IF I Replace My OEM Tires--195/55R16 With 205/55R16 Size Tires--how Will This Affect The Mpg? Does A Slightly "Higher" Tire Get Better Mpg? Does A Tire That Weighs 18lbs Get Better Mpg Than A Tire That Weighs 25lbs.? (same Size)

Question

IF I Replace My OEM Tires--195/55R16 With 205/55R16 Size Tires--how Will This Affect The Mpg? Does A Slightly "Higher" Tire Get Better Mpg? Does A Tire That Weighs 18lbs Get Better Mpg Than A Tire That Weighs 25lbs.? (same Size)

2 Answers

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Answer 1

You need to understand what the numbers on the tire mean. 195 is the width of your tire in millimeters, 55 is the aspect ratio of the sidewall in comparison to it's width(55 percent of the width of the tire is the height of the tire)R is radial and 16 is the diameter of your wheel. If you opt for the 205-55 R16 tire ,you are simply increasing the width of the tire and it's footprint on the pavement. You will not likely see any milage decrease from this change, but you will probably have better grip on the highway ramps due to additional traction that the extra rubber will give. A slightly taller tire will give a marginal improvement in milage, but it may adversely effect handling of your car due to slight changes of your car's center of gravity or clearance on fender openings and suspension components. Best to up the width, and leave the height alone.

Answer 2

Hi; If you go to www.1010tires.com you can punch in comparative tire sizes to check the differences in tire width and diameters. It even gives speedometer variances. You can decide from the results that you get with different sizes but the warning is to not go beyond 3% larger due to possible braking problems and perhaps wheel well interference as well.
Hope this helps.

Jim k