The winter tire Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV, like its predecessor, is designed for SUV-class vehicles. The operating properties are tailored to the road and climatic conditions of Northern Europe and Russia. They are distinguished by reliable traction properties that persist at extremely low temperatures, increased snow mobility, fuel efficiency, and reliability.

Reinforced sidewalls

One of the distinctive features of the tire is the reinforced sidewall structure. They contain aramid fibers, which increase the stiffness and mechanical strength of the sidewalls. In addition, this solution further enhances the directional stability during maneuvering and high-speed driving.

Increased center rib

The development of the tire was carried out in parallel with the same model for passenger cars. One of the key differences from it is the increased size of the longitudinal rib located in the center of the tread. This decision is dictated by the increased weight and higher center of gravity of SUV-class vehicles. The increased central rib has better resistance to deformation, which improves the stability of the traction properties and facilitates the process of managing the vehicle due to faster and more accurate reactions to the driver's actions.

Several types of lamellas

In the absence of studs, the tire demonstrates confident behavior on icy surfaces. To a significant extent, this is due to the use of several types of lamellas.

In the shoulder areas, there are slots that are blocked in the open position in such a way that the mobility of the entire block as a whole is limited. As a result, in addition to the formation of numerous transverse edges, such lamellas increase the stability of the traction properties, especially during longitudinal accelerations on icy and wet surfaces.

In the central part, there are lamellas with a slightly different functionality. These slots contain cavities that capture and retain moisture from the road surface. As a result, the contact patch is dried, which improves the grip on wet and icy surfaces.

Improved snow mobility

The tread pattern of the tire contains numerous triangular grooves. The largest part of them is located longitudinally next to and in the shoulder areas. These elements, when in contact with a snowy surface, due to their shape and zigzag-shaped bottom, compact and retain snow. This significantly improves traction on such a surface and provides confident overcoming of uncleared road sections. Similar elements are located on the lateral sides of the shoulder blocks.

Rubber compound with crystals

To a large extent, the confident behavior of the tire on any slippery surface is ensured by the physical and chemical properties of the rubber compound. A significant part of its composition is represented by fine silica particles, which give the tread elasticity even at extremely low temperatures. In turn, special polymers provide better uniformity of the compound and increase its strength against rupture and stretching. In addition to them, the composition contains solid particles of Cryo Crystal 3, which is an alternative to steel studs absent in this tire. The effectiveness of this solution, as tests show, has proven to be quite high.

Another feature of the tire compound is its layered structure. In addition to the above-mentioned outer layer, there is another layer underneath it, which is characterized by high rigidity, increasing the stability of the traction properties, reducing rolling resistance, and wear of the outer layer.

Main features:

- reinforced with aramid fibers sidewalls;
- increased longitudinal rib in the center;
- several types of lamellas;
- special triangular grooves that enhance traction and snow mobility;
- rubber compound with fine silica and solid particles of crystal-like shape Cryo Crystal 3;
- two-layer tread with a rigid inner layer and an elastic outer layer.