FE hit from 32" tires?
 

so im gonna throw some 32" tires on my frontier, up from the 29.5"-30" ones i have on there right now. What kind of mileage hit should i expect? they are A/T tires with about 500 miles on them

oh and also, any adverse effects on steering, or will i have to get my speedo recalibrated, anything like that

As an offroader... I understand the desire for bigger tires. But, you don't always need to take a MPG hit just because of the larger tire.

I wonder what your current tire width is, compared to how wide the 32s are. You MIGHT get a small improvement from the taller tire, but if it is much wider you won't get any effect. As for speedo changes. You might watch and keep your speedo just under what the speed limit is, because the taller tire will have you going faster than the shorter tires. Will you get any benefit? Hard to tell, I don't know how you drive now. Watch your tire pressures. You might also notice a slight hit to performace too, since you will be making the effective gear ratio taller (good for highway,not so good for offroading)

I went from a 30" tire to a 31" tire on my Jeep. I also kept working with tire pressures to find something that worked for mileage but didn't make for a buckboard ride. I'd have to go check my notepad, but I think I settled at 36 rear and 33 front. BUT, I am noticing wear down the middle of the tires. I'm at about 3" over stock, and on 31" tires and can go almost everywhere I need to go. So my Grand Cherokee does fine. If I need more height or bigger tires, I'll go with my 90 Ranger and its 4 cylinder. Its on 31s but at 6" of lift, 33s will "look" better... And, on the 31s it was getting 28MPG consistently.

As mentioned here a bazillion times, the single biggest increase in mileage is adjusting the nut behind the wheel.

so...they won't necessarily have any negative effects on FE? because they're the same width as my stock tires.

Taller tires make for longer gear, so it might be a wash. But it also depends on the comparative tread characteristics (ie rolling resistance)

And as mentioned, because it will seem like you put in taller gears, you might feel like it takes longer to get up to speed, so don't floor it to make up the difference. Lots of variables.

but lower RPMS at cruising speeds?

younggun -

Here is my thread on the same type of upgrade :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ires-2642.html

I used tire size change calculators on the Internet to predict what would happen. Also, tirerack.com shows the "revs per mile", which is another predictor of how much you will lower your RPM. Then I used a GPS to verify the error in my odometer. I didn't bother to recalibrate my odometer or speedometer. I already have a Scangauge, so I can apply the correction there and see my "real" MPH in real time if I want. I just apply the correction to my fuel log, so it's like a mini-bonus.

And yes, as others have stated, the tire tread is important.

CarloSW2

thanks a bunch. Looks like i'm going to buy them. 25$ each for good tires that i want with about 500 miles on them is hard to turn down

$25 each? Cool beans... REALLY hard to pass up a good deal like that. Good luck and let us know how they work out...

In the past 2 years, I've snagged a set of 30" tires on wheels for $80, wore them out. In a couple days, I'm picking up some 33s with about half tread left for my Ranger for (sorry) $20 , plus a 32 for a spare. And the 31s on the Ranger will go to my Jeep... With as many vehicles as I have, its ECOnomical to do this when I can...

yeah the guy got them for his 4wd f-150, blew the engine, put them on his 2wd f-150 and doesnt like the ride. they're 148 each new, 500 miles on them and 100$ for all four.

and good grabs on those 33s:thumbup: . and how do you manage to have so many vehicles...(read: afford)

HA! Afford? Let me see. I'm still making payments only on my F150 Supercrew (when we moved from Cali to Utah, and changed banks, we refinanced for lower payments and spread them out a bit more. Almost paid off at 100,000 miles, YEESH!!!), then there is my Neon I bought new, paid off two years ago, my son drives it most of the time while at college. Both have only needed fluids, tires and basic maintenance. And both have full coverage.

The Ranger (ongoing project now), was originally bought 5 years ago for my son in high school for $800, over the last year and a half it has been rehabbed for more trail riding. I think we've spent about $800 more on it since we bought it. I took it off the road 2 years ago because of some big safety issues that came up due to age... Should be back on the road by the end of next month... Long story I can PM you later if you are interested... No insurance on it right now.

My 95 Grand Cherokee I bought when we moved to Utah, I have to drive a mountain pass that gets snowed in sometimes. Because I'm cheap and patient, I gathered mostly free stuff for the lift I put on it a few months ago. Pleased with where it can go, but also pleased I didn't lose as much mileage as I expected. Liability only.

My daughter needed a car. As I refuse to go into debt for kids cars, I found a fixer upper 1990 Jeep Cherokee. Mostly a base model, but it had functioning 4x4, and the automatic and the drivetrain worked. It was a bit ugly, but it wasn't bad, and for $700, if my daughter wrecked it, I wouldn't have been out much... Spent about $200 of HER money to get it to pass safety and she drove it happily. Since she didn't wreck it, last summer we painted it. John Deere Yellow. Same week we painted the Ranger in Olive Drab camo paint. I said I was cheap right? Less than $100 in paint and materials, and beer and BBQ for my friends that helped out. To paint BOTH trucks... Again, liability only.

Because of my son moving on in life, and turning 21 and getting married this summer, I bought a 94 Explorer for $350. It was great except for, a dead transmission. Well, I have about $20 more than the purchase price into parts for the rebuild. Never done it before. But, its almost all back together as I sit here this evening. My son will be home next weekend to help me throw it back in the truck. Tires for this are in my shed right now. They were for a project I was hoping to get, but it just didn't happen (1968 Scout, darnit). We'll work out the insurance details over the next few months. but I'll cover it with liability right now.

Last fall I got a 87 cherokee for free (missing some parts), the previous owner needed it gone NOW!!! Dragged it home because I needed some stuff from it for my daughter's Cherokee (and the engine can be used in my Jeep if it dies, but I can't decide yet to rebuild it for FE or just clean it and be done.). The front axle is going under the Ranger, other parts were traded with friends. We cut the roof off, then cut the thing in half. One of my jeep buddies is converting that into a trail trailer for his budding expedition business. And the rest of the truck went to a steel recycler, not the junkyard. Recycling...

My 70s Starcraft tent trailer I bought for $80. I need to rehab it, but will keep its 70s style. I will be replacing its wheel bearings and putting new tires under it. My wife wanted a larger trailer. I wanted something smaller I could pull with my Jeep. Pulling this thing behind my truck, I'm not sure it would notice it.

I'm always on the lookout for cheap projects. On any given day through Craig's List, or local want ads, I can find scads of cheap vehicle projects for $500 and less. All depends on how much you are willing to put into a project. And, how much you are willing to learn to fix. And having an understanding wife helps too... Only took me better than 24 years to get mine on board. This summer is 26th anniversary...

You asked, I answered, a bit long winded. Sorry for the hijack... Basically, I'm trying to enjoy my hobbies in an economical manner. And I'm pleased that my kids enjoy saving fuel (and their money) as much as I do. By saving where I can, I don't feel guilty enjoying my offroad excursions. Now if I could just ecomod my wife's thinking about lighting in the house....

Make sure you figure out the speedo--both the speed and mileage difference. When posting my mileage result here, I make sure to add 4.5% to the "miles travelled" in my logs, as that's how much the 32's add to my Ranger.