Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 vs Pirelli Ice Zero FR: After an impressive performance against Michelin’s X-Ice Snow, we wonder how would the Pirelli Ice Zero FR fair against the other top premium brand tires. In this article we will run a head to head comparison of Ice Zero FR against Nokian’s Hakkapeliitta R3. Ice Zero FR was launch in 2015, which makes it one of the oldest tire among the top premium brands for this segment. It is up against Hakkapeliitta R3 which was launch in 2018 giving it a gap of 3 years between the each other. We will use the test magazine results of 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test as our basis for comparison.
The graph above shows the comparison between Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 vs Pirelli Ice Zero FR based on the relevant performance category. The Hakkapeliitta R3 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for handling evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if the tire A is graded 4 while tire B is graded 3, A is better than B by 5%. The natural scaling does not really make sense in evaluation whereby the max number is 5. The tire size chosen for the test is a 205/60R16 which is commonly used by Mazda 3 and Ford Focus.
Table of Contents
Ice
Ice is absolutely the key performance criteria of a Nordic tire as the usage conditions are usually lower than -10°C. Tricky ice conditions are widely present outside of the cities while it could also be found in various forms (black, rough & smooth). From the the ice test, the Ice Zero FR was clearly lacking in ice braking but was much closer in ice handling. Overall the Hakkapeliitta R3 is a performs better in ice compare to Ice Zero FR.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- -2.6% in ice braking
- -0.7% in ice handling
Snow
Things are much more closer in the snow test where both tires are equally matched.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- +0.3% in snow braking
- -0.3% in snow handling
Wet
When it comes to wet performances, the Ice Zero FR truly shines by beating the Hakkapeliitta R3 in all 3 wet performance category. If wet is truly what you are concern about after snow & ice, Ice Zero FR is certainly a good fit.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- +0.8% in wet braking
- +1.5% in wet handling
- +1.3% in aquaplaning
Dry
Both tires were equally good when it comes to dry braking. However the Ice Zero FR was definitely very strong in dry handling as it rated subjectively 2 points higher than Hakkapeliitta R3. The Ice Zero FR obtained the highest subjective dry handling score of 5/5.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- -0.3% in dry braking
- +10% in dry handling
Rolling Resistance
Nokian has been championing its label “B” rolling resistance Hakkapeliitta R3 since it was launch while the Ice Zero FR has has a label “C” in rolling resistance. So one might expect Hakkapeliitta R3 to be significantly better then Ice Zero FR . The results shown Hakkapeliitta R3 just managed to sneak ahead by 1%.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- -1% in rolling resistance
Noise & Comfort
When it comes to noise, Ice Zero FR ranks superior compared to Hakkapeliitta R3 beating it by 2 subjective points.
Pirelli Ice Zero FR:
- +10% in noise & comfort
Price
Based on the test report, the prices of the tires were also noted down.
Tire size: 205/60 R16
Ice Zero FR: € 132
Hakkapelliita R3 : € 145
Difference: -10% cheaper for Ice Zero FR
Summary
Hakkapelliita R3 is clearly strong in ice however it lacks the Ice Zero FR in wet, dry, noise/comfort & pricing as well. If there should be no compromise in winter performance criteria, Hakkapelliita R3 is your choice. However taking the overall package into consideration, Ice Zero FR is your best overall winner !