Nokian Outpost APT

4WD Frontier in PNW. 15K mi. The Outpost APT performs above average in nearly all aspects; a true utility player. I’ve owned Michelin Premier AS, Primacy AS, CC2, and X-ICE, as well as Duelers, and that’s what I’m comparing to. I’m very pleased with the handling. Lateral wet traction performs solidly, but wet braking is not as impressive. Yet, they really shine in hydroplaning. They remain pliable and hold their grip on cold pavement better than most. There’s a bit more hum on smooth pavement, but otherwise is the same as the Primacy AS. It absorbs bigger bumps a tad better than the small ones and a whole bunch better than AS tires. I’ve done about 65 miles on gravel and FS roads, and they performed immensely better than any other tire I’ve owned. No way I’d take these in sand or true mud. But soft shoulders and dirt/gravel road – no problem. I ‘ve had 7 days on 3 different snow events and it performed well on powder, less impressive on compact snow. But are still outclassed by CC2. I’ve not encountered ice. There’s been no gas milage hit. Interesting observation: when real-time tire pressure gets up to 39-40, the fuel economy greatly improves: 1 – 1.5MPG. The 80% treadwear indicator is just barely perceptible now – very good sign. Small complaints: rock collection and retention is much higher than I’ve encountered before.
In summary, these tires manage quite well on any road type or condition that I’ve encountered: a solid one tire solution.

I was using Nokian snow tires for a few years (just in winter) when I got pretty poor and used them all that summer. And they still had good enough tread to be used again that next winter. Amazing tread wear for a winter tire compared to the high end Blizzacks that if you go over a spot of dry ground looses a 32th" of tread. So I decided to try the Outpost APT when I got new tires figuring (hoping) they would last as long and I won't need snow tires again. They have exceeded all expectations. They have over 30,000 miles these last 2 years and still look new to me and I am a tire beater. I hunt and drive on gravel roads up in the woods for hours sometimes. Had to commute to a new job 30 miles there and 30 miles back 4 days a week for a year. Always comfortable, good handling, riding tires. Best I've had. Just turned in the 2007 Jeep liberty they were on and bought a milder Rav 4 and put a set on them hoping for the same experience.

I purchased these tires based on the reviews here. I wanted something that would provide performance as good as I could get that would also be durable. I thought I found it in this tire. I have not pushed this tire too hard as I wanted it to last until winter with as much tread life as possible so I could test it out in the snow. While this tire has been great for summer driving and performed well in moderate rain (we didn't have a lot of heavy rain this year,) this tire has been a great disappointment in the snow. It doesn't grip well. It doesn't provide hardly any traction. My tires spin in all wheel drive. On the interstate, I can't go over 50 mph without the back end sliding around. A previous car I had, a Ford Crown Victoria with rear wheel drive on Viva 2 tires performed better than these. The tires I used to run on this car are no longer in production. The Vredestein Quatrac 5. That was a GREAT tire for winter weather. I will be shopping for a replacement at some point. But without a good tire for current driving conditions, I won't be going far.

These tires are awesome. They and very sturdy and mow over potholes. The tires have incredible traction in rain and snow and drive great in normal conditions as well. They also look bad ass with deep grooves and good siping. They are 3pmsf so you can drive them legally in winter conditions where that might be an issue. The tires have aramid sidewalls (Kevlar) which is a big bonus. Here is a video on what these fibers can do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5LvBke-UqY After a lot of thought I am going to buy them for my other car (Mazda CX-5) instead of the Nokian WGR4s or Michelin Cross Climate 2's because the APTs can literally take you anywhere. Driving on gravel roads for example is like driving on a normal street. The tires are also relatively light and have low rolling resistance which is important for fuel efficiency. I highly recommend these tires and am genuinely perplexed why I can't find more reviews about them, or Nokian for that matter.

