One of my gangster rims has a puncture. I'm not paying £180 for a matching tyre or more for a matched pair at the moment when my mpg is chronic, fuel is £6 a gallon and I have 10s of thousands of miles left on a set of standard alloys.

Therefore I'm likely to go back to the 15s and save £25+a month.

How come no one else has decided to do the same?

Choices really - you either drive a car that looks great on big wheels, or a car that looks like it's being driven on tractor tyres

Simples

i dont feel the need to save fuel by using smaller wheels and tyres.

if i needed to do that i would have bought a more economical car.

Tractor tyres or tractor engine? Tough call...

I'm serious, there must be quite a few people with a set of perfectly roadworthy noddy wheels in the garage or shed at home. What would it take for you to change them back?

1) I don't own a set of gangsta rims.

2) I presume your "better economy" idea is predicated on the reduction of reciprocating mass. You do realise that a same width higher wheel diameter same rolling radius rim and tyre set isn't necessary heavier than the OEM, as long as you buy properly engineeded rims?

Empirical evidence Ken. Both wheel/tyres combos are OEM fitment, the bigger ones feel several kilos heavier and the economy drop related to the wheel change.

It's worse than I thought anyway. There was a nail in the inside shoulder so it will not be fixable. So its choices of like for like replacement with 1 new type and 3 tyres at 4-5mm, replacement with a new pair to balance or swap to smaller set asap and ponder over it for a bit.

I got a spare set of the same wheels with no paint on ............. Would they cost less to run (lighter)

I got a spare set of the same wheels with no paint on ............. Would they cost less to run (lighter)

Only if you full the tyres with helium too.

You know that every kilo in unsprung weight saved is worth at least 10HP?

Per wheel!

Only if you full the tyres with helium too.

You know that every kilo in unsprung weight saved is worth at least 10HP?

Per wheel!

Helium is a pound a tyre though lol, and I heard it was 5 hp per kilo.

Slightly more useful fact here, when I changed back to 205/50/17 from 225/45/17 I gained about 5-10 mpg on a run according to the dash

Empirical evidence Ken. Both wheel/tyres combos are OEM fitment, the bigger ones feel several kilos heavier and the economy drop related to the wheel change.

It's worse than I thought anyway. There was a nail in the inside shoulder so it will not be fixable. So its choices of like for like replacement with 1 new type and 3 tyres at 4-5mm, replacement with a new pair to balance or swap to smaller set asap and ponder over it for a bit.

I'm not claiming that what I said is always the case, just that your logic only applies if the {larger wheel}+tyre is heavier than the {smaller wheel}+tyre combo, and both tyres have the same rolling resistance or the higher profile one has lower RR.

I got a spare set of the same wheels with no paint on ............. Would they cost less to run (lighter)

Maybe; BBS quoted that some F1 teams were adding 200g per rim to BBS spun magnesium rims by painting them. You thought you were just joking too!

I presume your "better economy" idea is predicated on the reduction of rotating mass.

EFA

You do realise that a same width higher wheel diameter same rolling radius rim and tyre set isn't necessary heavier than the OEM, as long as you buy properly engineeded rims?

It's often the case that larger wheels and lower profile tyres are heavier than standard oem wheels and tyres. The times when this is not the case are often when the after-market wheels are very expensive, (i.e. properly engineered, using good quality materials).

It's worth weighing wheels and tyres to find out.

I put my 18's back on last week (OEM) and i have dropped about 3-5MPG according to the maxidot coming from my 205/55/16 winters..

went from 17's to 16's in the fabia. Noticed slight difference plus tyres are slightly cheaper.

Be interesting to see if I go for 19's on the octi what that will do to the mpg

Done this now and the change is remarkable.

The trip computer is heading north instantly and I hadn't realised how much the bigger wheels had dulled the car's, already modest, performance.

Bigger isn't always better

My thoughts on wheels are changing too - not sure if its just as i'm getting older or i'm just being more realistic about things like ride quality.

My vrs is pretty firm on coilovers - i love the look of 19"s but I know the ride will suffer, and i'll get no dynamic benefits.