Wider tires, smoothness of ride & MPG
09-07-2010, 01:19 AM
#21
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 734
You arent going to get 10mpg so don't say that. You may get like 20mpg or something, it just really depends.
I have 4.10 gears and 275 tires out back and 255 tires in front. My car is lowered and has a tune on it with CAI. I get around 22-24mpg depending on the weather and the road im on.
You aren't going to see a large loss in mpg really but you will probably see a small drop, you probably wont notice it. You can make up with it by taking turns at speed without slowing down :-D at least thats what I do.
Have fun with it and don't worry too much about mpg, these cars actually get fairly good gas mileage for what kind of power they put down.
I have 4.10 gears and 275 tires out back and 255 tires in front. My car is lowered and has a tune on it with CAI. I get around 22-24mpg depending on the weather and the road im on.
You aren't going to see a large loss in mpg really but you will probably see a small drop, you probably wont notice it. You can make up with it by taking turns at speed without slowing down :-D at least thats what I do.
Have fun with it and don't worry too much about mpg, these cars actually get fairly good gas mileage for what kind of power they put down.
09-07-2010, 07:06 AM
#22
6th Gear Member
...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.
As I implied earlier, even if you lose 1-2 MPG due to a tire change, you can make up some if not all of that by simply changing driving habits. I know what I need to do to get the 26-27 MPG (hand caclulated) that my Stang is capable of but do I want to drive 55 MPH on those frequent 412 mile or occasional 1200 mile one-way trips? Sh*t no.
I'm sure you can understand how many of us find it amusing when someone is adamant on spending $600 for a CAI & tune or some other mod more because they THINK they can save 1-2 MPG's than for the performance gain.
09-07-2010, 07:39 AM
#23
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 7,635
Norm
09-07-2010, 07:40 AM
#24
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Harrisburg PA
Posts: 1,778
When I switch from OEM 235/55/17 to 275/40/18 NT01s my mileage drops to 8MPG
. Burns about 5 gallons of high test every 30 minutes. Bone stock motor save for the CAI and tune.
But of course....this is on a road course with the pedal mashed to the floor on every straight.
. Burns about 5 gallons of high test every 30 minutes. Bone stock motor save for the CAI and tune.But of course....this is on a road course with the pedal mashed to the floor on every straight.
09-07-2010, 07:40 AM
#25
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Palm Beach to South Carolina
Posts: 1,567
...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.
A 255/45/18 and 235/50/18 have nearly the same diameter (27.1" and 27.3" respectively), thus basically the same sidewall height. It is only wider, therefore covering more road surface with the same sidewall height = better ride.
BTW, the 255/45/18 size is right in the middle of the wheel width range for an 8.5" wide wheel according to Tire Rack's specs.
09-07-2010, 07:45 AM
#26
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 7,635
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.
Norm
09-07-2010, 07:48 AM
#27
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Palm Beach to South Carolina
Posts: 1,567
I can't believe Tire Rack told you it would be dangerous to go wider than stock. They get a lot of plus sizing orders from their customers. Hell, even their website has alternative sizes for the factory 18" wheels that suggest 255/45/18s. Maybe you got a newbie that is fresh out of training.
If you pull up a tire you like and look at the specs page, you will see that a 255/45/18 is for wheel sizes 7.5" to 9.5" wide. So I think that it will fit a stock 8.5" wide wheel just fine (middle of the range). You should have no rubbing issues whatsoever.
09-07-2010, 07:59 AM
#28
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 7,635
Yes . . . and no. A wider tire won't fall into every hole that a narrow tire will. But in general if the profile is lower, the ride tends to be a little firmer. Keep in mind that not all (say) 255/45-18 tires will provide the same ride quality, as carcass construction differences do make for different NVH performance.
In most cases, not by enough to matter much. Tires that are specifically designed to minimize rolling resistance *might* gain you 4% or so compared to a "standard" road tire. A streetable competition tire might cost you about the same or possibly a little more. Everything in between is going to differ from each other by less than that, maybe 2%.
Norm
How about gas mileage? Do wider tires hurt gas mileage?
Norm
Last edited by Norm Peterson; 09-07-2010 at 08:02 AM.
09-21-2010, 07:56 AM
#29
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Palm Beach to South Carolina
Posts: 1,567
I got my four 255/45ZR18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires installed last Saturday. They fit my factory 8.5" wide bullets perfectly (no sidewall bulging). This is the size tire the car should have come with from the factory.
Impressions: The car does ride smoother, but that could be from the new tire with full treads. I have not experienced any trameling with these tire as some have said, so I am very pleased with my purchase. The 255s give the car a more aggressive stance with the wide tire look.
Impressions: The car does ride smoother, but that could be from the new tire with full treads. I have not experienced any trameling with these tire as some have said, so I am very pleased with my purchase. The 255s give the car a more aggressive stance with the wide tire look.
Last edited by jdmcbride; 09-21-2010 at 08:01 AM.
09-21-2010, 08:34 AM
#30
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,482
I got my four 255/45ZR18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires installed last Saturday. They fit my factory 8.5" wide bullets perfectly (no sidewall bulging). This is the size tire the car should have come with from the factory.
Impressions: The car does ride smoother, but that could be from the new tire with full treads. I have not experienced any trameling with these tire as some have said, so I am very pleased with my purchase. The 255s give the car a more aggressive stance with the wide tire look.
Impressions: The car does ride smoother, but that could be from the new tire with full treads. I have not experienced any trameling with these tire as some have said, so I am very pleased with my purchase. The 255s give the car a more aggressive stance with the wide tire look.