Check this out: https://eprel.ec.europa.eu/screen/product/tyres
It's a European site so not all tires are there but you get good information and an easy way to compare.
I recently looked at General Tires; top rated brand, great prices, but also good performance. There are several others but I settled on these for myself. Specifically RT45s. I don't know about rolling resistance though
It's hard to get low rolling resistance and good wet grip, since one comes at the expense of the other. Low rolling resistance tires tend to have poor wet grip. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-ViBilagare-Eco-and-Regular-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm
There aren't many tires in your size. A few options:
(1)
Vredestein Quatrac 5 - $420.20 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack
https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=231
https://www.tiredeets.com/vredestein-quatrac-5-review/
---
(2)
General AltiMax RT45 - $431.96 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack
https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=291
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Both of those tires (Vredestein and General) do have some noise, but they get high marks for wet traction and comfort.
There aren't many tires in 14" sizes anymore, so you might have to compromise.
---
(3)
Toyo Extensa A/S II - $348.32 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack
This set has good wet traction, low noise, and good comfort.
But it has poor snow and ice traction.
And it only comes in a P-metric tire with a reduced load rating. So check your door jamb for the minimum load rating.
https://tireer.com/toyo-extensa-a-s-ii-review/
---
(4)
Hankook Kinergy ST - $367.96 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack
One review says it's quiet, but the other review says it's loud:
https://www.tiredeets.com/hankook-kinergy-st-review/
https://tireer.com/hankook-kinergy-st-h735-review/
I'm not worried about snow and ice. These are meant to be summer tires. I have winter tires for the off season. I am specifically avoiding all season and probably all weather tires because research suggests that the compromise to work in the winter time as well puts a strong handicap on a tires wet capabilities.
Gotcha! And yeah, I agree.
You might just want to edit your original post to clarify. Whenever someone doesn't explicitly say otherwise, people usually assume all-season tires.
I'm not sure how many summer tires you'll find for 14", though. I couldn't even find summer tires for my 15" when I looked. I'm searching for 195/70R14, 205/65R14, and 185/75R14, and there are no summer tires. Just all-seasons.
I did find the Vredestein Sprint Classic in 195/70R14, but I think that tire is designed to look good on a classic car that is driven rarely in perfect weather, not perform well on a daily driver.
I did get the same results as you. I thought about trying the sprint classic, but it's unavailable for the foreseeable future. So now I think I am gonna go with the General Altimax RT45s. They seem to be the best available in my tire size according to most sites.
Have you looked at tirerack? The vredstein quatrac 5 is really popular and is only $105 per tire.
And you shouldn't stretch to afford tires IMO. Stuff happens. You should be able to replace them if you get a hole in the edge, for example.
Check this out: https://eprel.ec.europa.eu/screen/product/tyres It's a European site so not all tires are there but you get good information and an easy way to compare.
I recently looked at General Tires; top rated brand, great prices, but also good performance. There are several others but I settled on these for myself. Specifically RT45s. I don't know about rolling resistance though
It's hard to get low rolling resistance and good wet grip, since one comes at the expense of the other. Low rolling resistance tires tend to have poor wet grip. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-ViBilagare-Eco-and-Regular-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm There aren't many tires in your size. A few options: (1) Vredestein Quatrac 5 - $420.20 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=231 https://www.tiredeets.com/vredestein-quatrac-5-review/ --- (2) General AltiMax RT45 - $431.96 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=291 --- Both of those tires (Vredestein and General) do have some noise, but they get high marks for wet traction and comfort. There aren't many tires in 14" sizes anymore, so you might have to compromise. --- (3) Toyo Extensa A/S II - $348.32 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack This set has good wet traction, low noise, and good comfort. But it has poor snow and ice traction. And it only comes in a P-metric tire with a reduced load rating. So check your door jamb for the minimum load rating. https://tireer.com/toyo-extensa-a-s-ii-review/ --- (4) Hankook Kinergy ST - $367.96 for a set of 4 at Tire Rack One review says it's quiet, but the other review says it's loud: https://www.tiredeets.com/hankook-kinergy-st-review/ https://tireer.com/hankook-kinergy-st-h735-review/
I'm not worried about snow and ice. These are meant to be summer tires. I have winter tires for the off season. I am specifically avoiding all season and probably all weather tires because research suggests that the compromise to work in the winter time as well puts a strong handicap on a tires wet capabilities.
Gotcha! And yeah, I agree. You might just want to edit your original post to clarify. Whenever someone doesn't explicitly say otherwise, people usually assume all-season tires. I'm not sure how many summer tires you'll find for 14", though. I couldn't even find summer tires for my 15" when I looked. I'm searching for 195/70R14, 205/65R14, and 185/75R14, and there are no summer tires. Just all-seasons. I did find the Vredestein Sprint Classic in 195/70R14, but I think that tire is designed to look good on a classic car that is driven rarely in perfect weather, not perform well on a daily driver.
I did get the same results as you. I thought about trying the sprint classic, but it's unavailable for the foreseeable future. So now I think I am gonna go with the General Altimax RT45s. They seem to be the best available in my tire size according to most sites.
Also, thank you, I actually meant to include that these were meant to be summer tires as well
Have you looked at tirerack? The vredstein quatrac 5 is really popular and is only $105 per tire. And you shouldn't stretch to afford tires IMO. Stuff happens. You should be able to replace them if you get a hole in the edge, for example.