I am thinking of upgrading to a 16" or 17" alloy on my xA. I have heard that some have experienced MPG lose when upgrading. What are you seeing after changing wheels? Some of these wheels are lighter than the steelies so couldn't that be a good thing?? Thanks, b

 

get the lighter wheels, you can feel the heavier wheels when you drive...

 

I got some 16s with 205/50 R16's it is only a 1/4" bigger then the stock steelies with 185/60 R15's, and I haven't experienced much of a loss in MPG's. But I have a feeling the higher you go the more you are going to lose, but I don't think it would be but a couple mpg's.

Weight of the rims is a big factor, go as light as you can!

 

compensate weight with number or persons you carry in car !!

 

Heh, I am gonna go back to 15's or 16's after being on 18's for a while now. My MPG suck right now. There are other factors for this but I need to get back to smaller wheel.

Your ride will change dramatically ! Warning. From 15's to 17's but no too much from 15's to 16's but it also depends on the tires as well.

 

the ride definately changes, made my steering loose on 17s and kinda was afraid to ever go over 60, I never did see a difference with my gas miles neitheer.

 

just slap some stickers on there and you can account for the added wheel weight!

stickers add hp you know!

when i put my 18s on i didnt notice worse gas mileage, but going back to 17s for winter, the ride is alot smoother....got kinda rough roads round here...

 

there r several factors. wheel size is not so much the issue as the weight of the wheels. the more weight a wheel has the more "strain" it has on the drivetrain. tires r the biggest factor. a wider tire than factory will have more road contact creating more friction creating more "strain" on the engine. im running 17" chrome w/ 215/45-17 tires. the tires are oversized for this application but gives me more sidewall hence a smoother ride. with that being said, i cant tell that much of a mileage drop. better than 32 mpg.

 

Guess I need to look for REALLY light wheels

 

Man! I don't know why but I get really crappy mpg. I roll on 17" 215 45 myself and I just have a Intake and Engine pulley and my last tank got me like 250 miles. I do drive a lot on the streets. And I don't think I drive fast at all.. I'm pretty sure I stay within speed limits at all times. And no, I'm not driving everywhere in second gear. Anyone have any ideas?

 

i have an all time average since May when I got the xA of 34.3 mpg. That includes stop and go traffic every evening. I think my average will suffer a little this winter though because they put extra additives in the gas around here in the winter and I have noticed my last two tanks have drpped their average by 1-2 mpg with little change in driving situations. I have saved $900 in gas compared to my truck that I sold since May.

 

Once you go past 16 inch wheels the odometer will not read correctly anymore you will go more miles than the meter reads.

Running 18inch low profile tires when odometer reads 50MPH car is actually going 52MPH.

It's not as bad as it seems in some cases,do agree heavy rims will hurt MPG.

Matt

 

Yeah.. too bad really light + quality wheel will cost you $300-400 per wheel , even for a 15" sizing (15X7 or 15X6.5 recommended)!!!

 

Oversized for the application, definitly , but how do you figure "MORE SIDEWALL" when your running a 45 series tire ?? If you went w/ a 16" wheel, you'd have a 50 series tire- thats MORE then a 45 , and if you went with a 15" wheel, you'd be running either a 55 or 60 series tire(even MORE sidewall). The higher the side-wall/series (the middle number XXX/45/ XX") , the MORE comfortable the ride.

 

Same here!!!!
Never underestimate the power of saving gas $$

 

Out of those two choices, I'd def. recommend a quality 16X7 alloy( can be had for about $130-150 per wheel/ cast , not forged). If you heve even more money to spend per wheel , then look into Forged- lightest/strongest money can buy.

Also... look into a nice 15" wheel also. Each wheel+ tire in the end, will cost you less $, and on average it will be a lighter wheel then a 16" or 17".