The best 165/70 R14 T winter tyres for 2015/2016

Do you want to find out which winter tyres to choose for a small or medium-sized car to enjoy safe and comfortable driving for the whole season? Check out the results of the test conducted by the German motoring organisation, ADAC, and you will for sure choose the right tyres for your car. 

Choosing the tyres suitable for the driver's needs and driving style allows optimising performance and ensures safety on all surfaces. Reading this article, you will find out what to pay attention to when buying tyres and on which models of car the tyres in size 165/70 R14 T perform best. Comparing the ADAC test results and opinions of other drivers will help you make the best decision and choose reliable tyres for the upcoming winter!

What to pay attention to before buying winter tyres?

Before you decide to purchase a specific model of winter tyres, you should take note of several features of the tyre:

1. Tyre size. Information about the size of a tyre can be found on the side wall of each tyre. If you have doubts whether the currently fitted tyres have the right size, check on the fuel tank flap, in the vehicle manual, or on a sticker on the door pillar – you can find the tyre size recommended by the car's manufacturer there.

2. How many new tyres? Two or four? The safest solution is to replace the entire set. This ensures stability and optimum performance on every type of surface. If you change only the tyres fitted to one axle, you should be aware that the vehicle’s performance may be impaired. It is legally permissible to drive on two different models of tyres, but you should always remember to fit new tyres on the rear axle. This helps maintain sufficient grip and provides greater safety in emergency situations.

3. Tread pattern. Directional tread pattern has very good properties on typical winter surfaces and this is why it is the most popular type of tread for winter tyres. The V-shaped grooves effectively expel snow and slush from beneath the wheel, which results in maintaining good grip regardless of weather conditions. Another type frequently chosen by drivers is an asymmetric tread. This combines two independent parts and consequently the tyre performs well on both dry and wet surfaces. Another advantage of asymmetric tyres is their low noise level and slow and even wear of treads.

4. Tyre class. We divide tyres into three classes: premium, mid-range and economy. Each class of tyre is designed for different types of car and driving styles. Premium tyres provide excellent quality of travel, and maximum performance. They are designed for powerful cars and show their full capabilities while dynamic driving. Mid-range tyres provide a compromise combining the advantages of both premium and economy models. The lowest class, economic tyres are an option for smaller cars and drivers who use their cars less frequently and drive mainly on short distances in the city.

5. Tests and drivers' opinions. The analysis of seasonal tyre tests carried out by experts from motoring magazines and organizations is one of the basic sources of information about tyre performances. It is worth taking note of the results of these tests, as well as the opinions of other drivers who use them every day, before making a purchase. This will show you whether the chosen model of tyre performs well not only during tests but also in everyday use.

The choice of winter tyres depends,
among other things, on the driving style (photo: renault.com).

Size 165/70 R14 T tyres – for which cars?

Tyre models in this size are most frequently fitted on small and medium-sized cars. They are most often found in the following models of car:

The best product in the test – Goodyear Ultra Grip 9.

Cars fitted with tyres in size 165/70 R14 T

All of the above-mentioned car models can be placed in one of the following classes: mini (segment A) or small (segment B).

Segment A includes the smallest cars, designed for city driving. They have restricted room for passengers on the rear seats and with small luggage space. This segment includes such cars as Skoda Citigo, Opel Agila and Fiat Panda.

Segment B includes cars with larger dimensions than those in the mini class. Popular models of small-capacity cars in this category include Fiat Punto, Nissan Micra and Skoda Fabia.

Tyres in size 165/70 R14 T perform well
in small and medium-sized city cars (photo: citroen.com).

What type of tyre should you choose?

When making your choice, you should pay attention to all-round performance parameters, high mileages, rolling resistance of a given model and its resistance to mechanical damage. Tyres in size 165/70 R14 T are used on a wide variety of vehicles, however, they are best suited to cars used mainly on city roads.

To help you choose tyres that match your driving style and type of vehicle, consult the results of the tests of winter tyres for 2015/2016 in size 165/70 R14 T, carried out by the German ADAC organization.

A total of 16 models of tyre were tested (we list them in the order of their overall scores):

Buy the best tyre in the ADAC test - Goodyear Ultra Grip 9.

Best tyres in particular test categories

ADAC tests and driver opinions

The test winner – Goodyear Ultra Grip 9, has got the highest scores in such categories as driving on dry and wet roads, on snow and on ice. The users of our portal also highly rated these parameters, in addition to good reviews of the tyre's appearance. The model taking the second place in the ranking (Michelin Alpin A4) has been recognized by drivers as unrivalled on dry surface. This was in agreement with the ADAC test results – the tyre coped well on dry roads and impressed testers with its exceptionally low rolling resistance.

Dunlop SP Winter Response 2 is the third tyre, which obtained a “good” score in the test. During the test, it performed best on dry roads, snow and wet surface. It also ranked above average for economic driving. Drivers (and ADAC) pointed out its performance on wet roads and low rolling resistance as its main advantages. The scores of tyres taking next places in the ranking (Fulda KRISTALL MONTERO 3, Bridgestone Blizzak LM001, Continental ContiWinterContact TS850 and Falken HS449) also coincide – both drivers and ADAC testers assessed that they perform best on dry roads.

In the case of models ranked even lower, you can already see clear declines in performance. Uniroyal MS Plus 77 and Pirelli Snowcontrol Serie III are already noticeably poorer if compared with the first tyres from the ranking. The situation is slightly different when it comes to the drivers’ assessments – their average score is still very high (5.2 for MS Plus 77 and 5.3 for Snowcontrol Serie III), and drivers appreciate in particular its driving properties.

The last three models with a "satisfactory" score are Semperit Master-Grip 2, Barum Polaris 3 and Firestone Winterhawk 3. According to ADAC, they perform best in dry conditions and on snow. Users were of a similar opinion – in addition to the performance pointed out by ADAC, drivers often perceived the depth of the tread as an advantage of this model.

Matador MP54 Sibir Snow is the only tested model which received a "pass" score in the ADAC test. However, drivers rated it much higher on our website. Models that definitely failed this test are the last three tyres in our ranking – Aeolus AW02, Ling Long Green-Max Winter and Mentor HP M200. They were all rated "unsatisfactory" with particular reference to their behaviour on wet surface. The users who reviewed this model in Oponeo.pl had a similar opinion – the tyres received very low averall ratings.

ADAC testing methodology

The final scores in the ADAC organization’s tests are calculated by combining the scores obtained in the individual categories. A weighting is assigned to each category in deciding the final result. The greatest weight in the test is assigned to wet grip (30%), performance in snow (20%), and driving on a dry road (15%). 10% is assigned to tread wear, fuel economy and performance on ice. The lowest weighting of just 5% is assigned to the level of noise emitted by the tyre.

In this way, it is possible to identify the tyre with the best all-round performance. At the same time, ADAC reduces the weight of parameters that have exceptionally high marks in particular categories but did not obtain satisfactory results in terms of safety.