Will going from stock 15" on 195/55/15 to 17" on 205/40/17 give you bettter gas mileage, assuming same driving conditions?

 

I'm assuming the lighter wheel will give you better gas mileage, but not enough to even be able to tell.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by all-mtr-teg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Will going from stock 15" on 195/55/15 to 17" on 205/40/17 give you bettter gas mileage, assuming same driving conditions?</TD></TR></TABLE>

It should provide worse gas mileage.

The 17 wheel is going to weigh more (odds are). Rotational weight does effect gas mileage, otherwise Honda would never have used those light "HX wheels" on the Civic to begin with.

 

in not sure, but my best guess would be that the bigger wheel and tire package would actually increase your milage, top speed wise, and gas consumption wise (not 0-60 or 1/4 mile though, obviously the 15's will smoke the 17's) Ive noticed with my prelude that when i have my 15 inch spoon racing wheels on, my rpms climb to 4-5 even 6,000 rpm in daily driving conditions. But when i have my 17's on, the rps stay waaayyyy lower, . even though the 17's are heavier, they spin alot less times in terms of rotations per minute (rpm) and that (in my understanding) is huge on milage.

 

Any difference is insignificant.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">even though the 17's are heavier, they spin alot less times in terms of rotations per minute (rpm) and that (in my understanding) is huge on milage.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not true.

 

True in my case, when i put the 15's next to the 17s, the difference is huge, the 17's are massive dwarfing the 15's,... which easily explains the rpm difference, hence the engine rotating thosands and thousands of times more to cover the same distance.

my wheels specs:

15 = 50 series tires

17= 45 series tires


to the difference is huge, lol not only those facts that prove me right, but my actuall gas milage is alot better on the 17's, alot! so theres no argueing this point in MY case.

but in his case in not so sure, it may be that the rotational size is similar, and if they are about the same size, then the lighter set would obviously be the clear winner.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">when i put the 15's next to the 17s, the difference is huge...
15 = 50 series tires...17= 45 series tires</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you don't get the right tire size for your car, of course there will be a difference. But if you get the right sized tires (same overall diameter), then as nsxtasy said, there will be no significant difference.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">True in my case, when i put the 15's next to the 17s, the difference is huge, the 17's are massive dwarfing the 15's,... which easily explains the rpm difference, hence the engine rotating thosands and thousands of times more to cover the same distance.

my wheels specs:

15 = 50 series tires

17= 45 series tires</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's because you got the wrong size 17" tires. You need to get the size with the same outer diameter. For example, the original poster is going from 195/55-15 (calculated outer diameter is 23.44 inches) to 205/40-17 (23.46 inches). Same outer diameter (within 0.1 percent, anyway).

 

17" better highway, but sucky city

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

That's because you got the wrong size 17" tires. You need to get the size with the same outer diameter. For example, the original poster is going from 195/55-15 (calculated outer diameter is 23.44 inches) to 205/40-17 (23.46 inches). Same outer diameter (within 0.1 percent, anyway).

</TD></TR></TABLE>


lol thats rediculous, no i dont have the wrong size tires. I specifically chose those tires to my personal likeing, and i could care less what anyone else thinks. Ive been through plenty of tire sizes and i chose the ones that fit my personal needs.
And even on the 'right' tire size choices, I personally feel like it typically goes like this

16-50 series
17-45 series
18-40 series
19-35 series

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lol thats rediculous, no i dont have the wrong size tires.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, you do. Stop displaying your ignorance.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I specifically chose those tires to my personal likeing</TD></TR></TABLE>

And you chose tires whose dimensions are totally different from the stock tires. Tires which throw off your speedometer and odometer. Tires which make your car accelerate slower. Tires which probably rub on your wheel wells. Those are FACTS, not opinions.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i could care less what anyone else thinks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

A lot of people who don't know what they're talking about say the exact same thing.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">even on the 'right' tire size choices, I personally feel like it typically goes like this

16-50 series
17-45 series
18-40 series
19-35 series</TD></TR></TABLE>

There you go again, making it easy for everyone to see that you don't know what you're talking about. Remember, there are a lot of people on this forum who know a lot about tires, and they all know that tire sizes are meaningless when you don't include the treadwidth and you only mention wheel diameter and aspect ratio.

