Several years ago, Nokian Nordman tires began to appear on the shelves of Russian stores; their appearance was painfully reminiscent of the well-known Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires in Russia.
Moreover, the names of the models were very similar - Nokian Nordman 7 was very similar to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, and Nokian Nordman 5 was very similar to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 tire, etc.
From this article you will learn:
- Brand Nokian Nordman
- Nordman tire production
- Nokian Nordman 7 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7
- Nokian Nordman 5 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5
- What else you need to know about Nokian Nordman and Nokian Hakkapeliitta
Quite a few car owners who tried these tires wrote in reviews that, if there is any similarity, it is very insignificant. While many auto journalists who tested these tires write the opposite, that these tires have plenty of similarities.
So, in reality, are there really that many differences between the Nokian Nordman and Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires? Let's take a closer look.
Nokian Nordman 7 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7
One of the most famous winter models under the Nordman brand is the Nordman 7, which is very similar to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 model.
The first thing that needs to be said about this tire is that the Nordman 7 model (and the Nokian Nordman 7 suv model for crossovers and minivans), like its “prototype” Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, has a pronounced Scandinavian (Arctic) type. That is, the tire is designed for northern climates with harsh temperatures and heavy snowfalls.
When creating this model, Finnish engineers followed the most correct path: they took all the best that they had accumulated from operating the unconditional hit of its time - the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 model and supplemented it with some innovations.
The Nokian Nordman 7 (and Nokian Nordman 7 suv) tire has an almost identical rubber compound and tread pattern to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7. True, with one caveat - the materials for the rubber compound are now Russian, not Finnish. But in general, both the tread and the rubber compound have already shown their best side over the years of sales of the Hakkapeliitta 7, so there was no need to make changes.
The main changes that were made to the Nordman 7 tread concerned only the studs.
First, the air claw was added, a patented technology that consists of a special shock-absorbing pad located in front of the stud to prevent excessive damage to the stud during fast movement.
Secondly, bear claw technology was added, a special hexagonal pommel that allows the spike to always remain in an upright position.
Thirdly, the Eco Stud System technology (developed for the Hakkapeliitta 8) was added to the Nokian Nordman 7 suv model, which prevents unnecessary damage to the stud when driving the rather heavy crossover and minivan for which this model is intended.
Rubber compound composition
In order for the tires to be used in cold weather, it was necessary to change their rubber composition. Most often, silica is added for this, but cryosilane was introduced into Nordman 7. Thanks to it, tires do not harden in the cold.
It serves as a glue, holding all the other elements together and improving their effectiveness. In total, such changes improve not one indicator, but several at once.
Due to this, the rubber has become more durable, so the risk of cuts or hernias is significantly reduced. They have also become elastic in any conditions, which ensures comfort.
Among other things, the amount of emissions into the atmosphere is significantly reduced. Due to the changed rubber composition, it was possible to reduce fuel consumption, albeit slightly.
Properties of Nokian Nordman tire models
If we look at the Nokian Nordman models, it is really difficult to see the fundamental differences. The only thing that was noted by experts is that the road grip of the Nordman models is indeed somewhat better than that of the Hakkapelitt models. Also, Nordman models have excellent water-repellent properties, and this is what also allows them to provide fairly good traction.
Water is removed from the contact patch very quickly, and this is evidence that the water wedge effect is virtually impossible when using such tires, which is a very good advantage in comparison with many European models of car tires from third-party manufacturers.
The speed and braking qualities of these tires also deserve special mention, as they also help reduce fuel consumption while driving on the road. This happens because the use of these tires allows you to accelerate the car with additional tire forces; when braking, the braking distance is very short. All this together allows you to save on fuel consumption.
At the forefront of the revolution
When the Hakkapeliitta 8 tire appeared, it seemed that there was no particular reason for the Finns to rush to develop the next model - the grip on ice turned out to be surprisingly high! But four years later, the successor to the G8 was finally published.
Nokian HKPL 9 has retained a directional tread pattern, the blocks of which are heavily cut with 3D lamellas. On snow and ice they open up, increasing the number of working edges and helping the studs, and on asphalt, on the contrary, they assemble the tread into almost monolithic blocks, ensuring clear reactions to steering turns. The environmentally friendly rubber mixture includes already familiar ingredients: natural rubber, silica, rapeseed oil. But there is also a new biomaterial Green Elasto Proof, thanks to which the tread remains elastic even in severe frost.
The main secret lies in two types of thorns. Those located in the central part of the tread are responsible for longitudinal traction and bear the main load during acceleration and braking. And in the shoulder areas there are “nails” of a different shape - they provide high lateral grip. All studs are supported by an Eco Stud cushioning layer, which means softer contact with the road and therefore reduced wear on the asphalt. And the developers found it possible to exceed the standard number of spikes. In this regard, a special additional test was required during certification. The results are positive: asphalt wear is within Scandinavian (and Russian) limits.
Nordman 5 or Nordman 7: which is better?
Many motorists ask this question, because at first glance, these two models do not have many differences, but the cost is significantly different. Therefore, it is worth considering based on financial capabilities.
