Fuel Economy

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by Black Yaris

Do you think 20 inch wheels would effect gass mileage?

Yes, and in a negative way.

The larger the wheel the more it weighs, and the more energy it takes to make it turn one full revolution.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by BailOut

Yes, and in a negative way.

The larger the wheel the more it weighs, and the more energy it takes to make it turn one full revolution.

Gonna be a bit of a nitpick, but that's not exactly true, it takes more energy to change the speed of the rotation, basically to overcome inertia. A heavier wheel has more inertia, so more power is needed.

Best way to think of it is a spinning top. When you have a small, light top, it takes very little twist from your fingers to get it spinning. But spin a big heavy top and you really gotta give it some push.

Hope that clears it up!

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

Gonna be a bit of a nitpick, but that's not exactly true, it takes more energy to change the speed of the rotation, basically to overcome inertia. A heavier wheel has more inertia, so more power is needed.

Right you are. I guess I oversimplified my answer. It's always a balance between educating someone and leaving them rocking in a fetal position. hehe

Originally Posted by Racer X-8

Yup, and as for the other 10% of the time, they don't really NEED to. I'm getting a kick out of all types of people (especially soccar moms) out-doing themselves in their strained efforts to get ahead of my anemic arse, just gunning the piss out of their Explorers to get in front of me (me not even trying), exhaust fumes sickly spewing out their tailpipes enough to choke the life out of any small animal nearby, then slowing down, thinking they have won some kind of fight or something, only to watch me coast on by them, later on down the road... Petty, shallow, insignificant fools that they are...

I know your pain! Almost every single day on the uphill side of my over-the-mountain commute someone strives with all their vehicle's might to pass me, riding my tail and swerving like a mad man. When they finally pass I have to roll up my window to try and keep the noxious fumes out, and it also helps to deaden the noise of their screaming engine.

With few exceptions I catch up to them 5 or 10 minutes later on the downhill side. The funny thing is that I'm doing exactly the speed limit in the highest maintainable gear the whole time.

In other words I get from point A to point B just as fast as they do but I do so with much less energy, waste, stress, and wear and tear.

When I drive in the city I get even more exasperated. You'd think someone started handing out trophies for those that get to the next red light first. I can be approaching a solid red light that's going to be red for at least the next 60 seconds and too many times someone - usually in an SUV or big truck - feels the need to pass me in those last 50m before the line of traffic, as if their very presence and force of will can make the light change faster, or like a puppy somewhere will die if they don't get to the back of that line of traffic in the next 5 seconds.

Then they sit there at the light, idling their over-sized engine for the next 60 seconds, getting 0 MPG for that time. The light turns green, that imaginary lady in the tight shorts waves her handkerchief and they're off on the 1/4 mile hoping for a < 10 second run, pretending that the next light isn't 1/8 mile away and also just turned red.