More than 70 years of
Nokian winter tyres

 

The Nokia rubber factory launched passenger car tyre production in 1932 when the compressors and curing presses required for tyre manufacture were ordered. The first Nokian tyres featured four layers of fabric and a very flat surface, as if a board had been slammed on the tyre.

The world’s first winter tyre in 1934

In the very early stages of tyre manufacture, Nokian engineers were quick to understand the need for a tyre type that was specifically suited to the Nordic conditions.  As a result, the first tread-patterned tyre designed for winter use in trucks and lorries, or “weather tyre” as it was called, was manufactured.

The first Hakkapeliitta tyre manufactured in 1936

The first winter tyre paved the way for the first Hakkapeliitta winter tyre designed for passenger cars, later named Snow Hakkapeliitta. The tyre tread showed a stepped, relatively sparse transverse pattern equipped with so-called suction pads.  This tread pattern remained unchanged until the 1950s.

Before the Winter War, Nokian manufactured 20,000 Hakkapeliitta tyres in six different sizes.

70 years of safety

The R&D principle has remained more or less the same for over 70 years: the demanding objective is to develop tyres for people driving in Nordic conditions who value safety and who expect reliable tyre performance in any situation.

A Snow-Hakkapeliitta poster from 1936.

More information:

• Nokian winter tyres 1934-2006 (image collection)
• The first Hakkapeliitta tyre is a winner on snowy roads. (Video, mpg file, size 3.9 MB. Audio in Finnish.)
• Over one hundred years of professional skill, inventiveness and will (An article from Hakkapeliitta Spirit, a magazine for Nokian Tyres' personnel.)