Beware of serious MPG loss with larger tires

[rightmuch]

I finally had to replace the OEM tires on my hybrid Mav. After seeing the threads and pix of 255's I decided to buy a set of 255 diameter Mastercraft Courser Quest tires.. They looked great, rode great, but then during a 1500 mile trip I noticed my mileage was WAY off. I knew you'd lose some MPG's going with bigger tires, but I was losing 7+ MPG with these.

Thankfully, my tire dealer swapped them out at no charge for the OEM specs (225) and not only did my milage go back to normal, it increased with these better than OEM tires. A 7 MPG loss isn't worth the looks of a taller tire.

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[Bodageta]

That’s a great tire dealer. What brand 225’s did you install. Pics please.

 

[JBryant]

Sometimes bigger isn't always better. So much comes into play when things like that are done.

 

[BlueRaven]

255 is NOT diameter. 255 is your section width of tread in mm. please look up how tires are. a 225/65r17 is not the same as a 255/65r17 its taller and wider. your speedomter/odometer is off with a 225/65r17. all new cars read 2-3 lower than you are actually going. a 245/65r17 gets the speedometer almost on depending on which brand. as not all brands are identical in size. you might have noticed a whole whopping 1-2 mpg difference if actually calculating with a full to empty tank. you cant calculate off of partial tanks.

 

[Maverickman74]

I would venture to say the width was getting ya. The width really adds weight and rolling resistance. A 235/70r17 likely wouldnt have hurt mpg nearly as much also you have to get into the math when calculating a VS scenario. If you arent doing straight test runs, back to back, at top off. Then you will need to calculate distance traveled by tire circumference.

 

[Syntax Error]

I finally had to replace the OEM tires on my hybrid Mav. After seeing the threads and pix of 255's I decided to buy a set of 255 diameter Mastercraft Courser Quest tires.. They looked great, rode great, but then during a 1500 mile trip I noticed my mileage was WAY off. I knew you'd lose some MPG's going with bigger tires, but I was losing 7+ MPG with these.

Thankfully, my tire dealer swapped them out at no charge for the OEM specs (225) and not only did my milage go back to normal, it increased with these better than OEM tires. A 7 MPG loss isn't worth the looks of a taller tire.

How heavy are the new tires? The more weight you have per tire, the more rotational force you're needing to propel the tire, and effectively adding weight to your vehicle as a result. There's also the effect of rolling resistance that will also adversely affect your MPGs. Given that you were using 255s, I'm guessing the rolling resistance was quite high compared to the stock 225 Continentals.

 

[Redd]

Tire selection can be a balancing act or a trade-off.

I run 245/65R17 ATs. They're actually not that heavy for all terrains but I still contend with a slight hit to my mileage. Just something everyone needs to decide if they want to live with.

But my truck sees more than just normal roads and weather so it was worth it for me.

I'm presuming when you say 255s, you mean 255/65R17 or something in that ballpark. If so, that's a nice, meaty tire and I'm sure it looked good on there but I doubt your application needed anything that substantial, particularly being a hybrid that you're probably not taking anywhere crazy.

Tires like that would really only serve to look cool and rob your truck of one of its standout benefits.

Don't despair though. Plenty of great ways to make these trucks look awesome.

 

[Redd]

How heavy are the new tires? The more weight you have per tire, the more rotational force you're needing to propel the tire, and effectively adding weight to your vehicle as a result. There's also the effect of rolling resistance that will also adversely affect your MPGs. Given that you were using 255s, I'm guessing the rolling resistance was quite high compared to the stock 225 Continentals.

If they were 255/65R17s, I believe the Courser Plus clocks in at around 34lbs. If they were the Courser Trails, those are slightly heavier (vs the 26lbs or whatever the stock Continentals clock in at). On top of the ding he was already taking by simply running a larger tire, obviously.

 

[Edge Haley]

Several other Mav owners have had the same experience switching tires....One did a detail evaluation and discovered weight, tread pattern , and width were the killers in his lost of 7+- mpg on his Hybrid.

 

[Scupking]

That’s why when I get new tires they will be 235s. I think anything wider than that is to much for the hybrid.

 

[rightmuch]

That’s a great tire dealer. What brand 225’s did you install. Pics please.

Here you go.

 

[rightmuch]

Sometimes bigger isn't always better. So much comes into play when things like that are done.

For sure

 

[rightmuch]

How heavy are the new tires? The more weight you have per tire, the more rotational force you're needing to propel the tire, and effectively adding weight to your vehicle as a result. There's also the effect of rolling resistance that will also adversely affect your MPGs. Given that you were using 255s, I'm guessing the rolling resistance was quite high compared to the stock 225 Continentals.

Have no idea what the weight is, but it was enough to seriously affect the mileage.

 

[rightmuch]

Several other Mav owners have had the same experience switching tires....One did a detail evaluation and discovered weight, tread pattern , and width were the killers in his lost of 7+- mpg on his Hybrid.

It was the same width, but they were taller. That was enough to make the difference.

 

[rightmuch]

Tire selection can be a balancing act or a trade-off.

I run 245/65R17 ATs. They're actually not that heavy for all terrains but I still contend with a slight hit to my mileage. Just something everyone needs to decide if they want to live with.

But my truck sees more than just normal roads and weather so it was worth it for me.

I'm presuming when you say 255s, you mean 255/65R17 or something in that ballpark. If so, that's a nice, meaty tire and I'm sure it looked good on there but I doubt your application needed anything that substantial, particularly being a hybrid that you're probably not taking anywhere crazy.

Tires like that would really only serve to look cool and rob your truck of one of its standout benefits.

Don't despair though. Plenty of great ways to make these trucks look awesome.

Exactly!

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