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jetta_gia Veteran Author Toronto Posts:279 Points:240,340 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 7, 2011 1:06:17 PM Ignore jetta_gia Report Abuse If you put wider tires on your car, does that decrease fuel economy?

jetta_gia

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Toronto

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Message Posted: Apr 7, 2011 1:06:17 PM

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If you put wider tires on your car, does that decrease fuel economy?

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ihredneck Rookie Author Missouri Posts:20 Points:40,280 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 3, 2013 8:22:48 AM Ignore ihredneck Report Abuse dido to what everyone else said. Rolling resistance has a variable for area in the equation... Wider Tires = Greater Area = More resistance
giwan All-Star Author Michigan Posts:500 Points:90,605 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2013 9:30:00 AM Ignore giwan Report Abuse Typically wider tires have a higher rolling resistance then a similar more narrow tire.
speedy700 Veteran Author New Jersey Posts:416 Points:129,025 Joined:Jan 2013	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2013 6:50:54 AM Ignore speedy700 Report Abuse Well there's an increase in rolling resistance so generally yes they reduce fuel economy. That is typically one of the reasons hybrids use skinny low rolling resistance tires.
LongPlay Champion Author Albuquerque Posts:4,258 Points:1,242,350 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 10:43:53 AM Ignore LongPlay Report Abuse For most people they do reduce MPG, but the actual amount varies.
weddy11 Champion Author Phoenix Posts:1,753 Points:434,775 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 10:07:12 AM Ignore weddy11 Report Abuse yes
GLM4205 Champion Author Toledo Posts:4,072 Points:803,220 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 6:11:12 AM Ignore GLM4205 Report Abuse Yes
outlaw329 Champion Author Austin Posts:7,631 Points:1,376,580 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 5:37:58 AM Ignore outlaw329 Report Abuse Yes
IAMCANADIAN73 Champion Author Ontario Posts:2,405 Points:1,124,750 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 5:21:23 PM Ignore IAMCANADIAN73 Report Abuse Yes
hyeglenn Champion Author Fresno Posts:1,085 Points:602,605 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 12:59:37 PM Ignore hyeglenn Report Abuse Yes this is is true but wider tires look better.
dontuknowOH Champion Author Ohio Posts:2,100 Points:36,605 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Apr 27, 2013 8:02:24 AM Ignore dontuknowOH Report Abuse I think it really depends on the type of vehicle and the application of use. Off road where there is no hard pavement surface, but sand, loose dirt, mud, spongy terrain, soggy surfaces, etc. to negotiate often them mileage might improve, depending on average/top speed.
L98 Sophomore Author Ontario Posts:180 Points:26,180 Joined:Mar 2013	Message Posted: Apr 27, 2013 12:25:00 AM Ignore L98 Report Abuse not at all
streetirsx Veteran Author North Dakota Posts:357 Points:126,025 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2013 6:15:10 PM Ignore streetirsx Report Abuse Yes. Better traction, but more drag and less MPG
HotRod10 Champion Author Wyoming Posts:2,291 Points:40,590 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2013 5:30:43 PM Ignore HotRod10 Report Abuse "Anything other than the stock tire will deterioate from gas milage." Only if the "stock" tire is the narrowest, which they rarely are. Narrower tires will likely increase mileage by a negligible amount, all other factors being equal (which they never are). I put narrower tires on my minivan and I like how it handle on the highway better now. I kept essentially the same diameter by bumping up from a 70 series to a 75 series - 215mm70% = 150.5mm, 205mm 75% = 153.75mm. Overall diameter change = 6.5mm = .25 inches.
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,803 Points:2,898,535 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Apr 3, 2013 7:47:01 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse Anything other than the stock tire will deterioate from gas milage.