When you don't know what you're talking about - and it's clear from your posts that you don't - you would be a lot better off reading and asking questions and learning, instead of making statements that don't make any sense. Just a suggestion, of course.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

When you don't know what you're talking about - and it's clear from your posts that you don't - you would be a lot better off reading and asking questions and learning, instead of making statements that don't make any sense. Just a suggestion, of course.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

beat me to it.


What happend when you changed the wheels should be obvious. You essentially changed your final gear ratio. The larger outer diameter, the more distance traveled per wheel rotation. Im sure most people realize this by now.

If the outer diameter remains constant between wheel sizes and tire combinations, then the gear ratio also remains the same. Same speed same rpm, different wheels and tires. But the smaller wheel(assuming is equal or lighter weight) will get better fuel economy because the weight is less in total, which reduces the load on the engine. it can most easily be associated to putting on a lightweight flywheel.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tek_civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What happend when you changed the wheels should be obvious. You essentially changed your final gear ratio. The larger outer diameter, the more distance traveled per wheel rotation. Im sure most people realize this by now.

If the outer diameter remains constant between wheel sizes and tire combinations, then the gear ratio also remains the same. Same speed same rpm, different wheels and tires.</TD></TR></TABLE>

So far, this is correct.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tek_civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">But the smaller wheel(assuming is equal or lighter weight) will get better fuel economy because the weight is less in total, which reduces the load on the engine. it can most easily be associated to putting on a lightweight flywheel.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not necessarily true.

Yes, it's true that a wheel/tire combination which weighs less will get better fuel economy. However, a wheel/tire whose outer diameter is smaller also means that the engine is turning more revs at a given road speed (like having shorter gearing). That generally means worse fuel economy. So it's possible that the second effect offsets the first. However, we're talking theoretical differences; in practice, the difference in fuel economy is likely to be insignificant in both cases.

If you're really interested in better gas mileage, the easiest ways to achieve that are to get a different car (obvious), to adjust your driving style to avoid hard acceleration and braking (not fun), and to a lesser extent, to reduce the weight of your car. You'll find more tips on saving gas here.

 

lol nsxtacy, the thing is i really dont give a hoot man. Ive never had any problems with any of my rides, and ive always gone by the same tire standards. What your saying is 'technically' true, lol but the bottom line is its really not that important to me. Other things affect my decision in tire size more than what is the 'exact tire size' i need to be on par with the stock ratio. Things like a comfortable tire, space in the wheel well, rubbing, ect. I coulda told you that to, that you should keep the overall diamater the same, but its really not that big a deal, and ive never had any problems whatsoever picking tires i liked, instead of tires that are deemed 'perfect ratio'... lol its funny to see you keep rambling as if its such a big deal. Proof? ive ridden on different tire sizes for 10+ years, and not 1 problem! (Except if you call getting better gas mileage a problem ).. I rest my case.

Also, look at my car in the Avatar, when i say i really dont give a hoot, lol i mean it, becuase i really do mean it, not out of ignorance, but becuase experience talks. my car is geourgous, and rides like a dream. Just like all the rest of my cars.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lol nsxtacy, the thing is i really dont give a hoot man.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Then why do you keep posting the same nonsense?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What your saying is 'technically' true, lol but the bottom line is its really not that important to me.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Then why do you keep replying with nonsense?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Masterbobo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lol its funny to see you keep rambling</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're the one who's rambling and making statements that don't make sense and that are just flat out wrong.

If you want to do something that doesn't make sense to your car, you're more than welcome; it's your car and your money. If you like the way your car looks, if you think it's gorgeous even though other people don't, hey, that's all a matter of opinion. But the disadvantages of using the wrong size tires are FACTS, not OPINIONS. If the facts are not important to you, well, again, that's up to you. But most people post here looking for facts and factual information. Not incorrect information like you've repeatedly posted in this topic. So please stop posting bad information here.