Is heavier tires not fuel efficient?

[elmadi]

I am just wondering if heavier tires like run-flat are not fuel efficient.

[LuckyRVA]

Heavier is always less fuel efficient than lighter. How much less efficient, I couldn't tell you.

[elmadi]

Quote:

Originally posted by LuckyRVA
Heavier is always less fuel efficient than lighter. How much less efficient, I couldn't tell you.

I guess you are right. Also not to mention rapid aceleration & sudden braking.

[cooper4us]

That's in the MINI is better to stick to the lightest wheel/tire combo possible and in the case of the regular Cooper, the 15" tires/rims offer the best combination of weight, handling, braking, ride quality and economy.

[HarryHBMCC]

This is not a hard and fast rule. Gas mileage _is_ determined by wheel/tire mass to some extent but more by rolling resistance which is determined by the contact patch and tire characteristics such as tire size and pressure, tread design, rubber compound, etc.

Harry

[Apial]

Wider tyres=more fuel needed. The 15" is available in 175 width. These use less fuel than 195mm or 215mm that come with 16" and 17" wheels.

[Wynn]

Making your wheels heavier will not give you a measureable decrease in mileage. It takes more work to start them turning, but once turning, they are not less efficient because of having a greater mass.

Concerns about fuel economy should not deter your selection of wheels based on their weight. But, everyone is right to point out that if the wheels are not merely heavier or greater in diameter, but WIDER, then they'll drag more friction and reduce mileage somewhat.

There's been a tremendously detailed, scientifically accurate thread documenting the influence of different wheels upon accelleration, elsewhere in the forums. A very large difference in the weight of wheels could make enough difference in accelleration for a racer to notice under controlled conditions. But the bottom line for virtually all drivers using a car on the street is that the differences in ride quality and aesthetics are probably much more noticible and important than differences in accelleration, or certainly in fuel economy. That's just not something to worry about.