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Old 03-16-2009, 06:37 PM   #4 (permalink)
aerohead
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Couldn't

Quote:
Originally Posted by ATaylorRacing View Post
Couldn't a low rolling resistance tire that takes much higher air pressure cancel out the CD loss of a larger foot print? I am throwing that out there because the 13's on my 96 Geo 1.0 call for a max of 35 psi (I put in 39) while the 195/50/15 size that I want to put on in the distant future has a max reading of high 40s.
When I went from a 35 psi 165 70R-13 all-season steel radial,to a wider 175 60R-14 Michelin MXV4 Green-X 44-psi all-season radial,There was no loss in mpg,so I know,at least for the CRX,that the relationship worked.The ride improved,wet and dry traction improved remarkably,and tread is supposed to go 83,000 miles.From a safety aspect,I think it's a good way to go.And with fairings and strakes you can still probably compensate for the increase in frontal area.Net gain.
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