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Old 02-10-2012, 10:57 AM   #80 (permalink)
ProDarwin
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Oakton, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by racerc2000 View Post
is taller always better? I was thinking shorter would infact be better with my setup if I wanted less sidewall which I dont. the 5 spd auto is over geared as it is. its under 2k rpm @60 and cant go on more then a 3% grade before downshifting. a taller tire would make this worse?
In town, sometimes yes, it is possible that reducing tire diameter will help. I've simulated running my car through the UDDS and HWFET and found that with some trans options a shorter than stock tire will return better results on the UDDS than the stock tires will.

over 1/2 of my commute is ~35mph. At 35mph, my car will go down to 3rd with even the slightest load. Reducing the tire size mitigates this.

Conversely, swapping to a manual trans that is geared longer overall would allow me to get respectable mileage around town in 4th and have good economy in 5th on the highway.

If I ever do the high mileage build I want to do, it will involve the longest geared SOHC transmission, and 23" tires to drop the car by .5", and springs to go down as far as I can total. My rpm in OD would still be approx 10% lower than now.
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