My new wheels may get better f/e

[Chalupa102]

I've stated before in a prior thread that i use to think that the wheels that i had were lighter, but actually they weren't. I figured they might be robbing my fuel economy because they were pretty wide (205/50/17) and because of the rim design. On an all highway trip to pick up the new wheels today, i averaged 43 MPG according to my SG2. I installed the new wheels, which are actually stock wheels that the car originally came with (195/65/15). On the trip back, i averaged 47 MPG, even with about 120 lbs of dead weight from the other wheels.

I know it's just one trip, so it's probably not all that accurate, but i'll keep u guys updated to see if there actually is a noticeable difference with these wheels.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Are there any differences in diameter?

[MetroMPG]

Circumference is almost the same - the narrower tires would show 64.8 mph where the old ones showed 65. So the computed distance travelled would actually be a tiny bit less. So going strictly on the math, the MPG would show less on the SG.

I know it's just one trip, so it's probably not all that accurate

You said it! It's tough to resist drawing conclusions from MPG readings that are going to vary normally anyway. Especially after doing a mod.