Greetings Neil and Listers,

Nokians are expensive.  I am willing to pay the premium, as I don't go
through tires all that frequently, and I am very impressed with the
quality of the tire.  The price you quote seems typical;  I paid around
$200 USD per tire including mount and balance for the 17" WR passenger
tires when all was said and done.  There may be better prices on the
web, but I have a local, independent tire store I trust, so that's where
I take my business.

*Best Regards,
Jon*

neil N wrote:
> Thanks Jon.
>
> Good to hear some input on the WR tires. And for sure. Studded
> aggressive snows would be over kill. The CS looks like the tire I
> would get.
>
> For anyone considering Nokians, they are pricey. (I knew this already)
> The quote I got for 4 Nokian WR-C "Van" was $869 Cnd. On sale too.
> Still a bit of an "ouch", but then I can't recall the last time I
> bought a set of tires, so am a little out of touch.
>
> I'll be curious what Nokian CS's would cost me up here in Vancouver B.C.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Neil.
> On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 6:54 AM, Jon Kanas <kanas@qadas.com> wrote:
>
>> Good Day Neil and fellow Listers,
>>
>> I am running the studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta ( I believe 10C) studded snow
>> tires on my Westfalia Syncro on steel wheels in the winter.  They are
>> remarkable on snow and ice.  In nearly 40 years of Colorado driving, these
>> are the best foul weather tires I have ever owned.  They have a lot (100+)
>> of studs per tire, are extremely noisy and do not handle well on dry
>> pavement.  I have them mounted on steel wheels, and only use them during
>> severe winter weather.  They are good enough that I have learned to watch
>> behind me when slowing on icy roads --  I can stop and turn much better than
>> others on the road.
>>
>> I have Nokian WR tires on both of my Subaru Outback wagons, and on my
>> Mercedes 300TE before it was totaled.  They are much better in snow and
>> water than the Michelins I previously had on the Mercedes, and much better
>> in EVERY respect when compared to the Bridgestones that were on the Subaru
>> wagons.  They are noisy at low speed, almost like a noisy rear wheel
>> bearing, but the noise dissipates over 30mph.  We are on our second set on
>> one of the Outback XT wagons;  the first set lasted for about 35K miles.
>> The WRs also have the little snow symbol on them which means that they are
>> compliant with Colorado's "adequate snow tires or chains" law.
>>
>> Per  your post and links, I would consider the WR (or similar) that is
>> appropriate for the Vanagon.  Unless you live where there is ice and snow on
>> the roads all winter, I think you will find the aggressive snow versions of
>> the Nokian tires to be excessive.
>>
>
>
>