by The company Nokian is known to most motorists as a manufacturer of winter tires. But lately, the Finns have been trying hard to prove that they also know a thing or two about summer tires. One of their latest developments is the Nokian Hakka Black tires. And although it’s now the time to write about winter tires, TopGir believes that it’s actually time to start looking at summer tires, because winter tires should have been ready for action long ago…
The Hakka Black is a new tire model, so it will be on sale for many years to come. Heck, just remember the Nokian WR G2 winter tires—they’ve been selling well for 5-7 years.
The tires we tested are still a novelty, and their price might scare off potential buyers. After all, in the 16-inch size, they cost quite a bit—around $200 per tire. Whether such a purchase is justified was shown over the past four months, during which the good old yellow Leon covered 6,000 kilometers. 
To avoid overwhelming you with unnecessary terminology, let’s focus on the main thing—why the Hakka Black costs as much as studded winter tires and whether such a price is justified. 
These tires are the result of several years of work by Finnish engineers.
The tread design alone took three years. They were created for high speeds and extreme conditions. For this reason, there’s no point in fitting them on a tuned Lada with 14- or 15-inch wheels. The minimum is 16 inches. But even then, the tires will be quite low-profile—50.
Frankly, there were doubts that fitting the Leon with 50-profile tires instead of the factory 55-profile would look harmonious. Turns out, it does. The ‘kosher’ tread and little green labels played a role. Small details, but they immediately make it clear that these shoes aren’t cheap. 
UHP (Ultra High Performance)—this is the class the Hakka Black tires belong to.
It’s like Mercedes or BMW in the world of cars. Or maybe even a bit cooler. The speed rating is W (270 km/h) and Y (300 km/h). Our Leon wouldn’t even go that fast downhill, but having a margin is better than a shortage. 
Reducing the profile by default means stiffening the suspension.
And the suspension on this ‘Spanish yolk’ isn’t exactly soft to begin with. In short, after agreeing to conduct a purely summer test of the Nokian tires, joy was followed by doubts about the wisdom of this idea. After all, a child often rides in the back seat, and to him, Hakka or Black… as long as it’s comfortable. But fortunately, the fears turned into a pleasant surprise. Compared to the factory-installed 205/55 tires (we won’t name them), the lower-profile Nokians turned out to be not much stiffer.
Or rather, the car started to ‘stand’ on the road more confidently, especially on the highway and in turns. Despite the increased stiffness, driving over potholes and seams somehow became even more pleasant. More elastic, perhaps… 
Before switching to these tires, no one dug through promotional brochures—the stated speed rating and impressive tread pattern were enough. But after a week of use, we wanted to learn more about these tires.
It turned out that the reason for their elasticity and stiffness at the same time is the ‘multi-layered’ construction and a unique rubber compound. 
They use functional molecular chains that, thanks to silica, have become significantly stronger while retaining the elasticity of the compound. 
The key to good handling at high speeds is the intermediate tread layer made of a low-molecular nanosilica compound. The promotional text for the Hakka Black claims that it provides one of the fastest steering responses among competitors. We can’t confirm or deny—we haven’t tested all existing tires.
The fact is, the steering feels ‘sharper.’ And this wasn’t noticed after reading the ads. So this isn’t a case of washing the car and suddenly it feels softer and quieter. 
Speaking of quietness, the tires initially seemed a bit noisy. After a few weeks, they became quieter—worn in. However, they are still quite loud.
Although the manufacturer claims to have implemented a special noise-reducing technology… Paradoxically, the tires are noisiest on smooth roads, while bumps are handled with pleasant, muffled ‘thuds.’
If this matters to you—the Hakka Black has a patented wear indicator showing the remaining groove depth (DSI—Driving Safety Indicator). Moreover, the tires display not just the wear but also the point when it’s time to start thinking about aquaplaning. The risk is indicated by a water droplet symbol that disappears as the tread wears—it vanishes once the wear reaches 4 millimeters. Over the past four months, wear has been about 0.4 mm.
Speaking of aquaplaning, these tires handle rain and flooded sections of the Odessa highway quite well. In real-world conditions, the Hakka Black showed that even at high speeds, they can effectively and quickly ‘scoop’ water. Credit goes to the Hydro-Grooves and transverse grooves in the outer shoulder area. 
By the way, the Finns themselves are very proud of the grooves, which smooth out over several hours—to achieve ideal characteristics. They say the process is labor-intensive and lengthy but justified.
No complaints about acceleration or braking either. Grip is solid and reliable. Regardless of the weather. For those interested—here’s a video about the Hakka Black:
To conclude, we can confidently say that TopGir is ready to recommend the Nokian Hakka Black. And although these tires are designed for active drivers, in our opinion, they will be an indispensable assistant for those who don’t skimp on their safety.
Of course, with leisurely driving, you’re unlikely to feel the advantages of these tires, but everyone has moments when they need to go faster, brake harder, and take corners sharper. In such situations, these tires won’t let you down. Unless you hit a pothole at high speed—there’s a risk of losing the little green label (as happened to us), but such complaints should be directed not at Nokian but at ‘Ukravtodor’…
