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Nokian

Nokian ZLine A/SReviews

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  • SimpleScore™

    Our proprietary rating system
    for the modern tire buyer.

    8.1

    Great

    Score breakdown:

    7.4

    Long lasting

    Good

    9.1

    Handling

    Excellent

    8.6

    Traction

    Great

  • 22 reviews

    22 on SimpleTire

    4.4

    overall rating

    86%

    Would you buy again?

    Review breakdown

    • 11 out of 100
    • 7 out of 100
    • 3 out of 100
    • 1 out of 100
    • 0 out of 100

    Nokian is a Finnish tire manufacturer (yes, the same parent company as Nokia phones) that’s usually associated with their innovative winter tires, which are designed for the demands of a rough Scandinavian winter season. The ZLine A/S, however, is a performance-oriented all-season tire for sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers. It’s designed with the same attention to detail and the same forward-thinking innovative spirit that informs Nokian’s winter tires. With low rolling resistance, dependable year-round traction, a generous tread life warranty from the factory, and a ride that’s quiet, stable and forgiving, this is really a tire that’s worthy of your consideration.

    So what is it about the tire that makes it such an outstanding value? Let’s just go in for a closer look with this Nokian ZLine A/S review:

    Features and Benefits

    Here’s just a few of the features that make the Nokian ZLine A/S a real standout:

    • Cooling Edge Technology disperses tire heat for longer life
    • Contact patch is optimized to put the most rubber in contact with the road at all times for better traction, control, and responsiveness
    • Dense network of sipes and stable shoulder tread blocks help keep the tread face and shoulder rigid, resisting the G forces and inertia of sharp cornering and braking
    • Silica-rich advanced tread compound enhances wear properties and wet-weather grip
    • All-season tread pattern with wide circumferential grooves to direct water away from the tire’s contact patch and resist hydroplaning
    • Lower rolling resistance cuts fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
    • Thick network of sipes provides hundreds of extra biting edges that dig into snow and slush
    • Comfort Base Compound includes a cushioned undertread layer that absorbs bumps, vibrations and road irregularities for a comfortable ride
    • Tread pitch sequence is randomized and computer tuned to keep road noise low
    • Backed by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty
    • Contoured groove corners enhance steering response and stability for cornering or lane changes.

    Pros and Cons

    So, is this the right tire for your ride and budget? Before you decide, let’s take a look at the tire’s strengths and weaknesses.

    PROS:

    • Great wet and dry-weather traction
    • Low rolling resistance
    • Good tread life warranty from factory
    • Quiet and compliant ride
    • Handling is precise and responsive

    CONS:

    • Traction is poor in winter conditions
    • Some drivers report premature tread wear
    • Should not be used in moderate to severe winter weather conditions
    • Tread wear could be better

    SimpleTire’s view on Nokian ZLine A/S tires

    We know there are so many choices for all-season tires, and at every price point you can think of. All-season tires are popular because they’re a good do-it-all option, the kind of tire that delivers traction in just about every kind of conditions other than deep snow, with competent, predictable handling, long miles and a quiet, forgiving ride. That’s what you get with the Nokian ZLine A/S.

    Nokian knows that excessive heat buildup is the enemy of any tire (especially its internal construction) and the ZLine A/S is designed with Cooling Edge Technology to manage heat dispersal. The ZLine A/S also features a state-of-the-art tread compound that incorporates silica and other environmentally-sustainable ingredients for low rolling resistance, longer tread life, and tenacious traction on wet pavement. It’s a tire that inspires confidence and peace of mind, if not delivering the kind of sporty handling that you’d get from a summer or ultra-high-performance tire. With a 50,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty, it’s just a great value and a great replacement for OEM tires for a wide range of sedans, minivans, and crossovers.

    Vehicles the Nokian ZLine A/S is a good replacement tire for

    All-season tires are used by most drivers thanks to their year-round capabilities. Consider the ZLine A/S for your ride if you drive a:

    Scorecard

    Dry

    4.5

    Wet

    4.3

    Winter

    4.2

    Comfort

    4.5

    Noise

    4.6

    Treadwear

    3.9

    22 SimpleTire reviews

    Max
    3.5
    Verified Customer
    Dec 1, 2020

    Tires worn out very quickly.

    Steve
    5
    Verified Customer
    Dec 7, 2019

    I absolutely love these tires. Have run them on my C-350 for awhile now , believe my 3rd set. Rear tires wear quicker than front, but I have staggered tires and sport model. 40k or so on these tires...no complaints here ! will by again , also best price around for tires.

    Joseph
    4
    Verified Customer
    Oct 8, 2019

    Bought these Nokians after using their Nordman winter tire last year and figured they would be a great counterpart to the winter tires. They are very good for a new tire, great accelerative grip, good hold in turns and amazing hydroplaning resistance. The wet tread-wear markings in the center of each tire are great and make for good gauging on tread life. After around 7500 miles, I got them rotated (should have done so sooner...) and they have some chop that will get taken out with another 1500 miles of driving. Haven't had a chance to winter test, but emergency braking in the wet is amazing. I have only recently with the onset of fall weather, have had minor issues with grip off an aggressive wet acceleration. Other than that, would definitely reccomend for a sportier all season.

