Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

The Continental ARE good tires! Very good fuel mileage, but, they are noisey.
Excellant in the rain! And lasted 80,000 miles....
I have the Ecopia now, and they are very good also, not near as noisey.
I was fortunate and got them from walfarts clearence for $80 each.

 

You are correct about the economy of LRR tires. But, cheap tires have other quality issues besides not being LRR. If one is willing to spend ~$100/tire anyway, then choosing an LRR that gives fuel economy as well as other desirable tire characteristics would be fine. Picking a tire is always a compromise. One always has to trade one characteristic for another opposite characteristic. By definition, you can't have the best LRR tire that also gives you the best grip. So it is a matter of prioritizing what trait of the tire characteristic is more important. If the cost is the most and only consideration, then yeah, go with the cheapest non-name that sells for ~$50/tire.