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Wow, amazingly detailed responses. I want to thank you all for these great posts. I came to an eco site to learn about potentially inefficiency and I learned about performance tire width, go figure. But I back checked some of what was written here and it does seem to be true. Just widen the tires does not give you better grip. It does dissipate heat better. Which could allow for a softer compound, which then in turn could allow for better grip.
Frankly I don't track the car and while I may a time or two, this is a daily driver so I plan to keep it's road manors in tact.
Ultimately what I'm learning from this site and others is the subtle differences between the 245 and 265 if tire pressure and rubber compound are the same are not big. If I didn't notice a drop in MPGs(beside the expected cold air of winter hit to MPGs) because of switching to a studies snow tire, then I'm not likely to notice a difference between a 20mm wider tire.
I am going to purchase rims here once the weather starts to get cold. What I have learned is sumer tires are completely unsafe driving in even a dusting of snow. So my bi-annual tire swap is 100% necessary unless I switch to all season. However, having now driving in summer only and winter only tires, I like them. They act so differently from all season tires from a performance and confidence standpoint. Really boosting the dynamics of the car. The issue with two sets of tires is swapping them on the single rim set I currently have. I'm finding it hard to find a trust worthy tire guy. Damage to the tire and rim can all occur when swiping the tires so frequently. So I need to have a dedicated rim for my summer tires and another set for my winter tires.
That said I'm still a bit on the fence. But the posters here have given me a lot of information and different things to consider than I was originally concerned/inquiring about.
Also glad to see there are a few other performance car enthusiasts that also appreciate good gas mileage. I was jacked today when I was able to pull 38.8mpg on the WRX on the way into work. Its gauge numbers which are ~2mpg higher than calculator numbers. But still even at ~37mpg, still pretty darn good for a 270hp car with 245mm tires.
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