    Moe
    4.5
    Verified Customer
    Aug 20, 2019

    I bought these tires 225/40/18 for the front of my car. I've driven 11k mi, strictly to and from work. The tires grip and hold silent to their limit. Have not been able to squeal them on any turns. Upon install , the tires turned my car from understeer to oversteer. Now a small wheel adjustment results in a instant response as compared with the Bridgestone RE050 's I had before ( although my car setup is staggered to insure understeer). Overall for dry traction this is a fraction of the cost of the UHP name brands. Rain is traction was good until now at 11k miles.? Rain traction is good when going 50-60 mph, anything faster and you hydroplane.

    Sean
    2
    Verified Customer
    Aug 2, 2019

    After reading some reviews, specifically comparing them favorably to the Continental Contact Extreme, which is what these are replacing, I just put these on my 2016 VW Golf R on an 18" wheel (225/40/18). The short review is, they are a big disappointment. Steering response is very slow, with a pronounced lag between steering input and when the car reacts. Worse yet, the front reacts, then the back comes around sometime later, so the car feels like it's going sideways for a bit when jerking the wheel above 25 mph. They also produce a noticeable growl, which I can live with, but it's on the loud side. Dry traction seems OK, and I can't comment on wet or snow yet, but that doesn't matter as much to me as I'm not going to be doing any "spirited" driving in the wet or snow. The bottom line is, these tires have soft sidewalls and belong in the class of touring tire, As a result, the straight line ride is smoother and quieter over bumps, but it also feels a bit "squishy". They are not a high performance handling tire.

    Drew
    4.5
    Verified Customer
    Jun 25, 2019

    Great tires, Love them. Only down fall was losing one to a side wall blister in less than a year. Price had gone up significantly since original purchase, but I really enjoy the tires, so No complaints. Did not know where to rate that so I dinged the Ride Handling.

    Conner
    5
    Verified Customer
    May 28, 2019

    I have been very pleased with these Nokian Tyres. I haven't had any "winter" use yet, but wet and dry performance has been excellent, as I expected. My car was the last car in the family to get the Nokian treatment. I replaced a set of Michelin Pilots that lasted a bit over 2 yrs. I drive a lot and was really pleased to see Nokian warranty these Performance A/S tires to 55,000 miles. I haven't driven them far enough to gage how long they will last, but they are a great value, and will continue buying the brand.

    Ian
    5
    Verified Customer
    May 14, 2019

    I bought a set in December for my s60 2.5t AWD and a set in March for my v70R. I've not had any slips in rain but the s60 coming around a corner seemed a little off a week or two ago. That's why I've not given a full five. I have had Bridgestone all season pole position re970s for the last +100k shares on both cars and loved them but while a great tire and they get loud. These are whisper quiet and smooth as glass, so I don't expect them to last 60k. I've also not used them in winter weather much so I can't say. We had a freak snowstorm but I wouldn't call it a real trial. These are great tires and what a steal price wise. A friend recommended them and so the first set was a bit of a trial but I will say I was so happy I bought a second set. The price was actually cheaper three months later I think... These clean up well, look good, and are priced well. Give a set a try and I'd be surprised if you were disappointed. Limited sizes though? I tried to buy a set for my Dad's xj8 but they didn't have it.

    Ian
    5
    Verified Customer
    Feb 19, 2019

    These are half the cost of the other top name brand I had been buying and I'm taking a chance, but so far I am super impressed. I hope they get as good a life as the other ones I had been buying religiously. Snow and tread life to be determined, but I have three Swedish cars and a Finnish made tire can't hurt. Looking forward to warmer weather so I can clean them up and see what they look like. We've had them on for about 500 miles so far is my guess. Track well, smooth as butter, quiet! Good dry and wet traction. Simple Tire is also a new favorite of mine. CANNOT beat the cost to the door, and they have phenomenal customer service.

    JF
    3
    Verified Customer
    Jan 28, 2019

    This is a follow-up review from my previous one from 10/4/18. This tire has changed a lot from my initial review and about 12,000 miles. Dry traction and handling are still good for a performance - oriented a/s tire, but wet traction and handling have become terrible. The tires resist hydroplaning well on the highway, but it's initial traction during acceleration and braking that are downright scary. Moderate braking in wet weather or even damp roads will instantly trigger the ABS, while the same braking force on cold roads < 45f will show the same sudden ABS engagement. Wet traction is laughable, my stock, 200hp FR-S should not be able to break the rear tires loose in 2nd year at 35mph, the OEM Prius tires had better wet traction. The final straw was when I attempted to take a banked cloverleaf off ramp at a whopping 35mph in light rain and the car lost nearly all of its grip suddenly. Looking at the tires, even with about 7/32" remaining, most of the siping in the tread has disappeared. According to Nokian's website, the siping appears to be full depth on the inside and outside shoulder blocks, it's mostly gone with the tire not even half worn. I replaced these with Michelin pilot a/s 3+ and the difference is night and day in dry handling, grip, and braking. The inside tire would always chirp when making tight, accelerating turns with the nokians, but just grip with the Pilots. I think Nokian missed the mark here, especially in the wet, maybe it was a snafu with production materials or tooling, but it swore me off of their a/s tires. Oddly enough, I had a set of Hakkapeliitta RSI tires years ago what were equally as horrible in 45-65f and wet conditions, but incredible in snow / ice.

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