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

Hi All,

I just wanted to post this in case someone out there is curious about the Nokian wrg3. My stock size tire is 235/45r18, unfortunately that size isn't available for the WRG3 so I ended up getting 225/45r18 95v XL and it looks great. It's the ONLY winter tire that comes with a warranty (55,000 miles) and the ONLY winter tire that has an actual UTQG rating (500 aa), and the ONLY winter tire with all weather capabilities that can be driven all year long.

I've only driven on these tires 20 miles since I just had them installed at discount tire today. I had bought the kizashi 2 weeks ago and they came with brand new Westlake SA07 "All season tires". Those tires are crap. Delayed steering and very harsh ride. You can feel every bump with those tires. Rolling resistance is extremely high in my opinion. Next week is expected to be really cold and some snowfall here in Colorado so it will be a great time to test out the WRG3's.

First thing I noticed after leaving discount tire was how responsive the steering is with the tires. I also ran over several manholes on the road and barely felt anything, the ride is very quiet. I put it to the test on several turns and the grip is amazing. Overall the dry pavement handling is excellent. Today was about 65 degrees and sunny and the tires felt like a summer performance tire. Rolling resistance is very very low. There was a long stretch on road where I never had to give it gas and made it to the traffic light, with the Westlake tires I had to constantly give it gas on that same road. I will post pics and update on the cold and snow performance sometime next week.

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Last edited by yoshi2012 on Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:30 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

Updated with photos above. Updated weather report is show an expected 6-10 inches of snow in my area of Colorado on Tuesday/wed.

[youtube][/youtube]
Last edited by yoshi2012 on Wed Nov 12, 2014 5:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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FrankoLaMoya
Posts: 329
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:27 pm
Location: Moncton

I cannot see the pictures....but enjoy your Kizashi during snow time! You will love it.
2012 Suzuki Kizashi Sport iAWD CVT ''Kaijū'' (Black pearl metallic)

Priors:
2004 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8T 6MT ''Audini'' (Black)
1999 Audi A4 Quattro 2.8 AT (Dark green)
1984 Chevrolet Malibu 3MT with a 327 engine lol (Blue)
1996 Acura Integra 5MT (Black)
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

FrankoLaMoya wrote:I cannot see the pictures....but enjoy your Kizashi during snow time! You will love it.
Thanks Frank. I think the overall performance of my Kizashi will increase 10 fold especially in the coming winter months. These tires feel amazing. I can wait to test them out in the snow/slush ice tomorrow. Consumer reports gave the WR G3 rave reviews.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news ... /index.htm
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KuroNekko
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

The car looks great. Keep us posted on snow grip for these tires.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

KuroNekko wrote:The car looks great. Keep us posted on snow grip for these tires.
The snow got here early. Commute home was ugly cold wet and icy. The tires along with the awd made the ride very comfortable and fun. Lane changes were a breaze. Cornering / sharp turns were not a problem at all. The low rolling resistance allowed me to cruise along without having to push on the gas pedal too often. More snow is scheduled to fall over night into tomorrow and Wed. Overall the tires are great on cold wet\slushy\icy roads. I don't regret getting these Nokians over the Michelin Xi3.
They also performed great this weekend in 70 degree warm weather with dry pavement as I mentioned in the prior post.


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Last edited by yoshi2012 on Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

Wow what a frigid morning here in Colorado. It was 12 degree when I started my morning commute to work. Lots of ice patches but mainly cold pavement to drive on and it wasnt a problem at all for the Nokian tires. They've proven so far to perform in all weather conditions. We're expecting more snow later today into tomorrow along with below freezing temperatures.
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twoqttsdad
Posts: 212
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:41 am
Location: Hawaii

Hi Yoshi,

I hope those 225/45R18's are an extra load tire. I believe the spec'd tire for the Kiz has a 94 load index. Typically a 225/45R18 has a 91 standard load or a 95 extra load index rating.

Car looks good!
2012 SLS
Azure Grey
FWD CVT
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yoshi2012
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:09 am
Location: Cherry Hills Village, Colorado

twoqttsdad wrote:Hi Yoshi,

I hope those 225/45R18's are an extra load tire. I believe the spec'd tire for the Kiz has a 94 load index. Typically a 225/45R18 has a 91 standard load or a 95 extra load index rating.

Car looks good!
Yes its the 95v load XL. Thats a great point you brought up which I forgot to mention in my original post.
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murcod
Posts: 2279
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:03 pm
Location: Australia

The other thing to remember is you're putting your speedo reading out. I know mine already reads higher than the actual speed by a fair margin (comparing speedo to GPS navigation speed). It would be around 4 km/h optimistic @ 60km/h. That margin would increase slightly with 225/45 vs 235/45.
David
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