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Old 20th July 2008, 10:04   #1
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Will fitting wider tires result in loss of FE?Or is it...

Mods: I dont know whether this question has been raised before in this thread.

I heard many people say that if we fit wider/upsize our stock tires , the fuel efficiency will drop a little. But is that correct ? Or is the fact that the speedo error occuring when we upsize our tires results in wrong calculation of Fuel efficiency. Let us consider the following example :

I own a Getz Crdi . The stock size is 175/65R14 . If i shift to 195/60R14 , the speedo error is 1.11%. I fill the tank to the maximum .I drive for some 1000kms. Now due to the speedo error , the odo is showing the wrong reading. I acutally have travelled 1011.1 kms.Now if i had consumed 50 Ltr of diesel . Here goes the calculations
Based on Speedo : 1000 kms / 50 Ltr = 20kmpl
Based on Real World : 1011.1kms/50 Ltr = 20.22 kmpl

I have actually got 20.22kmpl , whereas the speedo calculation shows 20kmpl.

Now what is the real fact behind this ? Is the speedo error gives us wrong calculations ? Or is the upsizing ? Or its a combination of speedo error and upsizing ?
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Old 20th July 2008, 10:21   #2
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Ceteris paribus on construction and compound etc., if you replace a tire with one with larger contact patch, you'll lose some fuel efficiency. A wider tire will also increase aerodynamic drag, Mercedes are famous for quoting the always impressive CoD of their E-Class on the narrowest tires they offer.

Not to mention, that if the overall weight of new tire+wheel is more, that too will take a toll on your fuel efficiency.

Of course, it does not make sense to run with overinflated skinny tires and hard compounds if you are concerned about stability and safety. Thus in many cases, a small drop in FE is considered acceptable compared to benefits.

EDIT: Particularly for passenger cars owners where FE is more dependent on driving habits in cities. Commercial goods and taxi-tourist drivers / operators have to keep in mind costs and viability of their business too and such are more sensitive to concerns of fuel efficiency when selecting tires.

Last edited by SuperSyn : 20th July 2008 at 10:27.
 
Old 20th July 2008, 10:33   #3
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Continue with your discussion here.

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