Test of winter tires 175/65 R14 from the magazine "Behind the Wheel"

Expert groups

Tires in size 175 65 R14 were tested by the following organizations:

Continental Winter - winter tires

• Magazine "Behind the Wheel". Tested 9 models of studded and 6 friction tires.
• "AUTO BILD Belarus". Conducted independent tests of 8 sets of tires manufactured both in Russia and in Europe.
• General German Club Tested 12 sets, and races were carried out in two sizes R14 and R16.
• Internet portal "Autocenter". Conducted a comparison of premium and budget winter tires 175 65 R

Amtel Nord Master 2 - Overall rating: 7.9

At one time, Amtel, with the help of Nokian Tires, developed Russia's first line of new generation studded winter tires. Nord Master 2 tires are the top of this line. However, compared to its competitors, the “top” turned out to be a “local extreme.” The most disappointing thing was the grip on ice - when braking, the Amtel tires lost more than 20 meters to the test leader. This is an abyss! On snow, the situation is not much better - when braking, the Amtel Nord Master 2 tires only rose to fourth place from the bottom.

The consolation is good handling: the car stands well on the trajectory, gently goes into slides, which, in turn, are confidently controlled by the steering wheel and traction.

On asphalt, Amtel tires are in the middle: they gain a little in ride comfort and handling and lose just as much in braking properties. In our rating, Amtel Nord Master 2 tires took eighth position, leaving behind even the studless Amtel Nord Master CL tires.

Test conditions

Traditionally, car tire tests were carried out in several categories:

• steering, braking and acceleration on snow;
• the same characteristics in icy conditions;
• performance on asphalt;
• degree of comfort during control;
• efficiency (fuel consumption).

The races were held at specialized training grounds under equal conditions (air temperature, precipitation, track quality). For testing, experts took the same car, and measurements were carried out using professional equipment.

Subjective indicators such as ride comfort and ease of control were determined by experienced pilots.

Green Diamond - Overall Rating: 7.5

According to the advertisement, these tires are filled with “diamond-hard carborundum and aluminum oxide granules.” The granules, about a millimeter in size, are evenly distributed in the body of the tread and are designed to replace ordinary studs.

Perhaps “diamond” shavings provide some positive effect, but Green Diamond cannot be put on the same level as studded tires. On ice, “diamonds” are outright inferior to all studded models and inferior to some non-studded ones. On snow the situation is a little better, but this is due to the tread pattern, borrowed from Michelin Alpin tires, and not to the “chips”.

On the track, Green Diamond tires give the car responsive handling, but cornering speed is slow due to poor traction.

On asphalt, Green Diamond tires brake poorly, but have a positive effect on handling. At the same time, they react harshly to small irregularities, which is inherent in most retreaded tires, which is what they are: these are “welded” tires. The weight varies over a wide range, the biggest imbalance... Mediocre tires.

List of models participating in tests

For comparison, let’s highlight the tires that took high places in various ratings. These models were:

1. Continental Winter Contact TS 860.
2. Dunlop Winter Response 2.
3. Nokian Hakkappeliitta 7.
4. Continental Conti Ice Contact.
5. Gislaved Nord*Frost 5.
6. Nokian Hakkapeliitta R.
7. Fulda Kristall Montero 2.
8. Michelin X-ice 2.

Michelin X-ice 2 - new tires
All tires were purchased by testers in a retail network and run-in before testing in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Drivers' reviews of winter tires 185 65 R15

In addition to the test results of winter studless tires 185 65 r15, the decision to buy this or that tire is influenced by reviews from the owners of this model.

Reviews of friction and studded tires 185 65 R 14 and R15 are taken from the following sources: infoshina.com.ua, shiny-diski.com.ua, www.drom.ru, market.yandex.ru.

How are the seats distributed?

Based on the test and reviews from owners, the places in the rating of winter tires 185 65 r15 were distributed as follows:

1. Continental Ice Contact 2. They have balanced characteristics and a high level of comfort. Feel confident on any surface.
2. Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9. They are distinguished by the highest cross-country ability and directional stability, regardless of weather conditions. They get second place due to the fairly high noise level and high price.
3. Michelin X-Ice North 4. Slightly inferior to the first two places in all respects. Not always stable on ice and dry asphalt
4. Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice Arctic. They demonstrate excellent performance on asphalt and snow, which cannot be said about braking and maneuvering during icy conditions. Well suited for urban environments, but are noisy.
5. Dunlop SP Winter Ice 02. Handles well on icy surfaces. The rest of the indicators are average or lower.
6. Hankook Winter I*cept IZ2. They are very sensitive to road irregularities and do not always handle well on ice and snow. They have low acceleration rates on slippery surfaces.
7. Nexen Win Guard Snow'G WH2. They have poor handling results on ice and snow according to test drive results. On asphalt they demonstrate an average level. They are affordable.

Tags Winter tires R14 Winter tires R15

Features of the tested tires

*Prices are current as of December 13, 2018

How to choose winter tires

The average daily air temperature is approaching zero. So it's time to think about winter tires. Indeed, at temperatures below even plus five degrees, the physical and technical characteristics of the tire rubber begin to change, which leads to a deterioration in the coefficient of adhesion to the road surface.

What are the main criteria to follow when choosing tires?

