Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 vs Michelin X Ice North 4: We have covered the studless tire segment in the past with the Continental Viking Contact 7 showing dominant performance in ice & snow against its competitors. One segment we had not touch is the studded section where instead of relying on the rubber compound, the tires are equipped with metal pins to provide a much higher grip. Nokian being known for its winter tires had just launched the Hakkapeliitta 10 in 2021 and it will make its debut for the press test season. On the other corner, we have Michelin’s X Ice North 4 which is famously known for having the highest amount of stud (250) among the field. Let’s put them head to head and see who will rule the studded segment !
The graph above shows the comparison between Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 vs Michelin X Ice North 4 based on the relevant performance category. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. The handling criteria shown in the test are evaluated objectively through lap times and there is no subjective evaluation this time around. The tire size of interest is 205/55 R16 which is a common tire size for Volkswagen Golf (2018) and the Toyota Corolla Altis (2018). You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Table of Contents
Ice
Ice forms a key requirement when it comes to driving in a Nordic country during winter. As the usage conditions are usually lower than -10°C, tricky ice conditions are widely present outside of the cities. True to its Finland roots, Hakkapeliitta 10 showed a higher level of ice performance compared to X Ice North 4 by out braking the Michelin at 0.31 meters,
While in ice traction, Hakkapeliitta 10 was the best tire in the test as it only need 4.17 seconds to achieve an acceleration from 5-30 km/h. X Ice North 4 would need 0.22 seconds more to achieve the same acceleration speed. Hakkapeliitta 10 also took home the best ice handling tire with a 1.16 seconds advantage over X Ice North 4. Even though the margins might look relatively close in all the ice performance criteria, Hakkapeliitta 10 managed to excel in all 3 of them as it is undoubtedly the better ice tire here.
X Ice North 4:
- -2.6% in ice braking
- -5% in ice traction
- -1.8% in ice handling
Snow
Snow on the other hand was neck to neck. X Ice North 4 managed to edge Hakkapeliitta 10 by 0.15 meter in snow braking. While in snow traction, Hakkapeliitta 10 was the best tire among the field by beating X Ice North 4 just by 0.12 seconds from an acceleration of 5-40 km/h. They were almost inseparable when it comes to snow handling with both of them occupying the top 2 spot on the chart. Hakkapeliitta 10 was just a tiny bit faster with a gap of 0.13 seconds separating them 2.
X Ice North 4:
- +1% in snow braking
- -2.5% in snow traction
- -0.1% in snow handling
Wet
As studded tires are exempted from providing an EU label, the only way to compare them is through testing. Hakkapeliitta 10 managed to out brake X Ice North 4 by 1.33 meters. X Ice North 4 did not peform well either in the wet handling track as it finished the worst among the field by being 0.54 seconds slower compared to Hakkapeliitta 10.
X Ice North 4:
- -3.4% in wet braking
- -1.3% in wet handling
Dry
Unlike wet, dry performances were much closer as only the 2 tire were only separated by 0.22 meters in the dry braking test with Hakkapeliitta 10 still being in front.
X Ice North 4:
- -0.7% in dry braking
Noise
Hakkapeliitta 10 clocked an average exterior noise of 70.1 dB compared to 70.3 dB of X Ice North 4. The results were taken from an average speed of 50, 80 & 100 km/h.
X Ice North 4:
- -0.3% in exterior noise (+0.2 dB)
Price
Based on the test report, the prices of the tires were also noted down.
Tire size: 205/55 R16
Hakkapeliitta 10 : 1749 kr // €166
X Ice North 4: 1869 kr // € 178
Difference: -6.8% cheaper for Hakkapelliita 10.
Summary
Based on the test results, it is clear that the Hakkapeliitta 10 was the best tire with excellent showing in ice, snow, wet, dry & noise. Without a doubt, Nokian’s Hakkapeliitta 10 is clearly our winner !