All Season Tire Recommendation

[Dave Conner]

I've been using the NRW-H (195-65/15) on an 89 200Q and would like to add a
couple of thoughts to what Bryan has to say... copied below.  Regarding
soft sidewalls, etc... The feeI of the tires on my car is pretty firm, and
I think many people would be well satisfied with it year round.  It's not
at all like the mushiness I've noticed with other snow tires.  When I was
considering buying another set of the NRW's, with 70 series profile for a
different car, I had a talk (e-mail) with  Greg Galinsky <gg at peoplepc.com>,
a Nokian tire dealer.  I asked his advice on which tire to buy in order to
achieve the same responsive feel of the NRW-H on my 200q.  

Greg wrote "The tread compound from the T to the H is not going to affect
handling very much at all.  More of a function of the tire carcass design
and sidewall profile.   The 70 series NRW's would feel kind of mushy in
comparison (to the 65's) even if they  were H rated."

So ... NRW comes in both H and T speed rating.  The H series is generally a
lower profile tire than what's available in the T series, and profile is an
important factor in determining the handling characteristics.  It would be
helpful if comments about these tires include info re: tire size and
whether they are H or T rating. 

Dave C.


Bryan Rodgers  writes...
>I own a set of NRWs on my 4000s, and I think they're fantastic
>'city-winter-tires-with-occasional-trips-into-deeper-snow', but I can't
>really see anyone using these things 'all season'(especially on a GTI). The
>sidewalls are super-soft(compared to an all-season, or perf tire)...and I
>haven't tried it yet, by I think our summers up here in Toronto might be a
>bit much for the rubber compound(it get's HOT!)