WES03 Champion Author Maryland Posts:4,859 Points:1,267,995 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2013 8:49:25 AM Ignore WES03 Report Abuse Yes. Any additional rolling friction decreases gas mileage.
chipote Champion Author Washington Posts:1,274 Points:389,555 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2013 4:44:36 AM Ignore chipote Report Abuse Yes
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,352 Points:693,700 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2013 9:13:28 PM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse A wider tire will not necessarily impact fuel economy if the tire is inflated to a proper pressure. When I got my truck, I didn't like the tires so I replaced them with a low profile tire that was an inch wider at least. Compared to the previous tires, I didn't lose any mileage. The tires make the pick-up handle better. I'm averaging over 4 MPG over the EPA estimate.
giwan All-Star Author Michigan Posts:500 Points:90,605 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2013 10:07:28 AM Ignore giwan Report Abuse Follow what some of the hyper milers do and you will see yes it does.
dontuknowOH Champion Author Ohio Posts:2,100 Points:36,605 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2013 8:59:19 AM Ignore dontuknowOH Report Abuse biire2u I can agree, You covered almost all bases, one more thing I find interesting is the amount of tire weight at the outermost area of the wheel's circumference. A tire change with more outer weight by design from axle center can cause a need for more energy torque to start rotation each time from a stopped position. Energy dynamics being affected by extra weight placed in a area of leverage disadvantage from center of rotation(axle centerline). An example is >>> To swing a larger amount of weight into motion such as a heavier sledge hammer head from the same length handle takes more energy even with no leverage changes > being same diameter size Wheels. Simply any wheel with less weight at the outer perimeter can be spun into motion with less axle torque energy, works in reverse also (more wt.)
dgsteven All-Star Author Los Angeles Posts:812 Points:209,825 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2013 7:49:33 AM Ignore dgsteven Report Abuse yes, i think so
dleete Veteran Author Baton Rouge Posts:415 Points:326,550 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2011 5:57:57 PM Ignore dleete Report Abuse Is the fuel economy going to be that noticable from a wider tire, prolly not. As long as every other aspect of a tire is the same(weight, height) then it shouldn't effect it to be noticeable on every fill up. I changed wheels and tires on my G8. Total weight was the same and the height stayed the same, and I gained about 30mm of tire width all around and I can't say i've noticed any difference in mileage. But in the long run, yes there prolly is a difference. [Edited by: dleete at 12/19/2011 5:58:29 PM EST]
WEPSMAN Champion Author South Dakota Posts:10,523 Points:2,026,425 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2011 8:03:10 AM Ignore WEPSMAN Report Abuse It causes more friction which will reduce mileage.
DCS48 Champion Author South Carolina Posts:6,330 Points:656,035 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2011 6:20:35 AM Ignore DCS48 Report Abuse slight loss
rhail2 Champion Author Kentucky Posts:1,452 Points:287,485 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Dec 18, 2011 1:49:24 PM Ignore rhail2 Report Abuse yes
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: Dec 18, 2011 1:08:35 PM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse A little but Our Ford escape hybrid has ave. 32+mpg with over 130000 miles on it with one size wider
pacecar68 Champion Author Oakland Posts:4,666 Points:868,070 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Dec 18, 2011 12:59:34 PM Ignore pacecar68 Report Abuse yes, it will reduce mpgs a little. more rubber greater contact, more weight, more friction. how much of a reduction? to be determined. stock sizes and equipment really are ok!
jimmy544 Champion Author Boston Posts:4,138 Points:656,780 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 4:07:41 PM Ignore jimmy544 Report Abuse Good question that I really don't have an answer for. Certainly if the tire was sliding a wider tire would generate more friction but for rolling tire every thing being equal the load would be spread out over a larger area.
PaylessKY Champion Author Kentucky Posts:8,740 Points:1,584,375 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 2:54:58 PM Ignore PaylessKY Report Abuse I prefer to stay with the size the manufacture put on.
the1roadhog Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,913 Points:2,058,530 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 8:26:41 AM Ignore the1roadhog Report Abuse Trade off. Wider gives better traction.
jes Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:16,180 Points:3,355,400 Joined:Jun 2003	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 5:12:34 AM Ignore jes Report Abuse yes
DJRIO Champion Author Miami Posts:8,061 Points:1,428,510 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Dec 14, 2011 1:22:40 PM Ignore DJRIO Report Abuse you mean taller tire not wider. would it wider mean width of the tire? Taller means hieghth of the tire? could be that you might confuse the 2 termalogy.
