RE: snows...

[Bob Davis <rkd@sover.net>]

>     i hate to start this up again, i really do, but it's getting to be that
>time of year again and i want to buy some snows for my 96 A4q.  i have
>located a distributor in the detroit area that has not only heard of hakka's>
>but can actually get me a set.  my question is, 10's or nrw's?  what's the
>difference between the two?  is there a clear cut winner?

It depends on what you want.  If you are looking for a pure, unadulterated snow tire, get the 10.  (I'm trying out 1s this year).  The NRW is more of an all round tire (an all-season with an emphasis more on winter than summer).  The NRW(T) being the more pure snow tire than the NRW(H).  If you are looking for studs, of course, the 10 is the only option.  Back when I was involved in Pro Rally (the mid '80s), the NR09 and NR08 were the tire of choice at Perce-Neige, the Canadian winter event, no studs allowed.  Nowadays, the Blizzacks are probably the tire of choice for unstudded applications (hearsay, I've never tried them).  If you haven't seen the Hakkas, see http://www.nokiantyres.com/tirdir.html

For studded applications, they can't be beat.  Took a set to an ice trial on my old fiero.  Took FTD.  Next event, all the Gislaved users had traded them in on Hakkas and I didn't fare so well.

The only other tire I've tried that I liked as much as the 10 in the snow, was the Pirelli  S2.  I had them on the 4kCSQ, 175/70-14.  But I blew out two of them over the two years I had them.  Not punctures, but ruptures.  Replaced 'em long before the wore out with 185/70-14 10s, and never had another problem. 

Bob