NAH concerns
 

Hi Guys new here but have had my 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid with technology package since last year :D. Living in maryland and had to travel to New Jersey to get it and it is worth every cent:).

I am thinking about putting some Wheels on it but not sure what is the proper course of action to do so. What will happen if I put 18' Wheels on my NAH? What procedure should I follow I want to have fun with my Hybrid, get a few outside items not too much but I want to show the world :D I love my hybrid and I want it to even look even more unique than my other cars. It averages about 37.5 as long as I drive with some sense, about 34.3 if I drive my age. Would I lose my warranty? Can it hurt the car?

Another serious concern is my EV mode does not come on as much lately. When I normally start up the car wait about 2 minutes and then it kicks in and then I start to drive. Normally, I can get a fair distance before ev mode cuts off as long as I do press gas pedal too hard. Which I try not to do when I can stay in ev mode and save a lot of gas but lately, it just will not click to ev mode like it has in the previous year. I hit my 15k mark. I'm actually over about 100+ miles and I'm taking it in this wednesday I will get it through its premium maintanence. The oil is over about 100 miles so I'm at 3850 compared to the 3750 I normally take it to get it worked on.

Fellow Hybrid owners hit that start button and help me out oh yeah dont forget to hit the brake before hitting that start button ;). I know it is cheesy but in a generally good mood it is Friday after all.

Re: NAH concerns
 

Hello and Welcome,

We are entering the cold weather season which unfortunately means longer warmup times, less EV mode and lower MPG. In freezing temperatures I have seen my NAH take as long as 15 minutes of driving to go into EV mode at all. Trying to keep the car in EV mode as long as possible is not necessarily the best way to drive for MPG anyway. Accelerating normally then coasting as long as possible or trying to keep it at a steady pace seem to work better for me.

I have no idea what the larger rims will do to your MPG, but I think you may run into trouble with the computer. I'm pretty sure the online tire sensor is calibrated for a certain size and pressure. Traction control may also be affected. I'm no expert however.

Best Wishes

Re: NAH concerns
 

One way I get my EV mode to engage more often during the cold weather is to turn on my heated seats and turn off the heater when I can. Using the heater requires the engine to run.

Re: NAH concerns
 

Yeah - I do that, too.

I think what's happening is that, when you use the heater, it cools off the engine. When the engine temp drops below 163degrees, you can't use EV mode when driving, although it will come on at a stop as long as the temp is above 131degrees.

So, if you let the engine get to temperature more quickly, and stay at temperature...

Re: NAH concerns
 

i know that if you up the size of your rims, EV mode will not stay on as often. bigger, heavier wheels mean more torque is required to turn the wheels. someone from my other forums has already tried putting 18's on. He went from 36 mpgs to 32

Re: NAH concerns
 

If you do go to 18" rims, you will have to compensate by using lower profile tires, to keep the overall diameter of the wheel the same. Otherwise everything from the speedometer to the gear ratio will be affected. Keeping the circumference the same, the only difference would be unsprung weight, as someone else mentioned, if you increase unsprung weight, you need more torque to get the wheels going. Upside is you "might" see better highway mileage once you get them rolling. So, I would at least look for the lightest wheels available to you if you go this route.