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,352 Points:693,700 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Dec 14, 2011 10:18:48 AM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse 1992CIVICSI writes: I work in a bike shop, and bike guys are all over this. Try riding a road bike with thin tires at high PSI, and then ride a road bike with thick tires and knobs. The guy on thin tires and high PSI is going to be gone. More tread = Slower as more resistance. More PSI in tires = Faster as less resistance Wider tires = Slower as more contact and resistance. _____ Hold the phone. Yes, if you compare a guy on a bike with knobbies with another guy on road racing tires, then there will be quite a difference in speed and the energy required to ride the bike but that's such an extreme comparison that it's almost irrelevant. A fairer comparison is to look at one guy with some 23mm racing tires as opposed to another with 25mm racing tires and when you do that, the differences are going to be so small as to be negligible. When I switched from Michelin tires: f) 20mm; r) 23mm to Continental Gran Prix tires: f) 23mm; r) 25mm, I didn't notice any difference in rolling resistance at all. While the principles that 1992CIVICSI presents are true, there may not be any practical difference.
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,803 Points:2,898,535 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Dec 14, 2011 9:45:34 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse My car has stock tires and so does my truck and they will remain that way.
gobux10 Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,185 Points:682,755 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Dec 14, 2011 7:15:12 AM Ignore gobux10 Report Abuse wider tires stink in snow also
1992CivicSi Rookie Author Vancouver Posts:70 Points:12,240 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 23, 2011 2:38:38 AM Ignore 1992CivicSi Report Abuse Yes, it is depending tho. I work in a bike shop, and bike guys are all over this. Try riding a road bike with thin tires at high PSI, and then ride a road bike with thick tires and knobs. The guy on thin tires and high PSI is going to be gone. More tread = Slower as more resistance. More PSI in tires = Faster as less resistance Wider tires = Slower as more contact and resistance.
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,352 Points:693,700 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Apr 18, 2011 8:27:35 PM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse IHT writes: wider is a little bit safer but your fuel consumption goes down for sure _____ Hold the phone. That's only theoretically true. The real issues are 1) the contact patch and that is partly a function of air pressure and of manufacturing quality and, 2) the tread compound with softer compounds costing a bit of mileage over harder compounds. At 4K miles I put some 265-50x20 (from 245-75x16) tires on my Ranger. There was little or no difference in gas mileage compared to the prior 4K miles. Running 3-4 PSI more in larger width tires more than compensates for the increased width. It is also advisable to run 3-4 PSI more in the front than in the rear because the front tires have to support more weight. [Edited by: Houckster at 4/18/2011 8:33:37 PM EST]
biire2u Sophomore Author Akron Posts:107 Points:15,610 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Apr 15, 2011 1:36:09 PM Ignore biire2u Report Abuse Yes it uses more fuel all the way around. The tire weighs more, so you need more energy to accelerate it. The tire has a bigger frontal area and also has a rough finish so that the tread uses energy to move air around the tire just like a fan uses energy to turn its blades to move air The frontal area of the tire makes the air flowing under the car have a bigger obstruction to go around. And the biggest energy use is going from a round tire to the road contact point where the tire turns abruptly out of round to put it's print on the road. If I asked you to bend a piece of metal 1 ft x 6inches back and forth it takes energy to flex that metal back and forth. Now if I ask you to flex a 1 ft x 9 inch piece back and forth, it is obvious it is going to be harder to flex the wider piece than the narrow piece. I used to work for Firestone testing tires, and the point on the road where the rubber bends to flatten out the footprint on the pavement took so much energy that the tire temperature would climb easily from 70F to 200F in 20 minutes of running with a load on the tire. The less air in your tire and the wider, the more the tire has to bend to the road surface as it rotates. Temperature equates to energy use. Ever notice semi truck wheels are narrow and run at 100 psi? The more pressure the rounder the tire and the less it bends to the road. Width of a tire is for looks. Skinny tires were used on the Model T, and they could run offroad. Skinny ends up putting more pressure per sq inch so traction remains almost the same [Edited by: biire2u at 4/15/2011 1:37:37 PM EST]
IHT Veteran Author Indiana Posts:283 Points:47,045 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 15, 2011 8:44:08 AM Ignore IHT Report Abuse wider is a little bit safer but your fuel consumption goes down for sure
StrangeLuv Champion Author Kansas City Posts:3,699 Points:903,850 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Apr 15, 2011 8:38:16 AM Ignore StrangeLuv Report Abuse More rolling resistance.
