I asked about tire life of the stock tires the other day; what I'm wondering right now is if anybody has gone to wider/lower profile tires that still fit on the stock alloy rims, and if there has been a noticeable or negligible difference in fuel economy. I would like more of a footprint, guess I've been used to that with my other "non-green" vehicles (2006 Mini Cooper S ragtop with 17's) but I only want to go "wider" up to the point of mpg loss. Geez, that was terrible syntax.....I think you get the point....how wide/low a tire can I use without losing much mpg? Adam - off to top off his coffee mug and wake the heck up
Adam, There are so many variables here (tread pattern, rubber compound, driving habits, taste, etc.) I think it will be a long time before someone finds that very thin line between acceptable and unacceptable mileage with a tire that looks good and holds the road. Let us know what you end up with. Tom
Michelin has some publicly available information you may find helpful. Try searching Michelin Low Rolling Resistance. While it's intuitive to think of contact patch as affecting rolling resistance, their research indicates it is not the major component. Obviously though, if all other components are held constant, wider tires will offer more drag.
Thanks for the ideas....I'll keep on surfin' to see what sizes/tire brand combos folks are happy with! Adam
