rim size

[phenoyz]

if u put 16 or 17 rims how much does it affect the gas mileage?
thx

[REM]

I'm wondering the same thing. I always thought that the rim size didn't influence gas mileage, while circumference and weight of the wheel did. Am I wrong here?

[thebarber]

depends on how much speeding up and slowing down you do...

if you do mostly highway, no difference at all

crandall has 17's w/ 215-40-17's and gets about 30miles(50km) less per tank than i get w/ 14's and 185-60-14's...and i do more in-city than he does

[Black Yaris]

all depends upon the weight.... my pink 17's were lighter than stock 15's

[smacky]

It also has to do with the width of the tire. Wider tires decrease your FE a bit.

[SilverGlow]

It's not just about weight. The bigger rims mean less torque. In othe words, LESS power at the driving wheels. City driving will suffer. Highway may not but I don't know for sure. The size of the rim, more then the weight, makes the most difference.

[tetzyamis]

It's not just about weight. The bigger rims mean less torque. In othe words, LESS power at the driving wheels. City driving will suffer. Highway may not but I don't know for sure. The size of the rim, more then the weight, makes the most difference.

Are you talking about the diameter of the tires? Or are you actually talking about the diameter of the rims?

[Split]

lots of miss-information in this thread. some people don't seem to understand the simple concept, that when you run bigger rims, you run lower aspect ratio tires. the diameter stays the same, torque stays the same.

wide tires = loss of fuel economy
1) more weight (loss of FE when accelerating)
2) more rolling resistance (loss of FE at speed)
3) more drag / wind resistance (loss of FE at speed)

larger wheels generally weigh more, but (for example) SSR Type-C's in 18" are with light tires are still lighter than the stock 15"s, and will probably achieve better fuel economy.
that said, your tires will be like rubber bands and your wheels will be dented in no time!