If funds allow you to purchase Nokian Nordman 7, then it is better to give preference to them, since this is an improved, newer generation, and innovative technologies were used during development. Nordman 5 is also a good option, but its technical and operational characteristics are slightly worse.
If you live in a region where winters are snowy and characterized by severe frosts, then Nokian Nordman 7 will be indispensable for equipping your car.
In the vicinity of the Finnish polar town of Ivalo, we are testing the next generation of Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires and a new model from the budget Nordman line.
Summary
Even if we consider not only the best models in these model lines, but the totality of all modifications, then in this situation Nordman beats Hakkapelitta, and with a clear advantage. Despite the fact that most of Hakkapelitt's models are younger than Nordman models, manufacturers still could not make them the best, no matter how hard they tried and no matter what they did for this.
However, it is still worth noting that despite this, all modifications of car tires from the Finnish manufacturer Nokian in the Hakkapelitt model line still turned out to be quite tolerable and of high quality, and, most importantly, they are really suitable for use in not the best conditions and do an excellent job with the most basic functions that car tires must cope with.
In general, the qualities and properties of Nokian Nordman tires cannot be compared with the Hakkapelitt model range. This does not detract from the merits of the Finnish manufacturer, which produced Hakkapelitt tires of sufficient quality - the merit was that Nordman car tires turned out to be surprisingly ideal in their performance, and now some models of this line can be considered one of the best products in Europe as a whole.
Nokian Nordman 5 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5
As for another most popular winter model, Nordman 5, the situation here is largely similar. For their budget model, Finnish engineers highlighted all the best that the “prototype” Hakkapeliitta 5 had and tried to remove everything unnecessary, which increased the cost of the tire.
So, for example, the developers left the design and composition of the rubber mixture the same, with all time-tested solutions, except for the fact that the raw materials for the rubber mixture are now Russian.
But the spikes have become different. Instead of the “original” square stud on the Hakkapeliitta 5, the Nordman 5 now has a regular round stud. Moreover, this was done, among other things, because the tetrahedral spike wore out quite quickly and turned into a round one.
Comparison of the best models
If you compare the best Hakkapelitt models with the best Nordman model, then you don’t even need to say unnecessary words - certainly the Nordman SX is much better in comparison with all the other best models from the Hakkapelitt model line. Every quality, every advantage of these Finnish-made car tires is several levels higher than that of all other tires in the Nokian model range in principle.
This is noted by all independent experts as a given. What can we say about Hakkapelitt’s models, if the Nordman SX easily outperforms a large number of other tires from third-party European and global manufacturers. For this reason, a comparison of these models was not possible in principle - initially it was absolutely clear that the Nordman SX model was much more reliable, safe and of high quality.
Characteristics of Nokian Hakkapelitta car tire models
If we look at Hakkapelitt car tires in more detail, what immediately catches our eye is the grip these tires have on the road. In terms of this quality, this model line can really be considered perhaps the best in the entire Nokian model range. Grip is not measured by any specific values, but experts note that here Hakkapelitte simply has no equal among other model lines of the Nokian Corporation.
Also, in addition to grip, it is worth noting the excellent hydroplaning properties of these tires. The optimized tread pattern allows you to quickly remove water and mud from the contact patch, which prevents the formation of a water wedge and allows you to keep the car in a straight path even when accelerating on slippery sections of the road both in summer and winter. It is also worth noting the excellent rolling resistance, which helps reduce noise levels, especially during high-speed driving.
Hakkapelitta has few disadvantages; the only point worth noting is the loss of air pressure in the tires due to temperature changes. But almost all models of Nokian car tires suffer from this problem, so there is no point in highlighting this drawback when comparing two model lines in the general model range of the Finnish manufacturer.
Nordman tire production
The production of tires under the Nordman brand was initially established at the facilities of a joint venture with the Amtel tire brand, which is well known to Russian car owners. Moreover, the raw materials for Finnish tires were Russian, and the production technologies were Finnish, which made the final product of sufficient quality, and customers liked it.
However, after some time the joint venture collapsed and the Finns had to transfer the production of their economy brand tires to China, which sharply deteriorated the quality of the products. Accordingly, the demand for tires under the Nodrman brand fell sharply and this situation could not continue for long.
By that time, Nokian itself had reached its design capacity at a plant in Russia (near St. Petersburg) and the management of the Finnish company decided to move the production of Nordman tires to Russia. To the same plant where tires under the main Nokian brand are produced.
What else you need to know about Nokian Nordman and Nokian Hakkapeliitta
It is worth saying that for the Nokian company itself, sales of premium tires from the Hakkapeliitta line bring in much more income than sales of economy tires from the Nordman line.
Accordingly, to increase their own profits, the Finnish company’s marketers are taking one cunning step. The number of tires produced under the Nordman brand is underestimated, while the number of tires under the Nokian brand is increasing.
Therefore, buyers should keep in mind that Nordman tires tend to run out of stores very quickly, and if you want to purchase them, it is better to take care of this in advance, without waiting for the first snowfalls.
