Winter Tires Can Be A Pain For EV Owners - So Is Nokian's New Tire, the Remedy WRG5, The Solution?

For the best grip in winter weather, it's always advisable to buy your EV a set of high-quality winter tires, swapping them out in the middle of spring for ones designed for summer weather.
But earlier this year, Nokian unveiled a new set of all-weather tires that are not only designed for EVs, but also designed to let you travel in conditions previously reserved for winter-tires or snow chains - but also designed to stay on your vehicle all-year round.
These tires are called the Nokian Remedy WRG5. But are they really the remedy or just a marketing gimmick? We're about to find out over the next year.
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Disclaimer: Nokian tires sent us a set of Remedy WRG5 for long-term review. Transport Evolved paid full price at our local tires shop for the tires to be fitted to one of our staff cars.
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00:00 - Introduction
02:01 - Opening montage
02:27 - Introducing the Remedy WRG5 tires
03:17 - Traditional winter tire options
04:08 - How the Remedy WRG5 are different
05:16 - All-Weather not All-Season
06:11 - Different compounds
08:56 - How we plan on reviewing the tires over the next year
09:52 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
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Links:
Nokian Tyres North America: www.nokiantires.com/remedy/
Our previous Winter tire test: • It Snowed. It's STILL ...
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Presenter, Script, Audio: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield.
Camera, Editor, Colorist: M. Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2024
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[@cshcats]

Thanks for the reminder to schedule my winter tire swap!

[@DavidAMcC]

I look forward to the test results. If I'm lucky, I will have an EV to put them on by next winter. Although, the past two years have seen very little snow here on Long Island.

[@flyordieinafire]

My biggest concern with this tire was road noise in a quiet EV. Would be good to see how that goes.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

Snow tires are a benefit but honestly depends indeed on where you live

[@GreatCreative]

I've run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 on my Niro EV for 5 winters. I got, at best, 20,000km per set. For my Model Y, I put on the new Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV - the one with the foam insert. Incredible tire, much quieter, efficiency is still good. They are costly, but certainly worth the expense. While they've only been on the Y for one season, they are notceibly in better condition than the R3 tires after one winter.

[@chazsmith4351]

I am looking forward to seeing the updates throughout the year and not just out of impatient curiousity would like see you do a trip up to Timberline soon while there's still a bit of snow to play/test in. Pick a nice day and make it a bit of a light working mental health day if the boss is willing and remember you're the boss.

[@howiemeltzer7040]

I used to always switch to non-studded snow tires on my Legacy wagon and take that car skiing to Mount Baker a few times a week. That is one treacherous road. Now my back doesn't want me to ski any more, 😪My Bolt with fwd needs some all weather tires. Was going to get CC2 until the Remedy came out. Now I'm waiting for a good comparison of those two tires to decide.

[@dwaynesievers1397]

You guys do a great job!!! I love your content. I’ve been watching the channel for, I think, 5 years now. I’ve been driving a first generation Honda insight since April of 2020. March second of this year, I bought a 2020 Chevy Bolt! It had 16,XXX miles when I bought it. I’ve put, right at 2,000 miles on it so far. I love it!!! I’m VERY interested in tire information!

[@hellcat1988]

In my experience, driver training makes several orders of magnitude more difference in being able to handle adverse road conditions than tires ever could. I've noticed a trend that season specific or condition specific tires tend to lead to overconfidence in drivers who have no business driving the speeds they do, on the roads they do, in the conditions they do. Sure, I may not get as much traction with my all seasons, but I DRIVE ACCORDINGLY.

[@rp9674]

Slick surface test should be mandatory inappropriate areas

[@jamesphillips2285]

You can only compensate for a lack of grip so much. I found on my bicycle, where the stakes are typically a little lower: the winter tires let you "get way" with more aggressive maneuvers. Basically winter tires allow you to not worry about it too much: as long as you are not pushing it. You also have to be mindful of other drivers who may not have winter tires. So avoiding sudden stops is probably a good idea (but that applies for summer driving anyways).

[@hellcat1988]

@@jamesphillips2285 And that is exactly the mindset I'm talking about. The fact that you believe that you can "get way" with something just because of the tires is how many people end up in the ditch...or worse. They get into a false comfort mindset and forget that just because this patch of ice has enough texture or give to have grip, the same patch 3 feet away isn't always going to be the same. Nearly every time we have a snowstorm up here in northwestern Minnesota, I will usually end up passing multiple vehicles, of all types, with all types of tires, stuck in the ditch or center median of the highway. And when I say all types, it's more often than not an suv or 4 wheel drive pickup, and often equipped with winter tires. Meanwhile, I'm driving right along in my old, beat up dodge caravan on all season tires, not ending up in the ditch because I don't assume that I can just let the tires handle it. Just this march I ended up pulling a BMW 5 series on winter tires out of the ditch with my caravan, after he spent over an hour digging the snow away from the car, only to immediately slide down farther into the ditch where he had just shoveled. It took all of 30 seconds to pull him out, DIAGONALLY, with my caravan, on all season tires, and a 30 foot long tow strap. Again, knowing how to drive is nearly always more important than what rubber you're driving on. In winter, on the track, in heavy rain, ect.

[@rp9674]

We used to call them snow tires

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@hellcat1988 I am speaking from experience. (Fell a lot on my first year of winter biking). You need to take corners very slow and gingerly without winter tires. Edit: I also can't drive over 60km/h in icing conditions: due to pilot-induced oscillation. From winter cycling I picked up a habit of constantly checking the grip by slightly steering back and forth. Under the patchy conditions you describe: this causes a 200millihertz wobble as I drive down the road at high speed. If it is icy: I slow to 60km/h.

[@JoePolaris]

Thx for this report. Interesting topic. Topic idea: it raises the question around thread and performance improvement, and changes on charge efficiency. I like the thread, perfect for northwest state, and western canada. That would be a great series to compare tires. The market is seeing more diversity as EVs are gaining popularity.

[@gingerboi8711]

This is very interesting... I Like the way you explained what makes a dedicated winter tire a Winter Tire, and how it differs from an All Season and or Summer Tire.. I would love video on the same thing between lets say a Summer tire vs an all season {How they differ in design and performance or difference in the wets} and also a performance summer tire vs track tires when going racing all with EV's in mind of course (I own a 2015 fiat 500e I put summer tires on it for the first time because I wanted more grip off the line and in the rain I live in central FL and I am very happy with them compared to always buying All Seasons I have no more wheel slip at the stoplight!... They are just cheap no names)

[@jpersrussell9480]

You’re gonna love the WRGs. I had them ICE. Wish these were available when I got the Hakkapellittas for my ID.4.

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

I used to have separate summer and winter tires for my cars. But with climate change, we just don’t see winter like we used to here in Ohio. Combine that with the ability to work from home, and I went back to all seasons. But all weather tires with low rolling resistance are quite intriguing.

[@rifterzc]

Can't wait to see your results!

[@thegreeneyej]

It will be interesting to see how the efficiency is with those. Looking forward to more results! Thanks.

[@christopherguy1217]

I love Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires for winter driving. The first time my mechanic drove my car on snow covered roads he was impressed. He said traction was almost as good in winter as he's used to in summer. I've had studded tires when my driving was limited to the country where the surface is packed snow in winter and there is nothing better. I'm really interested in the results from these tires in winter and how they handle heavy rain.

[@Pottery4Life]

This is great information. I had no idea there were such hybrid tires.

[@Russwig]

Keep Evolving Nikki!!!

[@NeilBlanchard]

This is *excellent*! I have had WRG2 tires in the past. My concern is noise on dry pavement - the WRG4 (I believe that is the gen?) were quite loud on dry pavement - which is a big surprise, since all other Nokian tires I have experience with have been very quiet.

[@davidrandall2742]

I put Nokian Ones on my Bolt euv (after the fragile stock Michelins started blowing out), and they've been great.

[@mattheviewer]

Nicde to see the WRG5's, which I have on my Subaru Outback here in the NW, getting long term testing. My experience is limited but so far they seem to ride and handle better than my previous WRG4's.

[@danbowe8662]

Looking forward to the follow up.

[@AlainODea]

Very interesting! I've been hearing a ton about All Weather tires. Keen to see how it works out.

[@stevewausa]

Had WR v1 and v2 on other cars. They were good but tended to wear quickly. Hopefully g5 improved on that.

[@BriantDavis78]

yeah, I would love it. I know the weight of EVs makes tire wear and tear a problem compared to standard ice tires. I like that, there will be a year-round solution for EVs.

[@Jcewazhere]

I've got a bit over 10,000 miles on my Cross Climate 2's here in Colorado and they've been great so far. They're louder than the stock tires, but overall the car's still quieter than my old gas 'Roo. They're directional, so only back/front swapping, no switching sides like bi tires. (Bi tires just have more fun) I think they were around $600 when I got them, but that was a while ago. They're 3PMS rated. YMMV with aesthetics, but I love the way they look. Also they probably dropped my mpge, but I didn't drive much on the stock tires to compare. Overall with them 'Beverly' goes where I point her in the snow. She's so safe it's boring. I can't have as much fun with her as I did with my previous 'Roos, but they didn't have winter tires, traction control, and the older one didn't even have ABS so it was basically all skill that kept me going straight. That tiny 1986 GL could pull a jeep up a hill in the snow in 4-lo though. I know cuz I did it. There is this huge hill at the high school I went to. New drivers + hill + snow == crash, bang, boom. I had a tow strap in the back and helped pull a Jeep out of where it had slid back into some cars parked on the side of the road. I miss her sometimes, then I remember she had like 90hp and no AC. It's true, at least for me, when they say that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

[@tomwickland]

I would appreciate you testing EV tires. Thanks.

[@JohnRoss1]

I have 20 inch summer OEM tires which has a 45 sidewall. Just enough to not worry about potholes which can cut the sidewall an ruin the tire. ( I saw an out of spec KZbin where Kyle broke a rim hitting a pothole because of the skiiny tires and was marooned waiting for parts😂) For winter I went to an 18 inch tire with 55 sidewall for better ride performance and theoretically better EV efficient with the smaller tire. Also we all still need to rotate our tires for better wear so it's done twice a year with the fall/spring changeover.

[@danielmadar9938]

Thanks

[@davidmccarthy6061]

When we had the Bolt I swapped to the WRG4 by the first fall. The OEM tires weren't great in rain and the Nokian's were much better for that and snow. Didn't notice any extra noise or loss of range, although driving habits impact range far more than tire model. Just a couple snowfalls each winter and then the roads are cold and dry. Although it seems Chicago winter will be forever changed now, but we'll be sticking with an All Weather tire from now on no matter the vehicle.

[@Crisman111]

More tire testing? Yes, please.

[@wolfman9999999]

Such testing would be absolutely relevent to the channel. I'd recommend it even tho they may be viewed less than the car reviews and news videos are.

[@rbdogwood]

Scotland's snow isn't happening as much as it used to but there's more rain. We still get 4 seasons in half an hour so I'll be trying those out at the next change if they are available here. I see they are marked as electric. I've been using cross-climate (I forget which manufacturer) so I'm used to checking that they've been put on the right way round. Comparing other makes would be interesting.

[@johntrotter8678]

The trick for me will be noise. I look forward to removing noisy winter tires for quieter summer ones.

[@bogdannemes1995]

Best channel!

[@harvey66616]

Like others, I will be very interested to see how the test turns out. Particularly in terms of tire life and performance on snow. I admit, the "half and half" nature of the design, I am skeptical of. Seems like in snow, you'll get only half the grip you normally would with a full-on snow tire. And that's not even counting the question of the rubber compound. In dry/rain conditions, I could see the tire working better, as most of the time the water's not really deep enough for hydroplaning to be an issue, and there's always enough grip to at least drive, even if acceleration or braking is more limited. That said, the manufacturer has somehow "qualified" for the 3-peak logo (honestly, I don't really know if that's actually something that's subject to rigorous testing or is something that manufacturers can apply according to their own standards), so presumably there's at least some minimum demonstrated baseline of performance.

[@carlfe4891]

WRG4 were great on my MINI SE from Nov-April and mild PNW winters, but the range and performance were noticeably worse in even slightly nicer weather. I still did a switch over because it was a large compromise on a short range vehicle that already had traction issues. Curious if the WRG5 improves on either of those areas.

[@TalonTSI95]

Model 3 Dual Motor, Montreal Canada. My Nokian Hakka R3's are significantly more efficient in the winter, with heating and seats on, than my Michelin Pilot Sport all-season 4's are in the summer with no a/c. However I think it's more the Pilot sport's were a poor choice for a summer EV tire than the Nokian's being tremendously efficient.

[@dacoz]

I use all weather tires (not ev specific) on my Bolt EUV and I haven't noticed any problems. when they are due to be replaced I may look at this brand because of the EV nature of them.

[@anthonyc8499]

All-Seasons are probably best described as All-Temperatures. They can be used no matter how hot or cold it is. All-Weather are designed for exactly that.

[@jamesphillips2285]

No the lower cut-off for "all seasons" is around 7C. It is short for: "all seasons in California"

[@howiemeltzer7040]

@@jamesphillips2285 All season tires are more like 3 season tires.

[@therealneonfrog]

Those could be interesting replacements for the Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires (also three mountain marked) I've used for the past 3 years continuously on my 2021 Bolt EV in Vermont. They've been okay (far better than OEM in normal driving). Not EV specific, so a slight drag on range, but rain performance has been excellent. Road tripped them for 1400 miles last Summer. Perfect! Snow storm performance started excellent but seemed to fall off quickly. It's concerning. Perhaps these Remedy tires could be better in both efficiency and snow storm performance.

[@rp9674]

Some non-ev tires aren't rated for the pressure required by evs, what do you do?

[@JohnRoss1]

Do you mean weight capacity? Just get the tire weight rating (listed on the tire site) times 4 and compare it to your vechicle's gross weight . I suppose if you are mounting narrow 13 or 14 inch tires to a heavy ev or any truck the tire load capacity might be a concern and you'd need to consult a tire dealer.

[@rp9674]

Psi

[@alsavage1]

@@rp9674 EVs don't "require" a specific tire pressure; often, that number on the B-pillar sticker is high to meet the efficiency that the EPA rated it for, not for safety, handling, or weight carrying capacity reasons. I run non-EV Michelins on my EV, and 5 PSI less than Toyota specs, because I don't care about range and I do care about the busier/harsher ride that running tires at 40 PSI yields. Over 70k on this set of Michelins, and they're good for at least two more years. Tires (in the US) are req'd by DOT to have their max weight spec molded into the tire along with the max. pressure. But it's NBD to run them at a lower pressure -- if the tire will still carry the weight you need at that lower pressure. Anecdote: I have a tow dolly and when I tow it empty, I run the tires at 5 PSI, because it has no suspension and will bounce all over (breaking its fender brackets) when not loaded. I carry a portable compressor and air them up when I load a vehicle.

[@rp9674]

​@alsavage1 interesting. 70k is a lot of miles, I never get that on anything,my driving style is apparently a bit loco. The 23 Chevy Bolt EV almost never spins the tires but I do hear them scrubbing on hard turns, relatively soft ride even with full pressure

[@chien-shengtsai8626]

I've had WRG-2 and WRG-3 on a Volvo RWD, and now WRG-4 on a Volvo AWD. The WRG-4's are getting very noisy as they wear, 25K miles so far. Loud howling. Didn't have this noise problem with the WRG2 & 3's.

[@Solkre82]

I installed some Firestone WeatherGrip 3 peak snowflake tires, and my snow grip was very acceptable. Not sure about my range though as I struggle to get 4 miles a kwh with these tires even in warmer weather.

[@jamesphillips2285]

I think the extra range you get in the summer would be from a separate low rolling resistance tire (that until now were not winter rated).

[@dcvariousvids8082]

I can personally recommend the Nokian Snow+Mud. Not as grippy as their Snowproof but still very good. Their Snow+Mud as the name suggests, are not purely winter tyres, more all season with an emphasis on colder temps. They got me safely up & down snowy rural roads in temps. around -8°C/17.6°F, with 4-6”/100-150mm of snow. Plus they got me out of a few muddy fields. They were fitted to a Ford Mondeo, (Contour or Fusion). Ah, just had a look and they don’t make them now. By the way, their website is poor. Unless you want tyres for a tractor, plant, forestry equipment or mining bulk transport.

[@seabream]

Nokian has multiple websites specialized for different geographical areas and tire types. The one I looked at for my needs was fine for what I was looking for (passenger car tires, winter and all weather).

[@olebloom1641]

More tire testing would be good.

[@infinityNmore]

Is it comparable to the Michelin Crossclimate 2? I wonder how they compare, in terms of grip, noise and wear.

[@jamesphillips2285]

Would be a timely video, but my "new" EV came with winter tires. Shopping for all-seasons ("3 seasons" where I live) for the summer.

[@jayhoughton558]

I wanted to get these for my Mach E, but their load rating is not high enough for the size for some reason.

[@chien-shengtsai8626]

I got 8 seasons out of my Gislaved. Gread tires.

[@TizzleT]

Who are the biggest competitors? I'd guess Crossclimate2 is. Any experience with them as a comparison?

[@scottmcshannon6821]

i have never used winter tires. i spent 50 years driving in nebraska and never used anything other than all season tires. didnt really ever have any problems.

[@bellshooter]

Surely the reputable all season tyres are snow rated the same as these? Michelin Crossclimate and Goodyear Vectors do have the 3-peaks marking?

[@seabream]

The CrossClimates are 'all weather', not 'all season', hence the rating. In North America, typically all season tires are not snow rated. All weather tires have to be snow rated. Europe has different standards and naming conventions though.

[@bellshooter]

@@seabream They are all season tyres here!

[@joshuaspires9252]

your winter sips are super shalow,,

[@MrJohnthefarmer]

Normally we get a fair amount of snow and we drive in freezing rain and snow often but not always in the winter. In my opinion studded winter tires are the way to go and I'm not alone as my tire store tells me studded winter tires are the most popular in our area. This winter with the insane lack of cold and snow I may have gotten by with your new tires, but hind sight is 20/20.

[@rp9674]

Yuck - hope I don't need winter tires ever again, got to do what you got to do tho. I didn't know studded tires still exist

[@thenerdyarab7622]

Can’t get nokian’s at my discount tire. I’ve tried.

[@transportevolved]

That's strange. We've been able to order them through our local discount tire. Perhaps Nokian can suggest a supplier?

[@seabream]

If you're in Canada, you can get them from Kal Tire, that's where I get them.

[@Steve-vg5nj]

I have had the WRG4 on my Soul EV since I purchased it in 2020 replacing the Nexens that came with the vehicle. I live in Victoria BC but have driven in true winter conditions in the interior (Kamloops) when the temp was down to -25C and they still worked just fine. To me, I didn't notice any additional noise compared to the Nexens but without a DB meter, my observation is very subjective. I will be replacing the WRG4's with the WRG5's when the time comes.

[@gagnonluc]

Here in Canada, more specifically Quebec, all-season tires are not allowed on the road from December 1 through March 15. You are required by law to put true winter tires on your vehicle for the cold season. It is required, but really, it’s just common sense to do so anyway. Thank you for doing this review. I have to say that the question of tires on EVs is not that clear to me. We hear many different things about them. So, I appreciate all the info I get.

[@timpmuldoon736]

To much talking would like see real actual bad weather driving on road

[@Liefpj]

Nokian Russian made?

[@howiemeltzer7040]

Nokia is a Finnish brand.

[@DCDura]

They used to be with their biggest factory there but since Russia invaded Ukraine, Nokian sold the plant.

[@BarthSiemens]

Thanks