[SKuggemannen]

I got my studles winter tires delivered to my door today. For Norwegian customers the tire delivery were a bit delayed, but all information regarding this have been spotless. Information was given all the way, somebody called me to arrange delivery a few weeks ago, and the tires came as promised.

I have been driving around with this car for some weeks now and the performance pack rims are just amazing, and they keep growing on me. The kind pictures doesn't quite do justice, and they mostly outshine anything around. So I'm very exited that the winter tires also looks exatly the same (I knew but it's something about actually seeing it I guess). Seeing winter tires this bold is very rare. I just got ceramic coating on the car and summer rims (IGL Kenzo coating), so I guess I have to fix the winter rims also.

I did notice that the caps are not in swedish gold, and that is a little bit dissapointing. I wonder if I can get hold of gold caps anywhere. Will check with Polestar.

All tires are 245 / 40 R20. 72dB noise on the label.
As far as I can tell these are Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 T99XL, so thats what we get in Norway at least.

 

[I_Kent_Spelgud]

Great tires, about $400 each US. How much were the rims?

 

[ProfessorCook]

I did notice that the caps are not in swedish gold, and that is a little bit dissapointing. I wonder if I can get hold of gold caps anywhere. Will check with Polestar.

They'll have to have some of those caps available. I'm fully expecting to have a few nicked by passersby over the years.

 

[SKuggemannen]

Great tires, about $400 each US. How much were the rims?

Total for both rims and tires about 3000 USD so 1400 USD ish for rims alone then.

 

[Jfd4000]

Winter kits are out of stock in Belgium for the moment (3000€ - that means a bite more expensive than in US). I was thinking about changing only the tyres on the rims every winter, which would be less expensive?

 

[I_Kent_Spelgud]

Total for both rims and tires about 3000 USD so 1400 USD ish for rims alone then.

Thanks, that's actually not bad. The snow pkg is not listed at this time on the US site. I think I paid that or more some years ago for second set of V70R wheels.

 

[I_Kent_Spelgud]

Winter kits are out of stock in Belgium for the moment (3000€ - that means a bite more expensive than in US). I was thinking about changing only the tyres on the rims every winter, which would be less expensive?

I paid a local shop about $100 USD each season to swap all 4 tires on the same rims for my Frontier and balance them. I figured the wheel and mounted tire would be so heavy I'd spend more at the doctor if I had to load and unload them!

 

[Jfd4000]

+The disadvantage is also that the successive balancing operations leave traces of glue on this type of rims.

 

[ProfessorCook]

Winter kits are out of stock in Belgium for the moment (3000€ - that means a bite more expensive than in US). I was thinking about changing only the tyres on the rims every winter, which would be less expensive?

Less expensive, yes, but hard on the rims and inconvenient. I used cheap rims for a winter wheel set in the past. Not sure if I'll pop for the good ones this time around.

 

[Jfd4000]

I had bought MAK compatible winter rims for my XC90 and frankly the quality was inferior to the Volvo's. After 4 years the paint was cracking. In addition there was aerodynamic noise.

 

[ProfessorCook]

I had bought MAK compatible winter rims for my XC90 and frankly the quality was inferior to the Volvo's. After 4 years the paint was cracking. In addition there was aerodynamic noise.

Yeah... and I bent one of the cheap rims in a pothole and had to replace it. Maybe a good wheel would have been bent, too. 'Hard to know. I might just spring for the fancy rims for my winter wheel set this time around. I think the missus will agree if I point out it's a safety thing.

 

[polerad]

I think the missus will agree if I point out it's a safety thing.

"dear, I need a performance EV sports sedan with all the options ticked off for the kids! it's really only the responsible thing to do"

 

[I_Kent_Spelgud]

And grab a can of this and a handful of plain old black valve caps: 🇸🇪

Stops Rust® Protective Enamel Spray Paint - Gloss

Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Gloss Protective Enamel Spray Paint provides lasting rust protection on outdoor metal in a variety of on-trend spray paint colors.

www.rustoleum.com

(Tuscan Sun if you don't want to click the link; looks pretty close to official Swedish Gold to me)

 

[Warb]

Just swapped over from the Continental Sports contact that came with the car to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 T99XL for $120 at a local shop and I can notice the difference in the road noise. I didn't realize the continentals had a foam insert on them to help dampen the noise! Reading up on other sites it appears in low temps the foam will actually separate from the tires, should I store the tires in a temp controlled environment or is my Shed outback in a bag enough?

Also, the comment regarding glue showing up on the balancing is true as well, but not terrible, I was able to remove it fairly easily.

As for the wheels research I've been doing all week, here is where I ended up!!

The US space is quoting me just over 3.5k with costs shipping for Wheels (tires were $400 each, so that is 3.5k on top of the tire cost). Its tough for me to swallow the cost right now given I stretched putting down a big chunk of change as my down payment, plus we are getting 3 or so inches of snow this weekend and I wanted to go play in an empty parking lot to see how it handles.

Foregoing the concerns regarding damaging the tires/rims as you swap them twice a year that's $240 a year.....x10 years of ownership = still less than buying a new set of wheels from Polestar. I will wait a season or 2 to see if any aftermarket rims come out to support this vehicle and make a choice then I think.

 

[ProfessorCook]

I don't really know of course, but I speculate there won't be a problem storing the summer wheel set in the shed over the winter. I suspect the foam separation would occur if you actually ran the tires in the winter as the distortion going on at the low temperatures would be more likely to "pry" the foam away.

 

[JPC]

I will wait a season or 2 to see if any aftermarket rims come out to support this vehicle and make a choice then I think.

Yup, that's my plan. $3.5k is absurd. I have a set of Michelin X-ice Snow (the new generation X-ice) waiting to go on my car. I have the Hak 3's on my A4 right now, and they are indeed a bit noisy. The X-ice is a bit quieter (I've run both over the years).

 

[Jfd4000]

I received my winter wheel kits today. Thanks to Polestar. I'm just missing the snow to fully test them 😊 for now I can just say that the Nokians are a bit noisier and seem less protective of the rim edges than the Continental. I was also surprised by the steering flutter as I accelerated a little too hard.

 

[dave]

And this thread, ladies and gentlemen of the UK, is why our roads look like the automobile version of a drunken teenage party when we get a decent frost or dare I say 1cm of snow.
Winter tyres? Never bought them. Never will. For Britain! 🇬🇧

 

[rgledhill]

I have spent the last 14 years of my life, when I returned from living in Germany for 4 years, trying to persuade people how we've been wrong all these years! I love your description Dave. But of course people prefer to blame the local council than take the responsibility themselves.

 

[Amanda]

I'm having a set of all season tires put on today (Conti ExtremeContact DWS06 -- basically the all-season version of the Conti SportContact summer tires that the car was delivered with (in December???)). I am trying to decide whether to store the summer tires (since they are essentially brand new), but everything I read says they should be stored in a temperature controlled environment to prevent the compound from cracking, and I don't have room for a pile of 4 tires in my garage. And paying to store them all winter would cost about as much as a new set.