Honda Car Forum

Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles per
gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda wheels
or nice after market wheels.

But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm getting
with my Civic.

I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.
I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will lose
by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.

"Rob" wrote in message...
> Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
> hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles
per
> gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
> Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda
wheels
> or nice after market wheels.
>
> But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm
getting
> with my Civic.
>
> I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
> weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
> around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.
> I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will
lose
> by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
> that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
> rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.

Find lighter rims. 1 lb rotating weight = 4 lbs static weight wrt
acceleration, braking, etc. Narrow rims will get better mpg than fat rims,
but probably result in poorer handling.

you may never again know what your mileage is since the larger wheels
will cause your speedometer and odometer to read low.

Rob wrote:
> Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
> hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles per
> gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
> Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda wheels
> or nice after market wheels.
>
> But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm getting
> with my Civic.
>
> I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
> weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
> around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.
> I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will lose
> by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
> that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
> rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.
>
>

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 15:45:49 -0500, Al <XnospamX@optonline.net> wrote:

>you may never again know what your mileage is since the larger wheels
>will cause your speedometer and odometer to read low.
>
Whoever installs the new wheels should be able to find a tire rim
combination that has the same outside diameter as the original.

I question whether alloy rims would be mnoticeably heavier than the
original steel rims.



Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

You have already received some good advice; The following may help you with
your decision. Gear ratio's (tire and wheel size) directly effect your
milage and acceleration. I personally try to keep the same overall gear
ratio that the manufacture designed the car with. It's usually the best
combination of milage and performance. Go to www.miata.net/garage click
on wheels and tires, click on tire size calculator on right. Good Luck

Rob wrote:
> Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
> hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles per
> gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
> Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda wheels
> or nice after market wheels.
>
> But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm getting
> with my Civic.
>
> I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
> weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
> around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.
> I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will lose
> by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
> that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
> rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.
>
>

I would find some good used Honda OE aluminum wheels from higher trim
versions of the Civic. If you go up to 15" rims you will need to use
lower aspect ratio tires in order to keep your speedometer reasonably
accurate.

Reasonable sized aluminum rims of quality manufacture should weight less
than steel rims, so something seems odd about your situation.

John

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 10:58:20 -0600, "Rob" <rdbdriver@blomand.net>
wrote:
> Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
>hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles per
>gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
>Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda wheels
>or nice after market wheels.
>
> But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm getting
>with my Civic.
>
> I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
>weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
>around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.

Where did you get those figures?

> I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will lose
>by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
>that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
>rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.

As all have said, the idea behind aluminum/alloy wheels is to weigh
*less*, I think you might check again, go to some reasonable nearby
dealer and weigh the stuff yourself if you have to!

Larger wheels suggest lower-aspect tires, which will weigh less. For
a given size, more wheel and less tire might weigh a bit more for
decorative wheels, if you're really that serious, I'm sure you can
find some wheels lighter than others.

Bottom line is it's unlikely to matter beyond cosmetics.

J.

JXStern <JXSternChangeX2R@gte.net> wrote in message
news:mcg1r1tbfqmgdb1g4p6euo217r6fig3fb0@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 10:58:20 -0600, "Rob" <rdbdriver@blomand.net>
> wrote:
> > Hey.... I got a 2002 Civic LX 5sp with stock 14" steel wheels and
> >hubcaps. Right now I do a lot of commuting and get about 39 to 42 miles per
> >gallon. However don't like the looks of the cheap looking hubcaps on my
> >Civic and was thinking of going to the nicer looking 15" or 16" Honda wheels
> >or nice after market wheels.
> >
> > But, I really don't want to lose my good gas mileage that I'm getting
> >with my Civic.
> >
> > I did some checking and my stock steel wheels, plus tires and hubcap
> >weight around 31 pounds. going to a new larger wheel and tire will add
> >around 10 to 15 pounds per wheel and tire.
>
> Where did you get those figures?
>
> > I do a lot of atv riding and no first hand at the power you will lose
> >by getting a heavier bigger wheel and tire, so was wondering about the mpg
> >that all Honda owners here have experienced when they install new sets of
> >rims. Thanks for any advice, Rob.
>
> As all have said, the idea behind aluminum/alloy wheels is to weigh
> *less*, I think you might check again, go to some reasonable nearby
> dealer and weigh the stuff yourself if you have to!
>
> Larger wheels suggest lower-aspect tires, which will weigh less. For
> a given size, more wheel and less tire might weigh a bit more for
> decorative wheels, if you're really that serious, I'm sure you can
> find some wheels lighter than others.
>
> Bottom line is it's unlikely to matter beyond cosmetics.
>
> J.
>
Is it not possible to recalibrate Honda speedos for non-standard tire sizes?

"JXStern" <JXSternChangeX2R@gte.net> wrote in message
news:mcg1r1tbfqmgdb1g4p6euo217r6fig3fb0@4ax.com...


> Where did you get those figures?

I went to Tire Rack and for example took the 15" Borbet rims(several
choices) at 18.5 pounds then picked there recommended size tire 195/60/R15"
tires in lets say in a BridgeStone Potenza (Because I have a brother that
works for BridgeStone and can get a very big discount) at around 21 to 22
pounds which comes to around 40 plus pounds.

Thanks...that's a good calculator.

"duckbill" <ltcauth13@nospam.cs.com> wrote in message
news:0535973351d47c9f3fcdea1dd3b51697@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> You have already received some good advice; The following may help you
> with
> your decision. Gear ratio's (tire and wheel size) directly effect your
> milage and acceleration. I personally try to keep the same overall gear
> ratio that the manufacture designed the car with. It's usually the best
> combination of milage and performance. Go to www.miata.net/garage click
> on wheels and tires, click on tire size calculator on right. Good Luck
>