My 2012 Kizashi Sport SLS with Nokian WRG3 All Weather Tires

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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

Another smooth commute home from work tonight. Snow coming down steady here in Colorado , and below freezing temperatures was no problem for the Nokian WRG3 and the Kizashi AWD. I can't say enough about how the tires really grip the road through slush and ice. The low rolling resistance is such a huge plus. I love not having to give the car so much gas. I had a full tank of gas Saturday when I had the tires installed. Let's see how long it will take for me to get to half tank. I am wiling to bet not nearly as soon as with those questionable made in China Westlake SA07 tires I had on.


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murcod
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Location: Australia

The Kizashi sports look so nice in white.

I was wondering if you've looked at where the Nokians are made - some stuff I've found suggests they're made in Russia? :o Chinese Westlakes vs Russian Nokians.

PS: IIRC my Pirelli P-Zeros are made in Portugal. :? Not what I was expecting.
David
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

murcod wrote:The Kizashi sports look so nice in white.

I was wondering if you've looked at where the Nokians are made - some stuff I've found suggests they're made in Russia? :o Chinese Westlakes vs Russian Nokians.

PS: IIRC my Pirelli P-Zeros are made in Portugal. :? Not what I was expecting.
They are stamped "made in Finland". The pics above don't show it but I'll post them in the morning. I think some Hakkapeliita's might be made in Russia. I was told for the most part their tires are made in Finland.
murcod
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Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:03 pm
Location: Australia

Some of the WRG3 tyres are made in Russia.

eg.
I wanted to chime in as I have the Nokian WR G3 w/nitrogen fill on my Volvo C3O, I bought from a Jack Williams tire store here in Pa a few months ago to replace a set of kumhos that had worn out.... The ones I bought are made in Russia.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... year_round
Took a detour on the tollway back home, cant say the WRG3s are any different than the stock Contis as far as noise is concerned. Couldnt get above 70 due to traffic though.
They're made in Russia. I hope my Ukrainian neighbor doesnt find out!!
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/81- ... fit-3.html

It might depend on what market they're sold in or the tyre size?

PS: All tyre manufacturers seem to be branching out into countries where production costs are cheaper.

Edit: I got my wires crossed earlier too. It was some Continetals I had years ago that were made in Portugal, the P-Zeros are made in Romania! They still easily outperform the stock tyres which were made in Japan.
David
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

murcod wrote:Some of the WRG3 tyres are made in Russia.

eg.
I wanted to chime in as I have the Nokian WR G3 w/nitrogen fill on my Volvo C3O, I bought from a Jack Williams tire store here in Pa a few months ago to replace a set of kumhos that had worn out.... The ones I bought are made in Russia.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... year_round
Took a detour on the tollway back home, cant say the WRG3s are any different than the stock Contis as far as noise is concerned. Couldnt get above 70 due to traffic though.
They're made in Russia. I hope my Ukrainian neighbor doesnt find out!!
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/81- ... fit-3.html

It might depend on what market they're sold in or the tyre size?

PS: All tyre manufacturers seem to be branching out into countries where production costs are cheaper.

That's too bad that those people got the made in russia. The feedback for Nokian tires are still great across the board so I can't imagine Nokian would risk their reputation if they knew the Russians would do a bad job on their tires. All I can speak for is the tires that I have and they are simply amazing. I wish Suzuki Kizashi's were all equipped with made in Finland Nokian WRG3 tires so everyone can experience it for themselves.
murcod
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Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:03 pm
Location: Australia

The whole point is you can't say a tyre is good or bad simply from the country it is made in. :)

It's great the Nokians suit you, but they wouldn't be suitable for all Kizashi owners. eg. the only snow I see is on TV.
David
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yoshi2012
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Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

murcod wrote:The whole point is you can't say a tyre is good or bad simply from the country it is made in. :)

It's great the Nokians suit you, but they wouldn't be suitable for all Kizashi owners. eg. the only snow I see is on TV.
You are 100% correct. I am saying things based on my experience. I had made in China tires on the kizashi and they sucked. I switched to tires made in Finland and they are amazing.

I basically started this thread for those who were in the market for winter or all season tires. The Nokian wouldn't suit people who live in Florida or Texas but would for those in Canada , North east united states, the mid west and mountain west. In my opinion the Nokian WRG3 are a great tire for those who don't want to have two sets of tires. There are other tires I think are great for the winter weather as well:

Bridgestone Blizzaks WS80
Michelin Xi3
Dunlop Wintersport 4D
Nokian Hakkapeliita R2
Continental Extreme contact DWS
Barum Polaris 3
Semperit Speed Grip 2
Armykizyguy92
Posts: 162
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 6:12 am
Location: Virginia

Haha that's snow ? That cute lol this is what a light day of snow looks like for me lol
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yoshi2012
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Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

Armykizyguy92 wrote:Haha that's snow ? That cute lol this is what a light day of snow looks like for me lol

Nice ride Army! I love that color. Yeah we're just getting started here in colorado, but I think the Kizashi's are tough enough to make through rough winters in Colorado and Upstate NY or the New England area and the Midwest.... Canada too.
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yoshi2012
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Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

Wow is it freezing here in Colorado. I walked outside into sub zero temperatures. Snow is still falling, there ice snow and slush everywhere. Got to work in once piece. The tires kept me gripped to the road. For those of you that will be driving often on unplowed roads without awd or 4wd, I would say go with the Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 tires or Bridgestone Blizzaks WS-80. I am very happy with the performance of the WRG3. Just my opinions based on my experiences.

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