Mon November 19 10:05 am 2012 in category Company news

Stay on the road and out of the ditches: Nokian Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School gives you tips for winter driving



Did winter catch you by surprise? Did you once again find out that in snow and icy conditions, summer tires are only good for skidding? Winter driving does not have to be all slips and slides, though that can often be the case when motorists are lacking in their knowledge of winter driving skills. The two prerequisites for safe winter driving are: 1. Tires designed to suit for your own winter conditions, and 2. A calm and proactive approach to driving. You can test and supplement your knowledge and skills online at Nokian Tyres’ Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School. Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tyres are the world's most famous winter tires. You can also find good tips for winter driving in the blogs of the world’s leading winter tire manufacturer’s professionals.

In the winter, it is easy to find drivers who imbue too much confidence in the grip provided by winter tires. They do not slow down for anything and they take corners at excessively high speeds. When a car finally goes into a slide, they do not know how to correct the dangerous situation. At the same time, there are many inexperienced drivers who feel insecure on slippery roads.

Nokian Tyres performs thousands of tire tests when developing new winter tires. During these tests, we gather a vast amount of useful information about winter driving and the car’s behavior under different weather conditions. For your added safety and driving comfort, the Nokian Tyres website now offers the new Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School that guides motorists in the basics and subtleties of winter driving.

”Our Winter Driving School provides instructions for setting up your car in the winter, and for surviving different driving conditions—on icy roads as well as during snowfall or freezing weather. Speed is very important, for example,” says Matti Morri, Technical Customer Service Manager from Nokian Tyres. “When driving on slippery roads, you should remember that doubling your speed will quadruple your braking distance.”

The Winter Driving School provides educational information by both illustrative videos and text. Finally, it allows you to test your knowledge of winter driving. Even those who feel confident as winter drivers should visit the site and see if their knowledge is still up to date. The Winter Driving School is available in English, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish.

Blogs provide new information daily



Like last winter, Nokian Tyres had dozens of real-life Hakkapeliitta Test Drivers who chronicled in their blogs about their experiences in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. By the end of the year, the consumer testing and blogging program will also be initiated in Germany, the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada, and Russia. The professionals at Nokian Tyres also have their own blogs that provide versatile tire information. For example, in his latest blog post, Technical Customer Service Manager Matti Morri provides tips for tire selection:

“Information that you should give to the tire dealer includes the car’s make and model as well as the manufacturer’s size recommendations, and the type of use and driving for which you intend to use the tires. Then, the dealer can assess if you need tires for high speeds or, for example, family use, where convenient driving and safety are the most important properties of the tire.

However, the consumer should be careful when purchasing tires, particularly over the Internet. For example, when buying non-studded tires for the winter from an online shop, a common mistake is that after finding tires at a suitable price, the buyer forgets to check if the tires are designed for demanding northern conditions or for the rather easy conditions that prevail in other milder parts of the country. The safest option is to choose tires that are suitable for one’s own driving habits and requirements, and those that were designed for the regional conditions where they will be used.”

View our websites:



Nokian Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School www.nokiantyres.com/winter-driving-school
Hakkapeliitta Test Drivers http://hakkapedia.us/en/home

Nokian Hakkapeliitta:

More than 75 years of Nokian winter tyres
http://www.nokiantires.com/first-winter-tires

Nokian Hakkapeliitta - the best-known winter tyre in the world is a legend!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA-YfJDKvwE&feature=share&list=PL1BE04B7BAC224A97

Nokian Hakkapeliitta - Multiple Test Winner
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkQotSMzSfs&feature=share&list=UUv-VDEjbdBkuZ-eSvYOn0FA

Further information:

Nokian Tyres plc
Technical Customer Service Manager Matti Morri, tel. +358 10 401 7621
matti.morri(at)nokiantyres.com

Anssi Mäki, Communications Manager, tel. +358 10 401 7782
anssi.maki(at)nokiantyres.com