Embodying its legacy of innovation, safety and sustainability for the North American all-season market, Nokian Tyres debuted its new all-season tire for passenger vehicle, CUV and SUV applications — the Nokian Tyres One — on Tuesday during a virtual launch event. It is designed to provide consumers with peace of mind while driving, especially when they need it most, said company executives during the event.

The Nokian Tyres One joins the Nokian Tyres One HT, launched in 2020, to form a power line that covers more than 91% of sizes in their segments, from sedans to light trucks to SUVs and even select cargo fitments. This announcement comes on the heels of Nokian rolling out its new flagship product earlier this month, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 studded winter tire for passenger cars and SUVs. 

Kicking off the presentation, Hans Dyhrman, director of marketing for Nokian Tyres North America, highlighted the company’s rich tradition of innovation that he said continues to thrive thanks to its team of outstanding experts around the world. “Now it’s time to take another major step forward by pouring our company’s passion for safety and sustainability into a new opportunity, a chance to introduce a new product that will address the needs of North American drivers like never before,” he said in introducing the Nokian Tyres One as the one for safety, the one for durability, the one for sustainability and the one for them.

Designed in Finland and manufactured across all of Nokian’s plants, including in its new, state-of-the-art factory in Dayton, Tennessee, the Nokian Tyres One is aimed at instilling trust and confidence among all-season tire buyers.

“This is a breakthrough product in this [all-season] segment, and it will present a chance for more drivers than ever to experience the peace of mind for which Nokian Tyres is known around the world,” said Tommi Heinonen, Nokian Tyres North America vice president of sales. “It was important to us to see the product from a user’s point of view and find solutions for the real world.

“The Nokian Tyres One offers an extra layer of protection. It performs reliably in even the most demanding weather conditions — snow, slush, wet and extreme heat. Our team of designers and engineers considered all kinds of road surfaces and tailored the tire structure for North American roads and focused it on extreme pothole protection.”

Safety

Steve Bourassa, Nokian Tyres North America director of products, provided an overview of the tire’s features from a technological standpoint, in three key areas.

Tread Pattern:

• The Nokian Tyres One has a symmetric, non-directional tread pattern which helps ensures even wear and is a more conventional tread pattern to which North American consumers are accustomed, Bourassa said.
• The center rib provides excellent steering response.
• Robust shoulder blocks provide support for those all-important handling properties.
• Functional siping can be found throughout the product. Zigzag siping, in the center area and in the shoulder blocks, helps provide added stability in lateral conditions.

“You’ll notice wide circumferential grooves to help with water evacuation. They also include grip enhancements. This helps in soft surfaces like snow, sand and mud that provide a little bit of extra traction in those difficult conditions,” explained Bourassa.

“Looking at the mid ribs, you’ll find 3-D blocking supports to reinforce mid areas for added stability to help provide the biting edges necessary for winter grip and wet grip. High-volume water pockets for maximum water capacity found throughout the tire [provide] for excellent hydroplane resistance.”

Bourassa added that during internal testing, the tire’s overall performance rating on wet roads showed vast improvement versus the previous generation in both braking conditions and wet-handling conditions.

Tread Compound:

• The Nokian Tyres One contains silica for better wet traction and rolling resistance;
• A functionalized synthetic rubber helps interact with that silica;
• Carefully selected carbon black helps provide the mileage properties that are expected by the North American consumer.

Construction Properties:

In the Nokian Tyres One, Bourassa said there is a jointless, nylon belt overlay on top of two steel belts. In between these steel belts, there is a special rubber gum that helps to provide adhesion;

The tire also includes Aramid-strong sidewalls, seen in the company’s light truck products. Now, Bourassa said it can be found in passenger car applications for the Nokian Tyres One.

Durability

The use of puncture-resistant Aramid fibers, which Bourassa labeled as the “secret sauce,” embedded in the sidewalls also adds a layer of mechanical strength to the sidewall, helping to prevent curb damage and road hazards that can be encountered while on the road. It is the company’s first passenger tire to feature Aramid Sidewall technology.

As an expression of its confidence in the tire’s durability, Nokian Tyres is offering a Pothole Protection warranty for drivers who purchase the tire. As part of the warranty, drivers will be able to replace the tire free of charge if it gets damaged due to various road hazards.

Sustainability

The Nokian Tyres One is the latest example of the company’s commitment to being green and to growing sustainably, said Wes Boling, marketing communications manager.

Along those lines, the tire’s tread compound is crafted to minimize rolling resistance, which reduces harmful emissions and makes vehicles more fuel-efficient.

In addition, Nokian Tyres is producing the new tire at its three highly automated, eco-friendly facilities, including its North American factory in Dayton, Tennessee, which Boling said was the first in the tire industry to earn LEED v4 Silver certification.

“We believe that sustainability is not only good for the environment first and foremost, but also good for the company, for our customers and for consumers,” Boling added.

Focus on the Customer

Beyond delivering a tire that improves the customers’ experience on many levels, the Nokian Tyres One has a driving safety indicator that provides a fast and easy way for consumers to check the remaining depth of their tire and know when it’s time to remove their tires, noted Bourassa.

During the tire’s development, Nokian was also able to reduce both interior and exterior noise levels, making for a quieter, more comfortable ride, Bourassa said.

The Nokian Tyres One size range will span 14- to 20-inch fitments, and the tires have a 720 AA UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) traction rating. The Nokian Tyres One replaces the Nokian Entyre and Entyre 2.0 all-season product offerings.

In summing up the tire’s value package, Heinonen said: “As you can see, our entire team has been working hard to get this product ready for you. 2021 is a new year and a new journey. Together, let’s make the Nokian Tyres One the one for your profitability.”

To promote dealer sellout, Dyhrman said that Nokian plans to double its all-season advertising efforts, not just digitally, but also in print with millions of impressions. In addition, he said that point-of-purchase kits are shipping to dealers’ stores this week to help them tell consumers why this is the “one tire for them.”

“We’re incredibly excited about another major step forward for Nokian Tires, a chance to introduce a new product that will address the needs of North American drivers like never before. The one for safety, the one for durability, the one for sustainability, the one for them,” added Dyhrman.

Note:  Nokian is launching the Nokian Tyres One to the full dealer audience on Thursday, January 14 at NokianTires.com/Launch. All tire dealers are invited to this event, regardless of their relationship with Nokian Tyres.