Nokian PowerProof

The Nokian PowerProof is a Max Performance Summer tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 24 tire reviews averaging 80% over 164,570 miles driven, and 19 tests with an average result of 6th.

Dry Grip 87%
Wet Grip 89%
Road Feedback 80%
Handling 75%
Wear 67%
Comfort 85%
Buy again 77%

First On MarketOctober 2018
Wheel Size17 - 20"
Width205 - 275mm
Profile30 - 55
Rolling ResistanceB - D
Wet GripA - A
Noise (dB)68 - 72
Winter RatingNot Winter Rated

The PowerProof is ranked 33rd of 78 Summer Max Performance tires.

This tire replaced the Nokian zLine and this tire has been replaced by the Nokian Powerproof 1.

Tests Included

19

Best Result

1st

Worst Result

21st

Average Result

6th

Latest Tire Test Results

2022 AMS Performance Summer Tire Test
6th of 10 tires
  • Neutral to understeer balance in the wet, precise steering and easy to control in the dry.
  • Low aquaplaning resistance, noisy.
  • Good for every day summer weather, deficits only in heavy rain.
View Full Test >>
2022 Auto Bild Summer Tire Test
21st of 22 tires
  • Very good dry braking, good aquaplaning resistance, dynamic wet handling.
  • Slow steering and low stability in the dry, very high wear, very low value.
View Full Test >>

SizeFuelWetNoise
17 inch
215/55R17 98 W XLCA69
225/45R17 94 Y XLCA69
225/45R17 91 YCA68
225/45R17 91 YDA68
225/45R17 91 WDA68
225/50R17 98 W XLCA69
225/50R17 98 Y XLCA69
225/50R17 94 WDA68
205/50R17 93 Y XLBA69
215/45R17 91 Y XLCA69
18 inch
255/35R18 94 Y XLCA72
245/40R18 97 Y XLCA72
225/40R18 92 Y XLCA69
245/45R18 96 YDA71
245/45R18 100 Y XLCA72
19 inch
235/35R19 91 Y XLCA72
20 inch
245/35R20 95 Y XLCA72
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Nokian PowerProof >>

Questions and Answers for the Nokian PowerProof

2022-10-15 - I am interested in Nokian Powerproof 225/45 ZR 17 91Y tires. I would like to know the tread wear value or the UTGQ value

Sorry, we don't have the UTQG values as the tire isn't sold in North America. You can contact Nokian directly to find out.


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YouTube Review

Top 3 Nokian PowerProof Reviews

Given 84% while driving a Opel insignia (215/55 R17) on mostly motorways for 30,000 average miles
My Nokians are now down to 4 mm of tread depth, after 30000km of driving, mostly highways. Previously I had Michelin Premacy 3 tires fitted.
Nokians are very well-balanced tire with great grip on dry and wet roads. During long high-speed driving (over 150 km/h) tires are very safe with precise steering. Noise level are on the low side, not intrusive in any way even when worn. Wear is higher than my previous tires Michelin Premacy 3, but this was expected for UHP tires.
Fuel consumption is Ok, I did not notice some differences compared to Premacy 3. For perfect experience I believe that ride comfort should be little bit better with better dumping capabilities.
If I could find these 20% cheaper than other premium brands (as I did last time), I would buy them again for sure.
Helpful 43 - tire reviewed on May 26, 2023
Given 77% while driving a Renault Megane RS250 CUP (235/40 R18 W) on mostly country roads for 300 spirited miles
Fitted them to my Megane 3 rs with 322hp. It is my daily car so I wanted tires in the UHP range like Michelin PS4. Since I am very positive about the Nokian winter tires, I wanted to try the Powerproof's as they claim in to be UHP and a PS4 competitor. When I bought them no tests or reviews were placed on the internet.

First of all: this is not as good as the Michelin PS4 and PS4s which I had both the Megane. Not as precise and direct. Also, full throttle in second gear comes with quite some wheel spin. I did not have that with the PS4S's.

It does not give me that confidence as the Michelin's but maybe I have to "read" the tires better and learn how to push them.

The pro's are more comfort and less noise.