MIT05 Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:4,182 Points:1,394,250 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Apr 12, 2011 10:47:04 AM Ignore MIT05 Report Abuse yes
CruiserKY Champion Author Lexington Posts:3,005 Points:143,815 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Apr 11, 2011 9:30:11 AM Ignore CruiserKY Report Abuse Added rubber on the road adds friction which decreases MPG.
silverfox47 Rookie Author Ontario Posts:70 Points:3,845 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 9:06:06 PM Ignore silverfox47 Report Abuse no, wider tires puts more strain on the engine. physic 101
EconomiserAZ All-Star Author Tucson Posts:770 Points:146,515 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 5:04:08 PM Ignore EconomiserAZ Report Abuse One needs to avoid friction to reduce gas, but wider is safer.
GLM4205 Champion Author Toledo Posts:4,072 Points:803,220 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 5:01:32 PM Ignore GLM4205 Report Abuse Yes it does.
jorobins538 Champion Author Chicago Posts:4,732 Points:638,320 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 4:31:42 PM Ignore jorobins538 Report Abuse You have to find a balance point between fuel economy and traction (and, of course, machismo factor).
Wood_Dragon Rookie Author Vancouver Posts:48 Points:155,640 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 4:01:58 PM Ignore Wood_Dragon Report Abuse Seems to me that it is a trade off between safety, performance and economy. Sporty tires are wide and cost more to buy and operate (wear faster than touring tires). I like sportier tires for my style of driving. Also, I don't mind paying a bit more for the safety - better braking & steering from a bigger contact patch. YMMV. I used to ride a bicycle to work (for over 9 years even through rain & snow). If I rode on wider 2.25" tires, it took me just over 21 minutes to get to work (and I'd be covered in sweat). When I switched over to 1.25" tires, the pedaling effort was noticeably less and I got to work in 16 minutes (only partially covered in sweat). I had to pedal on flat areas with 2.25" tires whereas the same spots I could coast or accelerate even faster with the 1.25" tires. If it snowed and I was on 1.25" tires, I was prepared to have the tires slide out from under the bicycle several times on the way to work. Anyways, cars aren't bikes and vice versa, I agree. However, there is some extra effort needed for wider tires. Perhaps for a smaller engine (Corvette motor vs. Smart Car engine), a narrower tire width would provide a noticeable increase in fuel economy. The trade-off safety (wide) vs. economy (narrow).
Et_tu_Brute Rookie Author Vancouver Posts:24 Points:295,535 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 1:20:30 PM Ignore Et_tu_Brute Report Abuse wider sucks in the snow...
Sipusa All-Star Author Sacramento Posts:637 Points:124,555 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 11:36:17 AM Ignore Sipusa Report Abuse Basing it on the previous threads, I think that wider tires would use more gas.... but... it also think that the increase in consumption is negligible.
gdorwick Sophomore Author Illinois Posts:190 Points:32,920 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 11:24:23 AM Ignore gdorwick Report Abuse wider looks better.
dontuknowOH Champion Author Ohio Posts:2,100 Points:36,605 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2011 5:51:26 AM Ignore dontuknowOH Report Abuse My thinking here; Wider tires,will roll over soft surface better, such as gravel soggy grass,sand,soft topsoil,/offroad terrain,ETC. (less Fuel). They tend to skuff more on hard surface when turns are made(similiar to the way a skid loader on tires does on blacktop) although not that severe.(more fuel). Aerodamic drag at highway speed on hard surface is a bit more but probably minimal.(More fuel). Talking larger dia. plus wider tire use requires more torque at the power axles each time to start rotation because of the extra weight mass (more fuel),also final gearing can be considered an o-drive for the drivetrain/engine.(fuel -/+ ?) My opinions here... & Excluding traction pro&cons?