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World first: Winter tires with auto-retracting studs

Nokian Tyres, the premium Finnish manufacturer famous for inventing the first winter car tire in 1934, has a new tire coming to market -- and this one sports a breakthrough capability. Developed for passenger cars, crossovers, and SUVs, the Hakkapeliitta 01 studded tire automatically adapts stud position to changes in temperature.

The Hakkapeliitta 01 tire automatically pushes out studs when the road temperature is below freezing. [Credit: Nokian Tyres]

 

 

 

 

The new range of studded winter tires features something called "On-Demand Grip" that is provided by the company's Double Action Stud Technology. As temperature changes, the minimum 120 studs per tire adjust automatically between ON mode and OFF. The Studmode is ON by default for optimal grip on icy roads. When the temperature of the road surface warms up, the Studmode switches OFF, and the tire optimizes its contact with the road surface, reducing stud impact. The innovation is the first of its kind in the tire industry. The next-gen product has other design features that significantly reduce road impact while raising the bar for grip, efficiency, and comfort for drivers.

Each Hakkapeliitta 01 winter tire also features aggressive snow grooves on the shoulder areas, a stiff center tread structure, and self-locking 3D sipes. [Credit: Nokian Tyres]

 

 

 

 

"We didn't want to compromise between extreme winter safety and performance in milder conditions. Instead, we developed a solution where grip adapts automatically to the weather, delivering maximum safety when it's needed, and more controlled, gentler road contact when it's not," said Nokian Tyres Development Manager Mikko Liukkula.

Twelve years ago, the company published details of a studded concept tire that could retract embedded studs with the push of a button located inside the vehicle. Since then, developers at Nokian Tyres discarded the extra engineering fuss of an electronically deployed system. Instead, the new Hakkapeliitta 01 uses the expansion and contraction of a special adaptive base layer rubber compound to passively perform ON/OFF operations.

The responsive stud behavior is achieved via this advanced tire compound. When the road temperature is at or below freezing, the rubber stays stiff and keeps the studs firmly in place (ON mode). As the temperature rises and the road surface warms, the compound softens and allows the studs to sink deeper into the tire. The stud is anchored in the tread's cap layer. A middle base layer holds it stable under all loads. The adaptive base compound reacts to temperature and adjusts the stud automatically. The tire's tread compound consists partly of renewable materials, such as natural rubber, bio resin, and bio-based oils, including materials derived from pine resin and canola oil.

According to Car and Driver, the reactive base compound is 2.5 mm thick, and Nokian Tyres has filed 10 patent applications for the material.

VIDEO: Hakkapeliitta 01: This is how we did it. [Credit: Nokian Tyres]

Engineers at Nokian Tyres have tested thousands of prototype tires during the development cycle in a wide array of conditions, from indoor labs and urban areas to the company's renowned Arctic test center in Ivalo, Finland, which includes lots of frozen-lake testing, and the Hakka Ring test facility in Spain.

The tire is made at the company's factory in Nokia, Finland. The new Hakkapeliitta 01 product range will be available to consumers in autumn 2026 and for purchase by tire dealers this spring. The main markets are the Nordic countries and North America.

Certified with both the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake and Ice Grip symbols, Nokian Tyres said its Hakkapeliitta 01 tire "reduces road wear by up to 30% compared to its predecessor." Ice grip has been improved by as much as 10% and wet grip up to 5%, making the Hakkapeliitta 01 a victory of both safety and sustainability. At the same time, the tire reduces noise levels by as much as one decibel, leading to a quieter and more comfortable ride. These enhancements are designed to reduce uncertainty for consumers who prefer studded tires but are concerned about their road wear or noise.

"The Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 is revolutionary because of its on-demand grip, but the other improvements make it legendary," said Liukkula. "Compared to the test-winning Hakkapeliitta 10, the new tire delivers measurable progress across key performance areas. While it dramatically reduces road wear, it also improves wet and ice grip while lowering noise. This is a new way forward in tire technology."

The tire's Double Stud technology uses studs with different orientations in the center and shoulder areas to improve ice grip. [Credit: Nokian Tyres]

 

 

 

 

The Double Stud technology -- different-shaped studs in the center and shoulder areas -- improves ice grip by enabling better penetration into icy surfaces, while deep snow grooves and self-locking 3D sipes provide elite grip and handling. Select sizes also feature Nokian Tyres' exclusive Aramid Strong Sidewalls. Available in sizes 18 in. and up, these specially reinforced sidewalls enhance durability, allowing the tire to withstand everyday driving impacts.

All studs are precisely placed using state-of-the-art studding technology to ensure consistent and predictable grip. Studs near the center are oriented for better traction, while studs on the sides are rotated 180 degrees for better steering and cornering, according to Road and Track. The new stud design significantly improves lateral grip and handling, particularly on icy surfaces. As a result, the stud edges are always optimally oriented when they contact the road, widening the grip limit and providing the driver with more time to react before traction is lost.

This carefully balanced design ensures that grip remains firm and controlled, while lateral and longitudinal grip stays in harmony and delivers stable, confident handling even in the most demanding winter conditions.

Strong ice grip is essential in winter, but true confidence comes from stability and control across all conditions. The Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 is designed to perform consistently on wet, dry, snowy, and slushy roads. Its new directional tread pattern combines dense siping with an aggressive, connected tread block design to deliver strong grip and stable handling.

Aggressive snow grooves on the shoulder areas provide strong grip when moving into deep snow. A stiff center tread structure, created by linking the center rib and shoulder areas, improves rigidity and driving precision on bare roads without compromising winter grip. Self-locking 3D sipes support the tread blocks during road contact, enhancing stability in corners and during sudden maneuvers.

Stud placement on the tread is computer-optimized so that the impact of individual studs does not amplify noise. The result is a noticeably quieter ride, especially inside the vehicle. Each tire size and mold segment has its own optimized stud layout. By carefully controlling how the studs contact the road, the most disturbing noise frequencies are reduced before vibrations reach the vehicle cabin. This approach improves driving comfort without compromising the safety benefits of studded winter tires.

The new Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 product range comes with a comprehensive selection of 122 sizes, 24 of which come with Nokian Tyres' SilentDrive Technology, a layer of acoustic foam between the tire and the rim that dampens noise levels at frequencies that are most bothersome to drivers of electric vehicles.

Covering sizes from 14 to 22 in., the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 is offered in speed category T (190 km/h). All but one are marked XL for the highest possible load capacity in that size. Every size of the Hakkapeliitta 01 is optimized for use on EVs and certified with the company's Electric Fit emblem.

Learn more about the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 at na.nokiantyres.com/hakkapeliitta-01/.

Sources: Nokian Tyres, Car and Driver

Published March 2026

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