I got my new rims on about 2-3 weeks ago and i decided to do a millege test just to see if lighter wheels really do help your mpg. and sh*t it does. I was getting around 27-28 highway with the stockers and I/H/E. With my new 15x6.5" +38, 12.6lb rims, i am getting roughly 32 highway now. sh*t, i was looking maybe 1-2 mpg more, but hot damn this is awesome. i suggest everyone ditch the massive hevy rims and get the lightweight smalle ones, you wont regret it.

 

uhm...are your new tires the exact same size as the stockers? if they aren't, then you are getting a misreading from your odometer, which would throw off your calculations.

 

yep, i was using 195/60/15 on the stockers and am using the same size now. on the xB those tires actually make the speedo more accurate because from the factory the xB speedo is a tad off.

 

speedo does not equal odo, but alright, that is great news, gas is expensive. it costs the same to fill up my tc as it used to cost me to fill my old explorer. filling the tc's 14.5 gallon tank versus my explorers 21 gallon tank...both just over 30 dollars...sigh...

 

^^yeah i know, i was just tryng to state that i have been running the same size tires, so the calculations would be accurate for the size.

 

Sweet! I wish I had the dough to drop on some new lighter rims, one of these days though.

 

Highway miles shouldn't change as much as city? By stock, you mean the steelies? They're not *that* heavy. Many 15" alloys weigh about the same or more.

 

well it's all highway pretty much, i live in the mountains where i have to drive quite a ways to get anywhere. And they not be that heavy, but my calculation methods havent changed, so something in the wheel and millege department did

 

They make 17" wheels that are 11lbs ya know :D

 

Also the stock tire size for xB is 185/60/15 not 195/60/15 so your calc is off

Because of the higher tire you have your car going not as far as it says you are on yer Odometer so your not gettin the mileage you think you are.

 

He's ACTUALLY getting about 6% better than what he thinks because the tire goes farther with each revolution than the odometer thinks it does.

Figure it out - do the math.

(But in any case, it doesn't matter because he had the same size tire on BOTH the heavy and light wheels, so it's a direct comparison, even if the actual MPG is better than that in both cases.)

Tom

 

congratulations on your mileage improvement....it's always nice to save some $$$ at the pump...

 

My Jeep Cherokee with 5" lift and 32s got 12MPG, my XB gets 32mpg.

I tend to drive my XB a lot more than my Jeep. Rims are in the future, this is good info.

 

This is good to know... I am always looking to get the best mpg but I dont know how having super light weight rims - which are generally "weaker" than the steel ones - will hold up here in nyc with these gi-normous potholes....

I have stock steelies on my box and i've hit some potholes so hard that i swore it would have flattened my tire/dented the steelies... but didnt.... I think, however, that if i had the same setup you do now (stock size steelies, stock thickness/wall tires) that i would hit a pothole here in nyc and they would warp/get really really dented up - possibly causing a flat =-(((((((((((((((

i duno... maybe i worry too much... l0l... but for now i think imma be stickin' with the stock steelies fo life!
- sh00k

ps - i was considering getting these but dont think i will for the above mentioned reason(s)

 

i have sportmax 003's forged weigh about 10-11#'s each and get better mileage too loven the forged goodness