new rims and tires - 2005 HCH - observations
#11
02-20-2006, 04:15 PM
Re: new rims and tires - 2005 HCH - observations
Tim, I like your 15's, they look really nice! I think you made a wise choice. Personally I'm thinking that maybe I should have opted for the 16's! And the jury is still out regarding my mileage, and how much effect it will have. I just wanted to get off an early report, because there has been a bit of chatter regarding rims.
Regarding collective MPG, I was really referring to "collective" as in "everybody on the planet." Or at least, those here in the west (US, Canada, UK, etc.) who are the main consumers of gasoline. The idea is, should I attempt to maximize my own personal MPG by doing things that possibly annoy other drivers, and cause them to decide against ever owning a hybrid? Or do I sacrifice my own personal MPG by a small amount, in order to avoid giving hybrids a bad name? It is potentially a volatile topic, as you can imagine, with people on both sides maybe having an opinion or two.
I will start a thread here (probably in the General category) soon, when my flame-suit arrives. :-) I sure hope nobody else is reading this thread, I may have let the proverbial cat out of the bag...
Regarding collective MPG, I was really referring to "collective" as in "everybody on the planet." Or at least, those here in the west (US, Canada, UK, etc.) who are the main consumers of gasoline. The idea is, should I attempt to maximize my own personal MPG by doing things that possibly annoy other drivers, and cause them to decide against ever owning a hybrid? Or do I sacrifice my own personal MPG by a small amount, in order to avoid giving hybrids a bad name? It is potentially a volatile topic, as you can imagine, with people on both sides maybe having an opinion or two.
I will start a thread here (probably in the General category) soon, when my flame-suit arrives. :-) I sure hope nobody else is reading this thread, I may have let the proverbial cat out of the bag...
#12
02-20-2006, 05:28 PM
Re: new rims and tires - 2005 HCH - observations
Chuck - Thanks for being the guinea pig. I have a set of 17s (not really lightweight) from my old Accord that would fit the HCH, but I've been hesitant to put them on because of the MPG hit. After reading about your experience, it doesn't sound as bad as I would have expected. What are the specs of the tire you are using? And did you even consider a pricier LRR 17 inch tire?
#13
02-20-2006, 06:13 PM
Re: new rims and tires - 2005 HCH - observations
Eskrimast1 - The tires I purchased are Hankook Ventus HRII H405 (that's a mouthful -- I had to look it up because I couldn't remember). These are considered "high performance value" tires, which means they are on the low end of "performance" and "price". I guess the real performance tires are called "ultra high performance." Sort of like how, for a while, you could not get a "small" order of fries -- only "large", "extra large", and "supersize."
The size I got was 215/40R17. I would have gotten 205/45R17, but that size was not available. I would probably recommend the 205/45 or 205/50 size, just because the tread width is a bit slimmer, which should result in less rolling resistance. With my mellow driving style, I don't need that width -- I was just trying to keep the tire diameter as close to the OEM tires as possible.
I didn't get an LRR tire simply because of price-sensitivity on my part. At $55 each (must have been a special, they are more than that now), they fit my budget, and I was willing to give them a shot. Also, the choices of LRR tires for a 17 inch rim are few and far between. Both the Continental 17" and Yokohama AVS ES100 (which claim to be LRR) were well over $100 when I checked.
If you have the money to spend, I would go with the LRR tires. In the Greenseal report, the Continental 205-width tire was second only to the Bridgestone B381, and better than all six of the other 185-width tires!
The size I got was 215/40R17. I would have gotten 205/45R17, but that size was not available. I would probably recommend the 205/45 or 205/50 size, just because the tread width is a bit slimmer, which should result in less rolling resistance. With my mellow driving style, I don't need that width -- I was just trying to keep the tire diameter as close to the OEM tires as possible.
I didn't get an LRR tire simply because of price-sensitivity on my part. At $55 each (must have been a special, they are more than that now), they fit my budget, and I was willing to give them a shot. Also, the choices of LRR tires for a 17 inch rim are few and far between. Both the Continental 17" and Yokohama AVS ES100 (which claim to be LRR) were well over $100 when I checked.
If you have the money to spend, I would go with the LRR tires. In the Greenseal report, the Continental 205-width tire was second only to the Bridgestone B381, and better than all six of the other 185-width tires!
#14
12-10-2011, 11:07 AM
Re: new rims and tires - 2005 HCH - observations
Coyote,
Your car looks great! I like the combo of tires with the tinted glass - looks very cool.
I used a different brand - Kosei 15" and they were very light (~10 lbs) for my replacement. I think you and I may have a very interesting comparison to make over time. I went lightweight with LRR tires - would be very curious compare our two experiences.
When I was going through my upgrade, an number of forum members pointed out that my spoked wheels will likely cause more drag than my OEM wheels. I was skeptical, but after about 3K miles on the new setup, I'm wondering if it has merit. Your observation of slightly lower FE and higher speeds seems to agree with that assertion. I'm getting lower than typical FE for winter - down maybe 1-2 MPG from the prevous 3 winters. My commute is mostly 40-50 MPH, with maybe 30% of it at 60 MPH. I'm having a hard time concluding anything because of the cold. I'm anxious for summer to arrive, because in some warm, dry conditions I'll be able to get an accurate picture. I expect to post again with some data in August - would be interesting to compare with your results as well.
In all I'm happy with the look so if it costs 1-2 MPG so be it. I was hoping that the lightweight wheels would improve things (I dropped ~3 lbs per wheel). Would be interesting if the weight and the wind resistance was a push...
Your car looks great! I like the combo of tires with the tinted glass - looks very cool.
I used a different brand - Kosei 15" and they were very light (~10 lbs) for my replacement. I think you and I may have a very interesting comparison to make over time. I went lightweight with LRR tires - would be very curious compare our two experiences.
When I was going through my upgrade, an number of forum members pointed out that my spoked wheels will likely cause more drag than my OEM wheels. I was skeptical, but after about 3K miles on the new setup, I'm wondering if it has merit. Your observation of slightly lower FE and higher speeds seems to agree with that assertion. I'm getting lower than typical FE for winter - down maybe 1-2 MPG from the prevous 3 winters. My commute is mostly 40-50 MPH, with maybe 30% of it at 60 MPH. I'm having a hard time concluding anything because of the cold. I'm anxious for summer to arrive, because in some warm, dry conditions I'll be able to get an accurate picture. I expect to post again with some data in August - would be interesting to compare with your results as well.
In all I'm happy with the look so if it costs 1-2 MPG so be it. I was hoping that the lightweight wheels would improve things (I dropped ~3 lbs per wheel). Would be interesting if the weight and the wind resistance was a push...
i see you are from seattle, but i assume that retired means you dont have your civic anymore. i was hoping to find out what you came up with for fuel economy with your wheels and tires, those are the wheels and tires i was thinking. and i also wanted to know how you got stock wheel and tire weight.
thank you
Thread
Topic Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
noflash
HCH II-Specific Discussions
4
02-28-2009 08:27 AM
