What is the difference b/t Nokian WR & WRG2 tires?

I've narrowed my tire choice down to either the Nokian WR or WRG2. What is the difference between these two?

I would like to choose the one that gives the best snow traction. Which of the two last longer? I know the WRG2 is the "next generation" and is the latest thing out, but is it really better than the WR?

I had the Nokian WRs for one season and they wore okay and snow traction was pretty good and rain traction was good. I now have the Goodyear Tripltreds which are MUCH better than the Nokian WRs. Better hydroplaning resistance, excellent wet weather traction and handling and good snow traction. The WRs were better in the ice but I rarely encounter ice so overall I prefer the Goodyears. Don't get me wrong, the WRs are good too. I know its slightly off topic but felt it was important to post my comments as people are always looking for info on tires.

I could not find the Goodyear Tripletred in P195/55/R16 (I have the Touring model) on the Goodyear website. It's only available for the Standard Prius in P185/65/R15.

The WR has the same tread pattern across the tire. The WR G2 has that pattern, but only over half the tire. The rest has a more "summer" like tread. It looks funny, like they mixed up the molds when they were making the tire. I suspect the WR G2 has a more advanced rubber compound as well as they are a newer tire, but I don't know that for sure.

The WR G2 should be quieter than the WR but the WR should be slightly better in snow and heavy rain.

I'm surprised to see the report that the Goodyear Tripletred was perceived as "better". That's not been my experience, but I haven't tried the Tripletred explicitly, I've just compared my Nokians to all other tires I've owned. They are better by far, traction wise, dry, wet, in snow, and on ice.

Pearl wears the Nokian WRs, now for just over a year.

Who currently has the best price on Nokian? Any group buys? I'm looking to buy before January.

I've used the WR's for years on previous vehicles, including a VW Eurovan camper. The tires are great. Not sure whether to just buy a set of these or go for the new WR g2... I'm mainly looking for good snow and ice traction - in an "all season" tire. Does anyone think that the WR g2 is better in this area?

I emailed Nokian directly and asked them the difference between the WR and WRG2, here's what they said:

Go with the WRG2. The WR will be discontinued. The WRG2 is the newest all season and improved over the WR by 15 to 20 percent. Better in snow, slush, wet, dry and quieter then the WR.

I have had both (although only the G2 on the Prius). The G2 is quieter and has a different rubber compound that is supposed to have lower rolling resistance. The G2 is like half of a WR and half an i3 combined. The half that is i3 design has more siping than the regular i3. I would suspect the G2 would do better in slush and rain than the regular WR based on the tread design. I would also suspect the regular WR would have a slight edge in pure snow or ice, but that is just a guess.

I can attest that the G2 is a low rolling resistance tire. I have easily been able to get 50 MPG plus in town with that tire on. I bought the stock replacement size in 185 width. It is also more stable in crosswinds and handles better than the Integritys.

I bought mine at Tire Factory.

Hope this helps.

Mike

That's word-for-word from the tech department at Nokian Tyres (yes, tyres) Inc. Not too many details given, but I'll take it. Looks like the WRG2 is the winner.

I don't really don't feel comfortable buying a tire that is about to be discontinued.

Would you say the WR has a more "aggressive" tread pattern than the WRG2?

The difference is the new rubber compound on the WRG2. Go with the newer compound. More advanced engineering. You would expect the WR to outperform the WRG2 on the basis of the more aggressive tread, but that's only 1/2 the story. The rubber compound also makes a big difference.

The tread on 1/2 the WRG2 is the same as the tread on the WR. The WRG2 would be quieter on the road (my WRs do make a little noise).

Looks like you asked Nokian in England.

I was in communication with Nokian Tech support and they said that the rolling resistance of the WR and WRg2 are the same. My WRs (also from TireFactory.net, although they were available locally at a significantly higher price) now have 32k miles on them and they have performed remarkably well. The g2s will be quieter, but may have slightly less snow traction due to the less agressive tread on one edge.

JeffD

I just bought a set of 4 Hakkapeliitta R tires, 185 65 R15 for my 2006 Prius to replace my stock Integrities which now have 32,000 miles on them and are beginning to show a bit of wear. I spoke at length with Josh to learn what the differences are between the '4', '5', 'R', 'WRG2' and 'WR' tires. The R is primarily snow and ice...not considered an 'all-season' as is the 'WRG2' which has replaced the 'WR'. The '4' and '5' can be studded...something I don't need here in upstate NY--the roads are cleared especially well. I DO want better traction when snow has just fallen or is falling. It can come down pretty fast here. With free shipping and no state tax, these tires are still pretty pricey at $129 each and then follow-on mounting and dynamic balancing here in my home area, but I believe one gets what one pays for. In addition, the tire compound of the 'R' is supposed to be far superior on snow/ice than any other winter-duty only tire. I have a complete, new set of wheels/tires/lugnuts/centercap/tire pressure sensors that I purchased on EBay that I'll use when I remove the R's in the Spring. Both Jack and Josh at the Tire Factory were extremely helpful and answered all my questions. I should receive the four tires on Wednesday. I offer this info in hopes that it will prove helpful for anyone looking for something other than an all-season tire. They do have to be rotated front to rear only and are labeled as Extremely Low Rolling Resistance tire which should enable me to maintain my lifetime MPG of 50.0.