175/65-15 4.5in 12.0in 24.0in 75.3in 842 0.0% 195/50-16 3.8in 11.8in 23.7in 74.4in 852 -1.2% 205/50-16 4.0in 12.0in 24.1in 75.6in 838 0.5% Specs are listed above. Is it better to be slightly larger than stock or slightly smaller? I don't want to add unwanted miles to the odometer.
Larger will add less miles to odometer. Turn fewer times in a mile. Keep us posted on what you do. I got to have fatter tires even at some mpg sacrifice. Dan
Did your car come with the optional 16" from factory? Right now only the OEM tire is available in the most Eco sense. The rest are sticky tires and MPG will fall a lot.
There is more than miles traveled involved. The larger diameter and/or heavier tire will cost you mpg (and acceleration) due to the extra work the engine needs to turn the tires. If you increase weight a little less diameter will partially reduce the effect of the heavier tire. So if you are looking to reduce the indicated milesdriven on odometer and still get good mpg check the specs for narrow tires with up to 0.5 inch greater diameter. If you could find such 165/65x16 tires would be good. A 155x15 tire also is good but a trifle slow in corners. For most, a 195/55x16 tire is the best choice for preventing 'excess' odometerreadings. Not sure they exist. Ah, hordes of them, Fuzion 195/55x16 at only $56 a tire and 420 UTOG is my choice at TireRack. And at 18 lb weight easily no t much difference from the 175/65x15's. Another good choice is 185/65x15's whichare also 18 lb, 420, and a half-inch larger diameter. And only $43. check discountties for shipping free ones too. PS when the section heightis not stated its 82 as is the old standard for tires. Thus a 155/82x15 tire is stated as 155x15. rolled a bunch of bugs.
Thanks for the responses you guys! I am still looking for the wheels I want, but I know for sure I am going to go with 16's. THis is all very helpful.
I went from 195's to 205's. I think they're 205's. The speedometer is now within .5mph of the radar signs.
There will be an inconsequential amount of extra weight with a small increase in size. But different tires of the same size weigh differently. Still, it isn't much and everyday mpg numbers would be hard to find any difference in. With larger tires, engine speed will decrease for a given mph. This will increase mpg. But with only a small increase it will not amount to enough to even be distinguishable from normal deviations. Many aftermarket wheels are lighter than stock.
I stuck with my 195/50/16 stock tires. No money spent on new ones and they fit well on my new wheels. Getting 50 mpg with the new wheels!!
In a 1/4 drag, smaller, more power, less miles per gallon In a 3,000 mile trip , bigger, better mpg's Less weight, better overall Wider, more friction in the air and on the ground=better handling, less mpg's Seems the oem tires are always undersized and going 1/2"" larger in diameter just about makes the speedometer accurate.
The considerations for choosing tires are: 1. weight of the tire compared to OEM. Heavier costs mpg and acceleration 2. the diameter of the tire(and revolutiuons per mile); as the diameter increases the mpg, both indicated, and adjusted will decrease unless the weight is less than OEM. Generally, if a wider tire is wated for performance, decreasing the diameter by 1 or 2% is a good idea to make up for the heavier weight and revs/mi reduction. Its not direct but it helps. 3. the performance desired. As the performance rating increases the mpg generally is decreased because of the attraction between tire and road, which is why the UTOG wear rating decreases. And of course small reductions in diameter will increase the effective gear ratio for better acceleration. And the odometer error for just a 1% change in revs/mi mean only 10 miles per thousand driven. In your case your specs left out the weight (consult tirerack specs) ; I suspect the 205 tire is 2 to 4 pounds heavier than OEM, which will cost you mpg. Have you considered 195/55x16 tires or even 185/60x16 tires?
