Continental Viking Contact 7 vs Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3: While introducing the top premium tire brands performances in the press test, one tire line stood out clearly and it is the Viking Contact 7 from Continental. It has so far managed to bag the 1st spot 6 times out of 10 tries. This is a whooping 60% win rate which signifies a true domination of the product in this segment. On the other side, its arch nemesis lies Nokian. It is famed for its cold weather tires and have made a considerable name concentrating on winter tires. We will pitch the Viking Contact 7 against Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 with the test magazine results of 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test.
The graph above shows the comparison between Continental Viking Contact 7 vs Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 based on the relevant performance category. The Viking Contact 7 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
In this particular segment, ice performance is everything. As the usage conditions are usually around -5 to -15 °C, ice is the most sort out criteria. This is where the Viking Contact 7 truly shines. It has a clear advantage when it comes to ice braking while being just a tiny fraction ahead in ice handling.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- – 8.4% in ice braking
- – 0.6% in ice handling
Snow
After ice, snow is the second most important criteria for Nordic tires especially for people living on the north side of Scandinavia where it snows quite often. Viking contact 7 once again managed to edge out Hakkapeliitta R3 in both snow braking and handling performances but at a small margin.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- – 1% in snow braking
- – 0.8% in snow handling
Wet
While being beaten clearly by Viking Contact 7 in ice & snow, the R3 was better in both the wet braking & handling by a fraction. However the R3 has a substantial deficit when it comes to aquaplaning loosing out 2.5% to Viking Contact 7.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- +0.6% in wet braking
- +0.5% in wet handling
- -2.5% in aquaplaning
Dry
Same story as the ice & snow category, the Viking Contact 7 seems to have good dry performance compare to R3.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- -1.9% in dry braking
- -5% in dry handling
Rolling Resistance
Nokian has consistently champion themselves as the leading rolling resistance player in the Nordic market. While this is true to a certain extend as most of the R3 has a “B” label classification for rolling resistance, in the test we saw almost no difference compared to Viking Contact 7.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- +0.3% in rolling resistance
Noise
Viking Contact 7 has an outstanding subjective noise performance by achieving the highest possible mark 5/5. Hence this tire is extremely quiet & comfortable which is ideal for people who really hate noise. R3 on the other hand did not fair well and only scored 2/5.
Hakkapeliitta R3:
- -15% in noise & comfort
Price
Based on the test report, the prices of the tires were also noted down.
Tire size: 205/60 R16
Viking Contact 7 : € 160
Hakkapelliita R3 : € 145
Difference: -10% cheaper for Hakkapelliita R3
Summary
Based on the test results, Viking Contact 7 is clearly the test winner against Hakkapelliita R3. It has really strong performance in ice & noise/comfort while being slightly ahead in snow & dry performances. As with all good things in life, the Viking Contact 7 is 10% more expensive than R3 which seems like a fair trade off in comparison with the outstanding snow & ice performance you will get.