Plus sizing and alloy wheels?

Question

Hello, I have a 1999 Honda Civic 5 door (MB series). I want to find out how much fuel economy would deteriorated if I fitted 16 inch alloy wheels in place of my Civic's standard 15 inch items.

Is the change worth it or should I just stick with the fifteens. I would just like a change, my Civic is getting boring to look at but I don't want to buy a new car.

Answer 1

Depends on the SIZE of wheel / tire combo, and the WEIGHT of the origional combo in comparison to the upgraded combo.

SIZE:
I am assuming you have 195/55/15 now so you would likely go to 205/50/16 or 205/45/16. The difference in diameter sightly affects the mileage by changing the gear ratio. You want to take your stock size and find the diamter of the tire and then get the new plus sized diameter to be a close as possible. Any reputable tire shop can do this.

with that said, now for WEIGHT:
More importantly that the diameter is the weight of the wheel and tire combo. If the new combo is heavier it will be tougher to accelerate (wasting gas) and tougher to break, ie stop the inetia of a heavier spinning wheel. Two important factors dealing with the performance of the car.

But don't take this as reasons not to upgrade. I suggest a best of both worlds. You can get many 16" wheels that are actually lighter than factory wheels. To give you an idea, most factory honda alloys that are 15" weigh 15-17lbs. A good upgrade is a 15" that weighs 12lbs (retaining your factory tires if they are still good) or a 16" weighing 14-15lbs with upgraded tires ( you will gain a better looking rim without destroying factory mileage) YOu may try to find weights of the tire too but it can be difficult without a scale; most companies selling tires don't know the weights.

Pros of 16"
Typically wider rim and tire than stock, different modified look, shorter tire profile = better stability

Cons of 16"
More expensive than stock, slightly rougher ride,

Pros of 15"
Really light wheels, reuse stock tires (possibly)

Cons of 15"
Smaller size may not chage vehicles appearance enough, no extra perfomance upgrades other than weight.

When shopping for rims that are light look for brand/models like: konig/helium, Rota/slipstream, Rota/circuit 8, anything rota is light, but not forged like the konig. Forged means stronger and less apt to get damaged by potholes.

Or look more expensive wheel brands like BBS, Volk, Moda, Weds sport, Work, Enkei etc. Most of these are forged and cost more.

BEST bang for buck 16" konig heliums $420-450 (a set of four)plus tires $75-100 each

These weigh about 15 lbs (i think) and come in bronze or black finish. Agreat upgrade for your honda

Sorry that was so long Hope it gives some insight

Answer 2

it shouldn't change too much really, it will depend on how much wider the alloys will be, because the more rubber is touching the ground the more energy your motor will use to set off and keep going. something else to keep an eye on is if the overall diameter is larger it can affect your speedo reading (not by too much but it depends on how much it's out to start with)

Answer 3

It would change alittle.. Not much raelly to be noticed. I would do it.