Wider tires, smoothness of ride & MPG
09-06-2010, 10:50 AM
#11
Wider tires will lower MPG but not by much unless you get silly with the size. Wider tires in front can also affect driveability, it will hunt on the highway and over ruts and bumps in the road, you can minimize that effect by setting the toe in 0.1 for every step wider over stock
09-06-2010, 05:01 PM
#12
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Lewisetta, Virginia
Posts: 788
Wider tires with the same sidewall height (ex. 255/45/18 vs 235/50/18) will ride smoother as there is more tire covering the road and smoothing out road imperfections. MPG could be reduced by additional weight and the increased rolling resistance. I will let you know when I replace my 235/50/18s with 255/45/18s this month. 
09-06-2010, 06:10 PM
#13
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 391
Comments like this tend to annoy me. YES, we all drive mustangs but that doesn't mean I want to get 10mpg. I like having 300+ miles on a tank and filling up once every 2 weeks if I'm lucky. Who wants to fill up, drive half way down the road and already be looking for the nearest gas station?
I've made several long trips (360mi one way) on my stock tires, and I will be taking this trip on my new tires which are wider and taller. I will give feedback (but not for several months as I'm still deployed) On stock tires I can make it 360mi, all highway on one tank with some left over. On ONE occassion, I managed 425 miles. I not only reached my destination but had a 1/4 tank left. Was pretty stoked about that but it only happened once, I don't know why and it might have had something to do with a fresh K&N Filter Recharge.
I've made several long trips (360mi one way) on my stock tires, and I will be taking this trip on my new tires which are wider and taller. I will give feedback (but not for several months as I'm still deployed) On stock tires I can make it 360mi, all highway on one tank with some left over. On ONE occassion, I managed 425 miles. I not only reached my destination but had a 1/4 tank left. Was pretty stoked about that but it only happened once, I don't know why and it might have had something to do with a fresh K&N Filter Recharge.
I run 295/45/18 out back and 255/45/18 in the front.
Bigger tires will have a slight affect on gas mileage but not enough to worry about.
09-06-2010, 06:10 PM
#14
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 117
ALL major chain tire stores say that. They don't like to install larger than factory spec tires on vehicles. Not saying they won't, but they don't like to do it.
09-06-2010, 06:59 PM
#15
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PR
Posts: 329
I went from 235/50/18's to 255/45/18's on the factory bullits. Looks so much better. No difference in millage whatsoever.
The ride became plushier but i think that is due to the fact that these Nexen tires are marshmallows and have soft sidewalls. Not good for hard cornering.
The ride became plushier but i think that is due to the fact that these Nexen tires are marshmallows and have soft sidewalls. Not good for hard cornering.
09-06-2010, 07:20 PM
#16
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 243
Nuke ftmfw.....its true, its stupid when ppl complain about 1/2 a mpg and say they dont have the money to be filling up so often but they have the money to buy like $500 tires or like $1250 for headers plus install etc...u want good gas mileage than keep everything stock.
09-06-2010, 07:49 PM
#17
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 962
I run 275/35/19's up front. Mileage did not change that I have ever noticed. Handling is much improved. No tramlining on the roads I travel except in torn up construction zones. I have very short sidewalls with my 19's so the ride is not smoother, though not horrible.
09-06-2010, 08:22 PM
#18
I agree that if anything, your milage might take a small hit...but you are not gonna tell me that wider tires will provide a "smoother" ride. Most cases when you go with a wider tire, you are decreasing the profile of the tire (55 series to a 45). Theres no way a 45 series tire is going to be smoother than a 55...its less sidewall height, which = harsher ride. Of course the benefit is more rubber to the road which will provide better grip off the line and a more ridgid feel in handling.
Sweet ride pennywise...nice stance!
and a more ridgid feel in handling.Sweet ride pennywise...nice stance!
Last edited by mayo; 09-06-2010 at 08:24 PM.
09-06-2010, 08:40 PM
#19
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: over yonder
Posts: 1,185
lol thats for sure. I have alot of rutted roads here and when I hit 'em I gotta be ready to fight the wheel lol.
09-07-2010, 01:07 AM
#20
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 2,398
Hah, Nuke it wasn't even my question. All I'm saying is it's stupid that people say. "It's a mustang, who cares about (fill in blank)" It's annoying as hell. I spend only the best on the pony. Money is not an issue.
With that being said, this is still today's technology where 10 mpg is considered to be really really bad. There are people who have superchargers on their mustangs and getting 26mpg. For people who DD, or do long commutes, or anything in their mustang we like to actually get point b and not have to worry about stopping 10 times on the way to get gas.
Gas mileage matters in today's world, incase you haven't figured that out yet, and it matters to people who even drive Mustang's... surprise! So lets stop with the "It's a mustang, who cares." You're right, it is a Mustang... and not some $300k supercar that gets 12mpg.
With that being said, this is still today's technology where 10 mpg is considered to be really really bad. There are people who have superchargers on their mustangs and getting 26mpg. For people who DD, or do long commutes, or anything in their mustang we like to actually get point b and not have to worry about stopping 10 times on the way to get gas.
Gas mileage matters in today's world, incase you haven't figured that out yet, and it matters to people who even drive Mustang's... surprise! So lets stop with the "It's a mustang, who cares." You're right, it is a Mustang... and not some $300k supercar that gets 12mpg.