View Single Post
Old 05-18-2009, 09:33 PM   #38 (permalink)
brucepick
OCD Master EcoModder
 
brucepick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern CT, USA
Posts: 1,936

Outasight - '00 Honda Insight
Team Honda
Gen-1 Insights
90 day: 54.18 mpg (US)
Thanks: 431
Thanked 396 Times in 264 Posts
Aha.
Go to tirerack.com and look up the stock tire size for your '94 Del Sol VTEC.
Turns out it's 195/60-14.
You've got 185/65-14.

As it turns out, the 185/65/14's are nearly identical in circumference to the stock size, just a hair larger. And skinnier is good for mpg due to less squirming as it rolls. 185/65-14 is the standard size for most Civics so it's understandable that's the size you have.

Now go to my favorite tire size calculator, at
Tire Size Calculator
where you can compare the two sizes.

According to the calculator, when your speedometer says you're going 65, you're actually going 65.73 mph. That's because your slightly narrower (185) and slightly taller profile (65) net out to be just slightly larger in diameter and in circumference than the stock size. They don't put the overall diameter or circumference in the tire size. Dang.

So when you calculate mpg you can add the 1.011 percent increase. Give yourself credit where it's due. Not a big difference but if your mpg is 30 that would be corrected to about 30.337 mpg. And do remember that the cop's radar sees the real mph which will be nearly 1 more than what you read on your speedometer.
__________________
Coast long and prosper.
Driving '00 Honda Insight, acquired Feb 2016.


  Reply With Quote