1. You need to look for tires of the appropriate size recommended by the car manufacturer - width, profile height, radius.
2. Buy and install a complete set of wheels on your car.
3. Studded tires are designed for driving on roads with packed snow and patches of ice. Such tires are good outside the city or in cities where public utilities work poorly. On asphalt they are very noisy and leave marks.
4. Friction tires (Velcro) are more suitable for city driving, although they behave well on the highway outside the city in calm snowy conditions.
5. Tires differ in tread pattern (symmetrical, asymmetrical, directional). Tires with asymmetric tread show the best performance when driving on snowy roads. However they are more expensive.

Buy tires based on their production date, as the quality of rubber begins to deteriorate sharply after five years, regardless of whether the tires were in service or in storage conditions. Therefore, buy the newest tires possible. For two years, ask for a discount. The year of manufacture of a tire can be easily determined by the four-digit number on the sidewall, where the first two digits indicate the serial number of the week, and the next two indicate the year of manufacture.

Test results table

Based on the results of passing all disciplines on snow, ice and asphalt, participants can be assessed on a 5-point scale:

Matador Nordica Basic MP52 (European winter tire)

Unlike our last year's test, we tested another Matador winter tire – the Nordica Basic MP52. Its characteristics turned out to be better than those of the MP58 model. Although, if you compare the properties of all tested tires as a whole, MP52 is below the middle of the list. On ice, this tire is “slow” and unpredictable - either only the front wheels slip, or all four at once. The tire turned out to be slippery on the broken snow. Due to constant slipping, it is impossible to accelerate normally, and during maneuvers - both sharp and not so sharp - the car easily drifts into a deep skid. On wet asphalt, on a certain trajectory, the tire holds well, but if you want to change it, then slow reactions appear, and in case of a skid, it is not easy to return the car to its previous course. On dry asphalt, during sharp maneuvers on these tires, deep skidding of the car is possible.

Reviews from owners of winter tires 175/65 R14

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R after the test
Reviews of tires 175 65 r14 taken from the sites: https://ek.ua/, autoshini.com, auto.tut.by, https://mpshina.com/, irecommend.ru.

Kleber Krisalp HP2 (European winter tire)

The Kleber Krisalp HP2 tire, related to the famous French brand, is participating in our test for the first time. This tire is also for European warm winters, although according to the proven characteristics it is more suitable for driving on dry asphalt. On wet asphalt, in principle, it behaves well - during maneuvers the drifts are small, it does not make noise, and when the steering wheel is twisted during extreme maneuvers, it strongly slows down the sidewall, which is why the speed drops significantly. Overall, the Krisalp HP2 rides well on ice, but it is difficult to predict and does not forgive mistakes, after which an inevitable encounter with a snowdrift will occur. On compacted snow it starts to slide quite quickly and, due to slipping, is reluctant to accelerate, but it resists slashplaning very well.

Car tire rating winter 2018-2019

1. Nokian Hakkappeliitta 7. The undisputed leader in winter disciplines. It has no equal on icy roads and in deep snow. The tires are a little noisy, but not the loudest among all contenders. They also show good results on asphalt.
2. Continental Conti Ice Contact. Demonstrates stable results on all types of coating. According to all characteristics, it is in the top three. It takes second place due to its high cost and poor braking on dry roads.
3. Gislaved Nord*Frost 5. At a relatively low price, it has good steering and braking performance on asphalt. On winter roads the result is slightly worse, but remains acceptable. A big plus is the low noise level of the tires. The model took second place in the Autocenter rating.
4. Continental Winter Contact TS 860. The only model that received a “good” rating from ADAC in the winter tire test 175 65 r14 2021. Comfortable and safe tires. It responds well to steering turns, is stable on ice, and has a short braking distance on asphalt. An excellent option for city and country trips in any weather.
5. Nokian Hakkapeliitta R. Took first place among studless tires according to Za Rulem magazine. It behaves best of all friction tires on ice and snow, leaving behind even some studded tires in terms of acceleration on winter surfaces. In addition to all the advantages, it is characterized by economical fuel consumption.
6. Michelin X-ice 2. Balanced tires in all respects. Quite comfortable, low noise. Brakes confidently on ice. It is characterized by slight delays in steering response, which can lead to skidding when turning.
7. Dunlop Winter Response 2. Only slightly inferior to the previous two positions. It has no pronounced flaws, is well balanced and easy to control.
8. Fulda Kristall Montero 2. Quite slippery on ice. Well suited for mild, snowless winters. He takes average places in all races.

Tags Winter tires R14

Gislaved NordFrost 5 (studded tire)

The Gislaved NordFrost 5 is not as new as the winner of this test, but it is also worthy of attention. Third place and a good price open its way to the mass consumer. On ice, this tire is consistently good and is only slightly inferior to the hakka 7 in terms of speed on ice. But when exceeding a reasonable speed, it is less inclined to suddenly skid or drift. In the snow, the NordFrost 5 is also a little worse - when trying to maneuver at the same speed as on the “seven”, deeper drifts occur, but you just need to slow down a little, and the car remains completely under control. But on asphalt this tire is a little better than the Finnish “hakka” - there are fewer drifts and drifts during even and sharp maneuvers. And in terms of noise level, Gislaved NordFrost 5 is the quietest among studded tires.