- Hakkapeliitta 01 is a studded winter tyre that adapts automatically to temperature changes.
- Its On-Demand Grip uses new tech to shift stud behaviour between On and Off modes.
- Nokian claims up to 30% less road wear, up to 10% better ice grip, and up to 5% better wet grip.
Nokian Tyres reckons it has cracked a long-standing winter tyre compromise with the new Hakkapeliitta 01, a studded tyre that automatically adapts to temperature changes.
The Finnish brand claims it’s the first of its kind: a studded tyre that can effectively toggle between modes depending on how cold the road is.
Dubbed “On-Demand Grip”, the system uses what Nokian calls Double Action Stud Technology. As temperatures drop towards freezing, the tyre’s compound remains firm and keeps the studs pressed out for maximum bite. When conditions warm up, the rubber softens and allows the studs to retract slightly into the tread. In simple terms, it’s a mechanical response built into the tyre structure — no buttons, no electronics.
According to Nokian Tyres President and CEO Paolo Pompei, “This new winter tire achieves what was previously thought impossible: a studded tire that responds to temperature changes to deliver ultimate safety while protecting the road.”
Less road wear, more control
Studded tyres have always walked a fine line between ice traction and road damage. Nokian says the Hakkapeliitta 01 trims road wear by up to 30 percent compared with its predecessor. Ice grip improves by as much as 10 percent, with wet grip up to five percent better. Noise is also said to drop by up to one decibel.
Those are meaningful gains in a segment where incremental improvements are the norm. The tyre carries both the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake and Ice Grip markings, underlining its focus on harsh winter conditions.
Nokian Tyres Development Manager Mikko Lukkula describes the newcomer as “revolutionary because of its on-demand grip, but the other improvements make it legendary.”
A decade in the making
The idea isn’t new. Nokian first floated a concept for retractable studs back in 2014. Since then, it has tested thousands of prototypes in environments ranging from indoor labs to its Arctic facility in Ivalo, Finland, and the Hakka Ring in Spain.
The “01” name plays on binary logic: 0 for stud mode off, 1 for on, while nodding to a reset of sorts for studded tyre design.
All sizes are produced in Nokia, Finland. The range spans 122 sizes from 14 to 22 inches, with 24 variants offering SilentDrive technology.
With winter tyre regulations tightening in some markets and EVs placing new demands on tyres, adaptive stud technology could mark a new chapter for cold-weather motoring. Whether rivals follow suit will be worth watching once the ice sets in.
