Ivalo.
Nokian engineers realized they had to come up with a system that operated completely independently from the driver, but also from the vehicle’s electrical system. Here’s what they came up with: a sort of plastic layer that reacts to temperature (specifically to cold) in a way that makes it press on the pins in the tread, causing them to poke their heads out of the rubber and help improve the tire's grip.
In normal conditions, the tire, with its tread pattern derived from that of the Hakkapeliitta 10, holds the studs inside. If the tire "feels" that the road surface is becoming cold (read: icy), the studs are quickly pushed out by the plastic strip that has hardened and presses against the head of the studs.
At the Ivalo centre
We were invited to discover and test the tire at Nokian’s Ivalo centre in northern Finland. This testing centre is right in the Arctic sector of Lapland, less than 25 km from Russia. It’s a part of the world where the temperature and weather strangely resemble those of parts of Canada.
Significantly larger than the Mécaglisse centre in Quebec (which is already an example of its kind), the Ivalo centre is only used in winter since the various testing grounds are mostly laid out on the frozen surface of the large Ivalo lake. Nokian’s complex, which has been there for over 40 years, is now called White Hell, and it features some 40 distinct tracks laid out across the 700-hectare site.
The Hakkapeliitta 01
The new tire was introduced on this day by Paolo Pompei, President of Nokian, who described it as revolutionary. The folks at Nokian feel they are "reinventing the winter tire."
At its core, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 01 is a copy of the Hakkapeliitta 10 currently on the market. Hence the resemblance of the tread pattern to the latter. The 01 shares the 10’ Aramid-reinforced sidewalls, which reduce the risk of cuts if the tire hits a major pothole. As for the groove design, one can see the Hakka 10 pattern which helps with water evacuation while the interlocking sipes act to suck up surface water.
What differs are the studs. These, which have a somewhat rectangular geometric shape, are placed horizontally or vertically according to the tread lines. These studs are deeply set within the tread. During regular driving, they don’t touch the ground, and the tire rides all the more quietly for it. But when the tire reaches a very cold surface, the studs emerge.
Less wear, more grip
With this technology, Nokian guarantees up to 30-percent less wear to tires on the road and 10-percent more grip than with ordinary studs. The 01 also has a foam strip inside the tire to reduce cabin noise by 1db. Nokian named the tire Hakkapeliitta 01 in reference to binary computer language (0 for off and 1 for activated). Nokian announced 124 sizes upon its market launch.
On ice and snow
We were able to drive all-wheel drive cars, mainly various Audi models, some new and some older, equipped with Hakkapeliitta 01 tires.
Initially, we took the cars onto a very fast frozen-surface circuit where the goal was to prove the tire's grip on the ice. Instructors also pushed us to skid laterally (as in "drifting") while maintaining control of the car.
After a quick visit to some technical testing areas, a series of slalom and braking exercises followed (the goal being to achieve a stopping distance of less than 70 metres from about 40 km/h). Another exercise involved maintaining control of the vehicle (in this case, a Porsche Cayenne Hybrid SUV) on a skid pad.
Another activity saw us ride as passengers in a modified Audi driven by a racing driver for a high-speed hill climb demonstration. Finally, since this is also a winter tire, it had to be driven on a snowy road for a few kilometres in the mountains surrounding Lake Ivalo.
In all cases, the studs were expected to come out of hiding. This they did, but we noted how little noise they made – essentially none. Needless to say, no vehicle skidded excessively and the tests were more than conclusive.
One final detail: Nokian has not yet revealed the pricing for this extraordinary tire. Everyone understands well that the 01 will need to be competitive, so the wait is on while competitors' product prices are announced in the coming months.
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 01 should be on the market around June.
