Do you use WR G2s?

June 29, 2011 8:40 PM

Anyone have experience with Nokian WR G2 tires?

It's time I replace the Geolandar tires on my Forester and I'm looking at the all-weather Nokian WR G2s. I know "all-weather" is a misnomer but the WR G2s have really great reviews in both wet, dry, and snow. That's not my concern.

My concern is that I hear from some sources that the tires have worn out quickly, as in, fewer than 30k miles. Some say they have lasted them as long as 80k. Unfortunately, rarely do these people say where they live, how they drive, or if they keep the WR G2s on all-year.

Does anyone on MeFi drive on Nokians? I'd love some feedback.

(Also, not to be presumptuous, but I'm not particularly looking for other tire suggestions. Unless of course you're so unbelievably happy with your tires that you have to tell me.)

posted by InsanePenguin to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

I had older Nokian WRs (not G2s) on my previous car, and they were awesome. I only had them on my winter wheels, so I'm not exactly sure how many miles I got out of them (I never calculated it, sorry). I live in SoCal and used them on winter wheels when I used to drive up into the mountains during ski season. I would continue using them back in hot, dry SoCal between trips, because I am lazy. Their grip on snow was absolutely phenomenal, I was very impressed. They were fine in dry conditions too, just a bit noisier than my summer tires. I guess if I had to make a guess about how many miles I got out of them, I would say it was closer to 30k then 80k, but that is probably because I drove them on hot, dry roads more often than on wet, snowy roads.
posted by Joh at 9:08 PM on June 29, 2011

I bought WRG2s for my Prius about 18 months ago - I keep them on year round in Vancouver, BC. They seem to be wearing at a rate commensurate with their 80K km wear warrantee. I am very pleased with them. I drive about 25% city, 75% highway.
posted by birdsquared at 11:43 PM on June 29, 2011

I had a set of Nokian WRs for winter tires I just sold on craigslist.

I used them for 5 years (winter only in Wisconsin) and they still looked like new. I don't know how many miles I put on them, I don't have a super long commute or anything. But they looked pretty good given how long I had them.

Great tires! I think the ride is a little mushy and noisy compared to the sport tires I was putting on my saab 9-3 in summers, but I'd imagine they'd do nicely on a forester.
posted by j03 at 1:20 AM on June 30, 2011

I had the old version as well and loved them. They lasted about 50K but I ditched them early due to a noise problem. We left it for two weeks on a dirt lot (mechanic) and the tires developed a flat spot that made an annoying noise, so I got the WR G2's to replace them a little early.

I drive 100 miles a day on highways and backroads around Boston, fender bender capital of the world (check my profile, seriously). Snow, rain, etc. There's been 2 times where I'm sure other tires would have led to an accident (they swerve on a dime... it's great), so even if I had to replace them at 40K it'd be worth it. The only big danger I've noticed is I'm no longer afraid to drive in snow. It's just a little sedan so that really shouldn't be possible, but there it is.
posted by jwells at 5:52 AM on June 30, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks guys!

I'm not too worried about road noise, the Forester isn't known for being a quiet car.
posted by InsanePenguin at 7:20 AM on June 30, 2011

Response by poster: Went ahead and had my tire guy order them.
posted by InsanePenguin at 9:41 AM on June 30, 2011