Tire width/Rim size effect on MPG

[R00ts]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking to upgrade from my 16 in. stock wheels (205/55) on my 2013. I don't plan on lowering so I was looking at going with a 18 in. wheel with a 225/40 tire. However I do a lot of highway/rural driving while commuting to school/work (120km/day), so I don't really want to kill my gas mileage. I was just wondering if anyone has noticed a huge impact in gas mileage with bigger and wider wheels? Thanks.

[silverstarmazda]

yes

[ken6214]

Yup

[bilinz]

Yeah I went from 16 to 18. I'm not lowered (yet) and I've noticed the impact to my milage

[FD22]

Yes, you will notice a difference due to the added weight (from the increase in size) and the added rotational inertia that the car has to deal with when in motion. Now how much exactly that difference is, all depends on the particular rims/tires you choose.

[silverstarmazda]

i heard if your stanced enough with crazy camber, youll actually get better milage because theres barely any tire touching the ground. isnt that right FD22?? LOL :chuckle

just kidding, lightness and friction are the biggest factors in effecting fuel economy (wheel wise). you can get a super light racing rim/ close to oem tire width and save some fuel i guess :/ dont forget to get an alignment too if you havnt for a while.

[R00ts]

Alright. Thanks guys. I was hoping the difference would be fairly small. I was wanting to go with Gen 2 MS3 wheels but now I'll probably just try to find a lightweight set of 17s.

[Default User]

I wouldn't say "a huge" impact....

The added weight gain from a 16" to an 18" wheel is maybe 5-10lbs per wheel. Compare that to having an extra passenger in the car

[loki]

I wouldn't say "a huge" impact....

The added weight gain from a 16" to an 18" wheel is maybe 5-10lbs per wheel. Compare that to having an extra passenger in the car
Rotational mass though

it'll make your car feel more sluggish for one

[The Wolf]

It's not going to be a HUGE difference. You'll notice extra consumption but it's not going to double or anything.


When I switched from my stock 16's to wide 17's, I went from ~650 km/tank to ~600 km/tank

[XTOTHEL]

Using this as a reference:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested

Their vehicle data from a 16 to 18 suffered a decrease of 0.47L difference per 100km. What this means is...say you average 500km before fuel up, the 18 inch wheels will "cost" you oextra 2.35L in fuel. About $3-4 dollars per fill up or 20kmish range per 500km.

Of course, your numbers will be somewhat different, but as you can see, I wouldn't call that a huge difference.

[R00ts]

Awesome. Thanks for all the replies!

Nothing too significant. Just a small price for beauty I guess