17" VS 16" Weight and MPG

[longlivekel]

Okay guys..
I have been sifting through all of these threads.
Unless there is a thread I skipped over that can help me out.

I am looking at getting the best MPG on 16"s or 17"s. (prefer 17s)
I have 17"s currently and want to swap them out cause they are ugly as hell. Not sure if I want 16s or 17s. Some people say their MPG drop with 17" wheels. A stock 15" steelie and tire on a yaris is around 33-34lbs. So I need to make a combo that has the same weight (or close) but in 17s. I have seen some 17"s weigh as little as 15lbs (pricey) and 205/40/17 tires weigh as little as 18lbs.
A 205/50/16 weights around as light as 19lbs and up to 23lbs or so. I have seen some 16" rims at around 14lbs to 16lbs.

What is everyone getting MPG with 16s and 17s? what wheel weight? what tire weight?

Thanks a bunch!

[ddongbap]

The way that a car is able to absorb bumps on the road also contribute to MPG. Someone with super stiff coilovers and stiff sidewall tires (this also happens with shorter sidewall tires) is going to take a hit with their MPG.

[detroiter]

Or you could go with 15" Konig Feather or Heliums. I believe they weight 11.1 lbs.

[longlivekel]

i will be putting on TRD Springs.
I am looking at the Feather 17"s
I don't wanna go with 15s.. Prefer 17s.. but wanna see the results of 17s and 16s.

[bzinn 1]

probably the lightest 17 is Enkie RPF1.

[yarrr]

Originally Posted by bzinn 1

probably the lightest 17 is Enkie RPF1.

cheapest + lightest maybe

volk, ssr, buddy club, racing hart, gram lights and others are lighter, and forged.

Another thing to consider is that even if you get close to or lighter than original weight, with 17s, the majority of the weight is farther out by 2 inches, which is increased rotational inertia. Same weight 15 and 17 wheel and tire combo, the 15 will get better MPG. Throw in the 205 tire, and your MPG are gone.

I also suggest against going cheap with rubber band tires. Nobody seems to have problems on 15s and 16s with cheap cast light wheels. 17s don't really like potholes...

[longlivekel]

That is what I am thinking.. Get the 195/50/16 and some lighter 16" rims.
Anyone wanna start posting their 16 pics?

[ddongbap]

Whoa. 196's. Epic

[longlivekel]

fixed

[TOUGEghost]

Originally Posted by yarrr

cheapest + lightest maybe

volk, ssr, buddy club, racing hart, gram lights and others are lighter, and forged.

Gram lights don't really belong in there; they're cast and heavy. Even for the others, it's still pretty hard to beat the RPF1's light weight.

Back on topic with some first hand experience, I get about 33 mpg on my 17" RPF1's (14.9 lbs, 205/40 tires). To get to work, I do a lot of driving on a steep, twisty mountain road; the kind of driving that has me changing tires every 3,000 miles or so. In addition to that, I use A/C pretty much everywhere I go and make a lot of short trips. 33 mpg in those conditions is pretty good to me.

I do have some 16" wheels on the way, we'll see what difference that makes.

[MPC Motorsports]

My 17" Enkei/Falken ZE-912 combo weighs in at about 39-40 lbs each. My driving style is "spirited" and my commute of 65 urban/35 highway yields 31-33mpg average. I can't complain.

[djct_watt]

Research something called Rotational Inertia. RI = M x (R^2).

Your MPG is not affected only by weight. In fact, the radius (or size of your wheel) has more effect on MPG than weight. All things equal (including weight and width), a smaller wheel will always outperform a bigger wheel in acceleration, deceleration, and efficiency. And if you are able to find a proper race tire with stiff sidewalls, even on the track. Take a look at any (RACE) car and not a street queen. Look at those massively beefy sidewalls. The rule of thumb is; get the smallest wheel that clears your brakes.

[djct_watt]

^ Oh yeah, btw, those effects come into play when accelerating and decelerating, the first example being when a car consumes fuel at the highest rate. Rotation Inertia has little effect when maintaining speed. So if you're talking about long distance cruising MPG it is not as critical. But if you're talking about performance or real world and stop and go driving, RI plays a vital role.

[bzinn 1]

Yep I get 31-32 average with my 17s,they are 18lb and the tires right around that as well.

Hard to get better than RPF short of going to Advan or Rays but the cost of them unless you find a lightly used set,which is easy to find,there are a few web sites that have them used.

[ddongbap]

Originally Posted by longlivekel

fixed

Jus joshin'.

[longlivekel]

gotta keep me in check. I type like sh.t most of the time. haha

So what is the lighest 16s under 150 dollars a rim?
Konig Feather are like 15.2 lbs..
I will go with 195.50.16 should help some too.

[advocate]

Price shouldn't be an option when you're considering wheels. If it is, just keep the crap wheels you have now because if you go cheap, you're just going to end up buying more crap.

Saving a lot of money and get the right wheel. Don't make the same mistake I did.

[longlivekel]

Ok.. So.. if i want to go to 16" wheels instead of 17".. From Eagle alloys to Konig Feather... just disregard the 16s and stick with the 17s and drive KC streets and dodge every pot hole? haha.
Are Konig that bad?