Honda Accord (1990 - 2002) Includes 1997 - 1999 Acura CL

tire size, how important and what about mpg

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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 08:56 AM
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nauc's Avatar
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Default tire size, how important and what about mpg

just bought a 99 accord 4 cylinder, it has 205's on it, the manual says 195, they look brand new

will it be ok to use them, or am i setting my self up for something

my road trip says im getting about 23mpg overall, its the vtec manual lx 4 cylinder sedan, should be upper 20s iirc

any thoughts on this

thanks
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 09:12 AM
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02 accord's Avatar
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (nauc)

205/what/15? I'm running 205/60/15 on my 02, and I'm getting upper 20s, low 30s mpg. By the way, this is on an automatic.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:02 AM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (02 accord)

yah 15's..........
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:06 AM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (nauc)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nauc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yah 15's..........</TD></TR></TABLE>
what # b4 the 15
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:32 AM
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361 accord's Avatar
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (Bruce Banner)

naa that "plus sizing" thing is ok, any tire that stays within 3% of OEM tire circumfrence is OK, they say if u get too big of tires it can cause brake failure, but i think thats for people who put those monster truck tires on their trucks and stuff like that

also: i already asked George Knighton about that, getting the 205's or 215's in a lower profile (to maintain the sidewall thickness) to get a wider tire, said it wont really help straight line acceleration because the contact patch's AREA will remain the same, just the shape will change

however you should feel a difference in cornerin since a wider contact patch will grip more under lateral acceleration

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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 07:52 PM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (361 accord)

Still depends on that middle number in the tire size.

205/?? R15.

And what make & model of tire. It's not only the size. Some tires have more internal 'friction' so they make a small difference in the overall drag the engine has to work against.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 08:06 PM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (JimBlake)

i think i have the 205 65R 15's vs the 195 65R 15's
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 09:24 PM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (nauc)

err thats gonna slow you down

205 or 215/60-15 would be better
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 12:02 AM
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Default Re: tire size, how important and what about mpg (nauc)

I think the 205/65/15 tire may have a smaller overall diameter than the 195/65/15. My stock tires were 195/70/14's, an almost exact match to the 205/60/15's I installed. The stock rims were 14's (the last number), the replacement rims 15"

The best thing is to match the overall rim/tire size so the overall diameter is the same. Increase the rim size, you should decrease the tire-height, so you go 'lower-profile' on the tire. The lower/wider tire gives better cornering.

If you run smaller overall diameter, the engine/tranney will have to run higher RPM's for any set speed, so you will be pushing the drivetrain harder and burning more gas.

If the overall diameter is larger, you will run at lower RPM's at cruising speeds, so you might save some gas. The problem with this is it takes greater TORQUE to start the wheels turning, and this is very hard on clutches and tranneys.

The overall rim/tire diameter is very carefully engineered to the engine/tranney, so changing it much can really have negative impacts on the engine/tranney. This is one reason why "monster" trucks with huge wheels/tires have more HP/torque-to get the wheels turing from a dead-stop.

Install "mini-wheels" on a car, and it may look cool (I guess some think so), but you may be running 3400 RPM at 70 MPH when you used to cruise at 3000 RPM at the same 70 MPH. The extra 400 RPM will eventually wear the engine/tranney faster.

Call a tire shop, and ask for the tire heights for your stock and the replacements. If the replacements are smaller in diameter, you will run higher RPM's to get the same speed, so you will be burning more gas. If the tires are within 1/8" there should be no problem, but your speedo will be slightly off. Wrenchy
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 06:53 AM
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Default

again, i didnt pick the 205's, its what the car came with, but was just wondering cause my mpg seems low
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