Fuel efficient tires for 14" OE wheels

[Daox]

We have a wonderful thread by Top Fuel on how to go about finding 15" wheels and tires that will return good fuel efficiency. However, I don't think we have a more comprehensive thread on the 14" OE size tire options. So, I'd like to start one.

When I am looking for new tires, I always check out a bunch of information on them. I like tires with good grip of course, but fuel efficiency is a big focus for me (and probably a lot of you). Sadly, the OE tire size of 165/65R14 is quite an oddball size, so there really is not a ton of selection. However, there are several other sizes that will fit on the original equipment wheels weather they be steel or aluminum alloy wheels. I would like this thread to explore those options with an emphasis on fuel efficiency.

Here are the tires I've found so far:

165/65R14

• Dunlop Ecopia A/S (OE tire)
• Bridgestone Potenza RE92
• Vredestein Quatrac 5

175/65R14 (2.7% larger diameter tire)

• Hankook Kinergy ST H735

185/60/R14 (1.3% larger diameter tire)

• Firestone Fuel Fighter
• Hankook Kinergy ST H735

Out of these tires, the OE Dunlop Enasave is by far the most expensive. On tire rack its currently going for $119 each.

The Potenza RE92 is known by the 1st gen Honda Insight owners as being a wonderfully low rolling resistance tire which means its great for fuel economy. Its current price is $86 on discount tire. This sets the bar pretty high unless the competitors can really reduce the price.

The Fuel Fighter is a claimed LRR tire, and returned the best fuel economy in this test done by tire rack. It is currently priced at $82 on tire rack.

The Quatrac 5 is not a claimed LRR tire. According to its European tire label, its ranked a "C" out of their A - G ranking system. The EU label says an "A" tire can see a 9% fuel economy increase over a "G" tire. Most other tires I found were rate "F", so I added it to the list. The Quatrac 5 are priced at $80 as of writing this.

That is where the Kinergy ST tires come in. They are priced right around $60. When purchasing 4 tires that adds up quick. This prices them almost $100 cheaper than the RE92s, and are a claimed LRR tire. However, they are a bit newer, and there really isn't much for reviews or feedback on them yet.



I am still digging into more tires. Finding information on their fuel consumption is not very easy sadly. Its really helpful when places like tire rack or the EU label can provide testing that shows some comparison. I'm hoping to find more info on other tires with their EU label so they can be compared. It would be great to find some more options out there.