I have a set of 4 HX (14") wheels on my 1990 Honda Civic DX hatch and I've been seriously considering going back to the stock steel rims (13") to take my car back to true stock form. I noticed that the HX wheels are going for around a couple hundred bucks in my area, but I'm wondering if it would be smarter to leave them on due to rising gas prices (they're lighter). May sound like a crazy question, but I'm curious how long it would take to lose that 200 bucks in gas if I sold them. Do rims impact gas mileage that much?...

Thanks

 

I went from some generic wheel that I believe to weigh in at about 16-17lbs each to a set of Black Racing wheels that I weighed on a bathroom scale to be about 11lbs +/-.5lb each (15x6 down to 14x6 just to be clear). There was an increase of a solid 5-7 mpg. I'd leave them on if you're looking for best mpg or try to find the VX rims if your car can fit them correctly.

 

I think the biggest thing you'll notice is how the car handles. I was running 15" integra wheels(mesh) before switching to some HXs. With tires it went from 32.5 lbs each to 27.5 lbs. I can't say I've noticed much change in gas mileage, but it's hard to tell with the way the pumps work around here. One time filling up I'll have no problems, next time the automatic shut off on the pump keeps kicking in. This leaves me to guess when it's actually topped off.

 

from a purely physics based standpoint, you will always get better gas mileage making your car lighter, up to a point. Less mass to haul around means less energy to haul it. at some point you hit a wall due to air resistance and other factors, but i doubt you are anywhere near that wall.

I would guess you might only see a 1mpg increase.. but every bit helps.

 

flush your fuel system every 3k, change your air filter every 6k, pcv every 3k, and fuel filter every 10k and you should be fine


oh and ya, keep the hx's. a nice set with good tread will sell up to 400 if they're mint.

 

Smaller wheel =less rolling resistance. But if u get the 13" vx like stated above then u may see a slight increase

 

Tip for all! Fill up in the early morning. Gasoline expands above 60° f. Idk how much but it does. I tested it and got a 2.5 mpg improvement. U do the math lol