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Archive for November 17th, 2006
Tire Size vs Fuel Economy
Posted by BUTCH on November 17, 2006
I have read on these Q&A’s that a smaller tire would mean better fuel economy because it is less weight. When it comes to highway travel, wouldn’t a bigger tire, which means more circumference, mean faster speeds with the same amount of power provided by the engine minus the extra wind friction and rolling resistance? On the other side of things, acceleration at low speeds would be slower since the ratio from power to the tires are larger.
Anything question regarding any particualar vehicle component and its affect on fuel economy must begin with the words "all other things being equal". A "smaller" tire should be lighter and have less diameter so, if the gearing were adjusted to compensate for the RPM difference, the vehicle should get better fuel economy. Conversely, if you put a "bigger" tire on (more weight, larger diameter) and did not change the gearing, the engine would turn fewer RPMs at the same speed and the net result in fuel economy may or may not be affected.