Overall: very good tire but I don't recommend these if you do a lot of spirited driving or track days. Great for all day though!
Helpful 111 - tire reviewed on February 15, 2019
Given 83% while driving a Volkswagen Passat estate 2.0 TDI 110 kW (245/45 R18) on mostly motorways for 2,000 average miles
Impressive comfort. Very good tire for daily, relaxing driving. More touring tire than UHP.
Helpful 46 - tire reviewed on July 25, 2022
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Latest Nokian PowerProof Reviews

Given 54% while driving a Renault (205/50 R17) on mostly motorways for 10,000 easy going miles
Corners well and wet handling is nice but horrible wear during under sun. As a finnish tire it wore rapidly at summer during pandemic. First spiderweb appearence at all sides. Then sidewalls began to separate and wires become visible...
Helpful 23 - tire reviewed on December 15, 2023
Given 71% while driving a Renault (225/45 R17) on mostly town for 10,000 average miles
First two years doing fain, good grip, good comfort, but the handling could be better (soft side). My big problem is the wear, i mean the tires have only 3 years and rubber have many cracks, need to change them because seems not safe to ride.
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on April 8, 2023
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Given 64% while driving a Kia Motors Stinger 2.0 RWD (255/35 R19) on mostly motorways for 20,000 spirited miles
In short, I think these are jus awful UHP tires. Maybe they would be fine as touring tires, I'm not sure. I went from Continental ContiSport 5 to the Nokians to Michelin Pilot Sport 4. The difference is just immense. The Nokians are rougher than the Michelins and also feel worse to drive than winter tires (Conti Wintercontact TS 860 S). There is zero progressiveness. It's either grip or no grip. Also, initial turn-in is very, very bad. The only pluses are ok fuel economy and low noise.
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on December 15, 2022
Given 77% while driving a Renault Megane II 1.5dci @ 125hp (205/50 R17) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
After months of indecision, I settled on these PowerProof Nokians at a great price. Tirereviews.com has been an incredible source of information in this process. In regards to these tires, I'm a little bit disappointed, to be honest. They are not bad tires, and do everything as advertised. They just don't FEEL like a Max Performance tire. The feel exactly like a premium TOURING or comfort tire, such as a Michelin primacy something. Grip is great in all conditions, but the lateral stability is questionable when pushing the limits. In long sweeping turns at speed, any bumps in the road surface cause a sense of "swimming" from the tire sidewalls. This can be described as splashy, squirmy, unstable, indecisive, un-nerving, un-settling, or flighty. This is really only experienced at considerable side-G forces at high speed in the corners, especially while on the gas. One can easily just ignore this and push on, but this is not necessarily wise to do and the experience is simply not confidence-inspiring.

It is worth noting that such driving is never done by the average driver, but then again, this tire is sold as a "MAX PERFORMANCE PREMIUM TYRE", so it simply MUST be expected to keep up with the competition in that category. It really feels like they are using the same tire carcass as is used in their great winter or rain tires, it just feels basic and uninspired as a sports tire. Not at all sharp in the carcass, and it's increasingly noticeable as you get the carcass flexing in the turns. This is genuinely only going to be noticed by those who know what they're doing behind the wheel, and push the limits in the process.

Also worth noting is that this "squirmy" feeling is most notable on mountain roads(uphill and downhill, likely because weight is shifted off of one axle), and is only experienced when the road is uneven/bumpy. Even at the pace of 100% scramble, these tires were stable on the smooth German Autobahn until about 180kmh, so they meet the expectations there. From 180kmh up, the lateral stability issue starts to show itself incrementally.

I'm genuinely missing the all-out confidence of the Continental SportContact2's which these replaced. Those just felt absolutely planted in any corner, as if the car was "squat and scoot" like a race car: "Grip it and rip it", "point and squirt": That's the feeling I need in premium sport tires, and these Nokians simply do not have that feeling. A superb touring tire, sure, but with reports of high wear rates. We will see.

I believe Nokian can work on tire carcass structure and sidewall integrity to improve the second generation of this tire so that it shows better lateral stability at speed on uneven surfaces. Don't simply stiffen the sidewalls, actually do the work to make the carcass stabilise itself under side-load. This is done in the belts, not the sidewall. A tighter belt-pack in the carcass would do wonders for this tire. Maybe something like the 0-degree steel radial belt that is used by Metzler (and Pirelli... and Conti...) in motorcycle tires can help with this. Then you can run very tight belts at the tire shoulder for stability, but leave the middle looser for warm-up, comfort, aqua and noise. Then these tires will be highly competitive as a max performer!
Helpful 27 - tire reviewed on November 2, 2022
Given 57% while driving a Audi A6 Avant 2tdi (245/45 R18) on mostly motorways for 15,000 miles
These have only lasted 15k I was expecting more if honest. Handling was okay, decent it wet but I got a spongy boring feel to these tires especially on corners. Not sure but I found them just about adequate but nothing special which was a bit disappointing. The wear on these was a huge disappointment and they hum like mad when they are down to the bars .
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on June 2, 2022
Given 71% while driving a Lexus GS 250 Luxury (235/45 R18) on mostly country roads for 15,500 spirited miles
Bought the PowerProof as soon as they were released. Since they were replaced by the Nokian ZLine i thought i'd give them a shot. Excellent handling, breaking in the wet. All 4 Tires had 2mm left after 25,000km. Overall an excellent tire, especially in the rain, it's like you're driving in the dry weather.
Helpful 35 - tire reviewed on March 26, 2022
Given 96% while driving a BMW X3 2.0d Sport (245/45 R20) on mostly motorways for 8,000 average miles
Very good and safe feeling while driving. They replaced the initials Bmw approved Pirelli P Zero RunFlat. I drive now a very different and comfortable SUV ... The Nokian company promises extra safe driving, due to the aramid sidewall . I hope to be totally true ! Until now no worry for their wear which seems to be very normal although this summer was terribly hot .
Helpful 46 - tire reviewed on September 5, 2021
Given 83% while driving a Alfa Romeo Giulietta (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
Good wet grip, good dry grip, quick handling around roundabouts, good ability to absorb potholes and bumps. Good comfort, low noise level.
Helpful 42 - tire reviewed on May 25, 2021
Given 77% while driving a Alfa Romeo Giulietta (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 500 spirited miles
Just replaced my worn Michelin ps4 fronts on my Alfa Giulietta(940) 170bhp 1.4 multi air in size 225/45r17. Noise in the cabin is reduced in compared to the ps4’s, wet grip and muddy road grip is good. Dry grip in corners when driving sporty and giniving it all over a longer period gives me the impression that they are a little but not far behind the ps4. Difference in grip levels between dry and wet is limited, so no sudden surprises. Time will tell about the wear, price is good ( € 66) Nice feature is the sidewall that gives you small circles in which you can point out your tire pressure, wheel bolt torque value and where the tire is placed( left front, rear, etc) I will post more when I know more about wear and behavior. Tread mm to start with are only 7.4 mm!! I was used to getting 8mm on all new tires
Helpful 42 - tire reviewed on May 16, 2021
Jaguar (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 1,000 spirited miles
I fitted a set of these (255/35x20)to my 2015 Jaguar XFS 3.0 Sportbrake, to replace the existing Dunlops, (which were cracking, as they tend to do! ) Having had some winter Nokians on a previous XF I owned, I was impressed with them, so thought I'd try these. So far I've only covered about 1000 miles, so can't really comment on wear, but the grip on these is excellent, both in the wet, and the dry. There is a roundabout near where I live, which leads straight onto a dual carriageway, and has a left-hand bend on it, coupled with adverse camber, and is very often with greasy/ diesel deposits on it. This bend has always been very tricky to negotiate, especially in the wet, and with the added bonus that if you do lose grip, you and your car are heading straight for the scene of a very big accident once you've skidded over the (barrier free) central grassy section! However, with these tires, I feel much more confident than I have on previous tires, with various cars I've previously owned (namely 530 BMWs, Accord Type R, and a Jaguar E type plus several other less powerful cars) To sum up, I don't think you can better these tires for the price, and can't see that spending a load more on Michelins etc would make a lot of difference to grip.
Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on April 18, 2021
Given 83% while driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI MK7 (235/35 R19) on a combination of roads for 10,000 average miles
Very good in the wet, hugely comfortable for the sector, seem to be wearing ok, but they're not as good handling as the Goodyears I had before.
Helpful 35 - tire reviewed on April 4, 2021
Given 94% while driving a Opel Astra J Sports Tourer (225/55 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 2,400 average miles
Chose these after reading a lot of reviews, and taking into consideration that my local tire shop had a good enough price for a set of 4. Initially they were rather hard, every pothole and crack could be felt. Turns out it was the shop who overinflated them to an absurd amount, so after correction: these are quiet and iron out bumps nicely. Drove them for about 2400 miles since, no noticeable wear. The Astra J is NOT a lightweight car, being a diesel adds additional weight to the front, that said these are more than capable of dealing with the torque produced, which cannot be said for the Firestones they replaced. With those, constant ESC was the name of the game whenever a few drops of rain hit the road. Overall, am very happy with them, and will fit a new set once the current ones have run their course.
Helpful 40 - tire reviewed on August 14, 2020