Nokian Tyres invented the winter tire to tackle the harsh Finnish winter in 1934. The world’s first of its kind was named as Kelirengas, Weather Tire, and it was mostly designed for trucks that were the most common automobiles in Finland at that time.

The first winter tire became the first tread-patterned tire as the entire concept of the new type of a tire tire was based on a tread pattern with excellent traction. The tread pattern of the Kelirengas proved to be successful, as it remained similar for about twenty years. As the early advertisement stated, “braking is more effective, and sliding sideways in corners and turns is entirely eliminated”. 

Hakkapeliitta, the now legendary, world-known name in winter tires by Nokian Tyres was launched in 1936. Two years after the company's introduction of the world's first winter tire, this new tire was designed for the rapidly growing number of passenger cars taking over the roads in Finland.

The first Hakkapeliitta was equipped with a sparse transverse tread and several gripping edges. The tread pattern was a completely new design, as the grooves were completely transverse and ensured tooth-like grip and contact with the soft snow and mud.

The suction cups on the tread pattern, which prevented slipping in the icy grooves, was a typical feature of the Hakkapeliittas.

The snow road champion was born.

Nokian Tyres took the initiative in using skid stoppers in winter tires. The Kometa studs were developed in cooperation with Kovametalli and entered the market already in 1957. In 1961 the Haka-Hakkapeliitta winter tire was converted into a new type, Kometa-Hakkapeliitta, that had holes for studs. 

1964 saw the launch of the world’s first tire designed for studding from the beginning, simply called Hakkapeliitta.

World-wide fame of the Hakkapeliiitta winter tires started in 1963 when the winners of the Monte Carlo Rally achieved 1st place with Nokian Tyres’ studded tires.

The world’s first radial winter tire

In 1971 Nokian Tyres introduced the first radial winter tire, the Hakkapeliitta Radial 06. Demand for the new introduction exceeded all expectations. The handling characteristics of new cars favoured the radial tire, which was at its best at slightly higher speeds.

The Hakkapeliitta NR 08 from 1977 was the first steel belted winter tire. Tubeless tires were also on the way, as a tubeless radial tire was offered for lorries.

An entirely new area, special tires for forestry machines, was also at the core of the company’s R&D activities.

Innovate, prototype, test against all scenarios in all conditions, perfect, reinvent – and repeat.

Like the engineers at Nokian Tyres say, anyone can make a tire that stops on a straight road, but not all can make a tire that’s also effortless and logical to control in split-second situations, let alone on slippery wintry roads.

By the year 1986 it was time to establish a professional facility dedicated to winter tire testing. Nokian Tyres own test center in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland in north of the Arctic Circle, is the world’s first, most northern and largest winter tire proving ground to this day.

Testing under the real, demanding operating conditions is an essential part of developing a safe tire and at the heart of Nokian Tyres R&D. Testing tire prototypes at and over their grip limits is necessary in order to develop reliably safe performance through varying and rapidly changing conditions. When the tire is perfected to behave in a predictable and balanced way in extreme conditions and situations, it is the everyday driver who can find it easy and comfortable to remain in control on the slippery roads no matter how much one has driving exprience.

Even the smallest change in tread pattern design, chemistry of the tire compound or change in some of the over 100 components of a modern tire, impacts on how the final product will perform and behave under the car. It is the professional test driving of a tire that can truly tell the various prototypes apart.

In 1995 Nokian Tyres was the world's first to start testing tires in slush. As the Northern winter driving conditions were becoming more and more varying, it became nessecary to ensure safety also on milder winter conditions and not only on icy and steady snow surfaces. Slush is the most dangerous form of snow and can lead to uncontrolled slush planing.

The company's pioneering work in slush testing and developing innovations against slush planing created unparallel insight and the foundation to later expand and grow into new, less arctic winter tire markets and new tire categories with safety features that are optimized and taylor-made for occasinal snow, slush and wet road surfaces.

In 1995 Nokian Tyres became the world's first tire manufacturer to get an environmental management system certificate.

The same year in 1995 Nokian Tyres introduced a groundbreaking innovation to reduce the environmental impact of its studded tires. With the Eco Stud concept it was possible to achieve the two opposite safety benefits. The technology allowed maximum stud grip while simultaneously softening the stud impact for minimum road wear.

The Eco Stud concept is still one of the core technologies used in Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliiitta studded tires and is now in its 10th generation. Years of continuous development of this technology together with new innovations and innovation combinations has allowed the company's studded tires' road wear impact to remain well under the continuously tightening road wear regulation. And yet continuously improve the tires' grip properties needed in demanding winter driving conditions.

In 1999 Nokian Tyres introduced the North American drivers with a completely new tire solution for year-round driving. As accustom in most parts of North America, the drivers use only one set of tires year-round. These all season categorized tires focus on performance and safety features designed for the summer conditions with rain, much like the dedicated summer tires in Europe. This ignored the needs of the drivers living in areas with more weather variation during the year.

Nokian Tyres wanted to bring a solution to these drivers and that revolutionary solution became to be known as the all weather tire, a completely new category of tires. Unlike the all season tires, the all weather tire was the first time to truly design a tire that's safe to use year-round in cold and snowy conditions.

The new tire transformed the driver's expectations for year-round tires in these more wintry areas. Unlike all season tires, all weather tires are officially approved and certified for winter driving with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol to perform in any weather.

Nokian Tyres all weather tires became a success and the company's offering has expanded over the years to passenger car tires, SUV tires, van tires, and pick up truck tires. Currently the Nokian Tyres all weather tire line is in its sixth generation, having become the staple safety equipment for numerous North American drivers, recommended in families from one generation to another

In 2005 Nokian Tyres became the first tire company in the world to stop the use of carcinogenic, high aromatic oils in its rubber compounds. This decision was taken in the company several years prior to regulatory requirements forcing change in the tire industry.

In 2006 Nokian Tyres introduced the world’s first radial forestry tire for CTL (cut-to-length) forestry machines.

In 2007 it was time to introduce the company's legendary winter tire knowhow to a new group of drivers. The legendary Hakkapeliitta winter tire launched for heavyweight professional use and it became the first winter tire designed for trucks. 

In 2011 Nokian Tyres achieved the Guinness World Record for being fastest on ice with its latest generation of studded Hakkapeliitta tires. The speed record was driven by the company's most experienced professional test driver in extreme winter conditions no ordinary driver would ever face. If the tire could perform in this test, it could take on any challenge in real life use.

The new Hakkapeliitta tire had gone through rigorous testing over the four years time it took to develop the improved new generation. The world record was the new tires' final, and the most ultimate test before going to the market and driven by millions. Rough and uneven natural ice surface combined with unthinkable speed for winter driving, exceeding the tires' designed speed classification, made the challenge extraordinary.

Every aspect of the new tire needed to be better than ever before to be able to achieve the record: more grip, more structural toughness, easier to control at grip limits and when the grip gets surpassed. Many things needed to go right and they did. The Guinness World Record for Fastest on Ice remains the company's testimonial for what it truly means to make and drive with safe tires in the most demanding conditions.

In 2012 Nokian Tyres set another record, but this time it was about pioneering to prepare for the future transition in mobility. The world record for Fastest on ice with an EV was a frontrunning tire test for the new era of electric cars. The work had begun to develop the tires suitable for the heavier, high torgue EVs.Today, Nokian Tyres’ products are developed and tested seamlessly safe as well as compatible regardless of the vehicle's powertrain.