I’ve had them for about half a year now and I LOVE these tires. Very, very much a happy camper. Ride is surprisingly supple. A little added road noise, slight roar over regular All-Seasons but not noticeable unless you look for it. I’ve daily’d these tires from 90F (32C) to the now constant 15F (-10C) and I have yet to hit a situation where I’ve said “I wish I had a different tire”. They’ve seen hundreds of miles of dirt, gravel and off-road use, as well as about 10k miles of highway use. In the constant snow/ice conditions we have currently where I live they have done better than all but the best snow tires I’ve owned, which happen to be Nokian’s own Hakkapilitta line and Michelin’s X-Ice line. Much, much more confident than the Hankook snow tires I had on one of my other cars. If you're going between Trail/AT-Lite tires like these or conventional All-Terrains, Consider this: I had recently taken a 300 mile road-trip, 50 miles of which was gravel, dirt, and rocky forest roads and the APT’s performed marvelously. I hit spots and rocks that would have easily popped or damaged regular All-Seasons or All-Weathers and the APT’s ate them up. That's the type of trip that I see the APT’s beating out regular AT’s, as it wouldn’t have been worth making 80% of the trip worse just to be slightly better for that short 20% stint.

My new car arrived 3 days before the first major snowstorm here in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I had APTs installed and was able to break them in for 100 km before the snowstorm hit on Wed. I had my set inflated 4 psi (37 psi) above placard (Hyundai recommends +3 psi winter tires if the temps are known to be dropping).

The conditions were ripe for mayhem and mayhem it was, especially in a city where 47% of people have yet to install winter tires. It was -1C and 2pm when the snow started on November 28. It kept going for the rest of the afternoon and into mid-evening at a rate of 5 cm/hr. Temps fluctuated between 1C and -1C depending on the microclimate. Traffic was gridlocked everywhere with many slipping and sliding and crashing into things. I was with my son and left his gym at 6:30pm. Got within 3 km of my place but all access routes to the top of the hill where I lived were grid-locked. Had dinner at a local mall and then by 9:30 pm decided to drive 15 km west where the traffic wasn’t as bad and spent the night at relatives. Commuters were stuck on highways past midnight. By the time I arrived at my relatives, 15 to 20 cm had fallen depending on where you were. Despite my rant it really shows the chaos that ensues here in the west when the snow does come. But it sets the stage for my actual review.

During the chaos, my set of APTs faced deep puddles, slush, powder snow, deep snow compact snow, and ice, and many hills. Quite the shakedown indeed. But in one word, confidence! I had no problems driving off on a stand-still on either level or uphills, and no problems stopping whatsoever. My car was stable and I was in complete control at all times.

As I normally use the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 in the other 3 seasons, the Outpost APT is being reviewed relative to the MPSAS4. The Outpost APT has dulled the ride significantly, obviously. That and the tall tread blocks will introduce a lot of tread squirm as well. But I purchased these tires specifically to handle winter weather AND summer limited off-road. Given the parameters I've set for the tires, I'd say the Outpost APT has fulfilled its winter requirements admirably. I'm not concerned about its summer capability as they are intended to be used off-road (when the MPSAS4s) would not work well.

Yes, the APT is considered an all-weather tire. But despite this classification, I’d have to say that they exceeded my expectations for an all-weather, and exceeded the grip and handling on my previous set of General Altimax Arctic, seriously. But I suppose this isn't a big surprise since the General Altimax Arctic is a relatively older tire model and tech has change/improved. It's hard to say how the APT would perform in much colder temps (< -5C). But for the southwest coast of Canada where snowstorms are in the +2C to -4C range, the APT as an all-weather is an ideal solution for cross-over SUVs I feel. Where the General Altimax Arctic falter is when we get the odd pineapple express +14C winter rainstorms originating from Hawaii. Under these circumstances, the Altimax would get really squirrelly and stopping distances worsen (become significantly longer) compared to my UHP set (Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4). I suspect the APT would perform much better than the Altimax during these winter temperature spikes.