how about these 'caps for wind resistance... old school 'moon eyes'

The thought actually crossed my mind for that idea before. I just would hate "mounting" those. You'd have to go with the old school type, screw on.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

I think the claims of wheel weight by manufacturers are interesting. Someone else previously posted a 30 pound Acura wheel (I think). Given most 185/70 or 196/60 (that I've looked at) are at least 18 lbs, that's a 12 lb wheel.

Now, wheels that light clearly exist, but do some searching on line for lightweight wheels. There are only a VERY small group of manufacturers that make 8-9 lb wheels (15"), and they are all ~$300/wheel. Go up to 10-11 lbs, and there are still only one or two more choices, and they are all $175-$250/wheel.

I'm not in a position to dispute any claims for sure. I find it curious that a stock OEM wheel on any (non-exotic) car would be a $250-$300 ultra-light weight racing wheel. I suppose it could be. I could have a VERY bad weight for the OEM wheel on the hybrid too. That 15 lb figure I found was on a very obscure site.

Anyway, I've almost researched this to the point that I'm not enjoying it any more. I want the new wheels for a better look, and I'm convinced it won't damage the FE. If I get better FE, great. After a tank or two, I'll report back with some real world data.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

Somebody, please stop me from answering. Sigh, too late.

Quote:
"You get a car for its high mileage, then want to customize it in ways that mess up the mileage?? FCOL, if it ain't broke don't fix it! Everything on the HCH is there for a reason. If you consider those Civic EX tires so all-fired attractive, then buy a Civic EX!"

So then, if somebody wants to modify their hybrid in a manner that results in a loss of fuel economy, then they should not by a hybrid.

If our goal is to maintain the hybrid community size at it's current nearly insignificant levels, then I agree. If however our goal is to have a real impact on the environment and on our dependence on foreign oil, then I could not disagree more.

Quote:
"Besides, do you really think anyone else gives a **** about your tires?"

Hmmm. Another good method of chasing away potential hybrid owners.

I hope the original poster hasn't already thrown up his hands and written off hybrids as a result of getting hammered for even considering putting different rims and tires on an HCH.

I missed where the op said they got the car for the mileage. I could of sworn there was a thread out there that asked why people bought their hybrids. A tiny percentage got theirs because of carpool lane access, another tiny percentage was because of the emmisions. Maybe the op got it for those reasons.

And tanstaafl14, some people do care about their wheels and tires. Any true "carguy" will tell you that's what makes a car. (translation, it's what makes a car look good) Please go to a car show and scream that qoute at the top of your lungs. ("Do you really think anyone else gives a **** about your tires?")

Lansing, You heard the + & -'s of aftermarket or EX wheels/tire combos. Good luck with what you decide to do. Do what is right for YOU. If you do decide to go with another setup, keep your old wheels/tires in case you find out you're taking a higher hit on mpg's than you want.

Good Luck

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

"Good luck with what you decide to do. Do what is right for YOU. If you do decide to go with another setup, keep your old wheels/tires in case you find out you're taking a higher hit on mpg's than you want."

Hear, hear. This is excellent advice.

I'll second that. I think there was some (hopefully) helpful discussion so you can make a more informed decision. Anyone ought to mod the car however they want - when a lot of money is on the table, more information is better. If you want to strap 20lb chrome wheels on your hybrid because that floats your boat, go for it. There are many good reasons for owning a hybrid besides mileage. Good Luck!

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

Sorry, I have no clue what you're refering to. Maybe you can enlighten me.

Let's look at two scenarios. One has a 40 pound child in the back seat of the car. The other has 10 pound weights on each of the wheel assemblies. The weights don't rotate with the wheels. They could be, for example, added weight in the brake mechanism.

How would one scenario differ from the other with respect to gas mileage? I'm not asking for an exact calculation. I'm asking what physical principle is involved that would make one scenario more fuel efficient than the other.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, if so I'm sorry.

If it takes more energy to get a heavier tire up to speed that means it has more kinetic energy at that speed.

Hence wouldn't it give back more energy to the IMA battery when slowing down?

I'm not saying it is a wash since no mechanism is 100% efficient, but I think should be considered.

Yes, you don't lose as much energy when you use the kinetic energy to recharge your batteries. It's the same as with the total weight of the car. A heavier car could regenerate more energy when decelerating. Nontheless, the way to improve FE is to reduce the weight of the vehicle, not increase it.

Hybrid != perpetuum mobile.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX