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touring wheels: 195 or 205 55 16, how much mpg lost?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by cnschult, Feb 25, 2012.

  1. cnschult

    cnschult Active Member

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    i usually run 185 65 15 stock tire size in the summers and 195 65 15 blizzaks in the winter, with the steel wheels I obviously take a huge mpg hit in the winter, but its only a few months and with lives on the line the mpg hit is well well worth the cold temperature traction and extra ground clearance the 195's give me.

    but I just picked up some 16" touring wheels (thanks El Nino), 195 55 16 tires have just a slightly smaller overall diamater (24.44" vs. 24.47") over the stock tires, so what kind of mpg hit should I expect with this wheel and tire combination that is the standard touring size??

    also if I go to a larger overall diameter size such as 205 55 16 what mpg should I expect?? how about 195 60 16??
     
    #1 cnschult, Feb 25, 2012
  2. Bojan Lalic

    Bojan Lalic New Member

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    I have factory set 195x55x16. The mileage is as perscribed.
     
    #2 Bojan Lalic, Feb 27, 2012
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I would guess a couple mpg at most if all things are kept equal. The 205s may drop it more. It's the combination of extra width (frictionand frontal area) and higher weight that hurt mpg when upsizing wheels.
     
    #3 F8L, Feb 27, 2012
  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Tyre choice in my experience makes the largest difference with 16 inch rims. I have gained 2MPG over OEM Bridgestone E300 195/55/16 and changing to Hankook 205/55/16 eco tyres.In principle I agree going up in width should reduce MPG but with careful tyre choice it is not always so. Benefits also come with wider tyres, in fact 205's are cheaper than 195's (in the UK by as much as 25%) this must be factored in to cost per mile, and there is a greater choice of tyres at 205. Road holding is also improved so that cornering is more stable making inertia savings by higher cornering speeds.
     
    #4 Britprius, Feb 27, 2012
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