[Bror Jace]

I too am biased towards taller tires creating a longer (lower number) final drive ratio.

However, Big Dave, you are assuming that if you go up in tire size, you go up in mass. That isn't always true ... or at least not significant. Often, if you go "negative 1" (the opposite of "plus 1" sizing), like what blackjackal is proposing, you are going with a smaller diameter rim ... which is usually lighter.