Wasn't there a recent thread asking where the current best option to get 14" tires are now? For some reason, when I do a search, I can't find that thread. And I have two classics that need 14" tires- and Alfa and a Miata.
I can *get* some nominal 14" tires from places, but I they are a/s tires that I'm not sure about.
Falken RT615K is the only 14" tire that comes to mind that isn't a full on competition tire.
edit: didn't know Advan A052 came in 14
General makes a 27" Grabber A/T in a 14"?
Yeah, what was once popular no longer is.
Coker offers the Michelin Pilot Exalto in a 185/60R14.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I was told by a tire (tyre) seller in the UK that the Michelin Pilot Exaltos were made in Russia and were currently out of stock due to, um, events. If Coker has them, be sure to check the dates of manufacture.
Hmmm, I just added some to a cart and got this message:
I stick with 15's for the availability issues but the Falken's are serious. Hoosier has purple crack 14's and Nitto has the NT101 sticky. Lots of Chinesium meh but not too many real tires. DemonTweaks used to ship to US with a bunch of the stuff still made for their market but not sure they still do that.
I stick with 15's for the availability issues but the Falken's are serious. Hoosier has purple crack 14's and Nitto has the NT101 sticky. Lots of Chinesium meh but not too many real tires. DemonTweaks used to ship to US with a bunch of the stuff still made for their market but not sure they still do that.
A search with our local Belle Tire gives me brands like Starfire, Sailun, Mastercraft, Nexen, General, and Uniroyal. All but the Sailun is all season, the Sailun is "performance all season".
Discount Tire at least has a Kuhmo and Falken, but all are All Season tires. (along with the above General)
Given our history with tires, I'm leaning toward the Kuhmo, as we raced with those for about 15 years, and I feel a little loyalty to that.. sort of.
And I see the Tire Rack has all of those plus a Vredstein tire. They call all of them GT All Seasons. (and they have the Toyo R, too).
And I know modern tires are really good, so a decent all season would be fine on all of my cars.
Still, I swear there was a real thread about this recently. Like in the last 12 months.
In reply to alfadriver :
Brand wise, I'd trust Kumho, General, Vredestein, or Nexen over the others you mentioned. I've never seen a Mastercraft or Uniroyal tire that was anything more than "a tire" and the others are cheap Chinese brands AFAIK. General is owned by Continental, not sure about ownership of the others.
We raced on Falken RT615s in 195/65/14 for a few years. Comically small for our car, but the only race rubber that fit our wheels. Very pleased given the situation.
Demon Tweeks no longer sells tyres to the US.
In reply to alfadriver :
I just looked up 185/60/14 on Discount and they show the Dunlop Direzza ZIII. That would be a good one for an NA Miata (what's yours?). I don't know what size your Alfa takes.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
What zip code? Here in A2, that isn't an option.
I will put the same tires on the Alfa, as 175's are super rare.
Wait, if I just search the tire size, they show up. But $100 more per tire than the Kuhmos.
In reply to alfadriver :
I've got it set for the Jackson Road store .....?????....I've got the tab open as I type.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
They show up. but it's hard to bring myself to get them for that price....
In reply to alfadriver :
I understand, but the alternative is 15" wheels and something like a 185/55/15 tire. FWIW I ran my last NB on some Kumho Ecsta AST all seasons, even ran flat out laps at Michigan International on them. The last set of 15s I bought were Nitto Neogens. Selection in Miata sized 15s is getting slimmer, too.
02Pilot said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
I was told by a tire (tyre) seller in the UK that the Michelin Pilot Exaltos were made in Russia and were currently out of stock due to, um, events. If Coker has them, be sure to check the dates of manufacture.
Can confirm, I got a set from Coker a year or two ago and they were made in Russia. I have heard through another automotive group that production has been moved, although I forget where.
I very much like them and would recommend them to anyone who can get their hands on a set. They're a great match to a fun street NA Miata, just enough grip to wake up the chassis while still allowing some slip angles at reasonable speeds.
In reply to 02Pilot :
I got a set right after said events happened and they are a 2021 date on them. As David shows, I'm pretty sure the supply has mostly dried up. It's too bad though as I agree with keith in that I find them about perfect for a fun street tire.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Great to know about the Kuhmos!!! Thanks!
bmw88rider said:In reply to 02Pilot :
I got a set right after said events happened and they are a 2021 date on them. As David shows, I'm pretty sure the supply has mostly dried up. It's too bad though as I agree with keith in that I find them about perfect for a fun street tire.
Yeah and thanks for the tip about the availability.
Sadly, what was once a commodity tire no longer is. FWIW, I have lobbied some friends in the industry for more smaller sizes. The trick is then making the business case.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Big brands make smaller sizes, but they're not sold here because they're not DOT certified.
Yokohama's European site shows A008 in 14" and 15"
In reply to j_tso :
Yeah, that’s where the conversation goes: How to get those smaller sizes sold here?
The reality: Someone has to sign off on filling a container with 14s vs. Camry and F-150 tires.
There's the Ironman iMove gen2 AS UHP in 185/65/14. Ironman is Hercules' value brand. I don't know how good they are, but I have it in my head that some of the local circle track people use them.
I haven't seen anything objective about the various Chinese tire brands. Theoretically, there is no reason some of these tires shouldn't be decent...
In reply to Snrub :
I traded some 15x7 wheels for a set of Enkei RPF1s that came with Ironman I-Move 205/45/16 tires. I put them on my MINI for a couple of weeks and didn't notice much. I didn't go out on my favourite driving loop and punish them either, but in regular day-to-day driving I noticed nothing untoward about them. I did look up the price and they were available on-line for $67 each.
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