Date:         Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:29:06 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Better MPG - wheels and tires ?
Comments: To: Joel Sell <justthesells@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <769662.75973.qm@web30907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I'm no tire expert, but it is interesting to note the kinds of tires
that are run on the vehicles that are tun on the Bonneville Salt Flats
during speed trials. Those suckers use huge rims with narrow tires with
low sidewalls. Not much tire there really. I guess this contributes to
much lower rolling resistance.

I have been for a long time running a wider tire, but next tire change
I'm goig back to the stock tire width for the Vanagon. Reason being I
want every advantage I can get given  these high fuel prices.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Joel Sell wrote:
> I am interested to see where the "under the front end aerodynamics" thread goes, but I'm also wondering about wheels and tires. Short of purchasing racing wheels which I think are illegal to use on the street, what are our options for lightening up our wheels? Also, Is a 14" wheel with a tall tire better than an 18" wheel with a low profile tire? I know that thinner is better, and it seems that as wheels increase in diameter, they also increase in width ,but assuming you could stay thin, is a tire with a tall sidewall better/worse than a tire with a low sidewall? How about overall diameter?
> August '06 Popular Mechanics says that "rotating weight of a spinning tire is  1.5 times its actual mass- so this is an area where trimming pounds really pays off".
> Any thoughts on this?
> Joel in Philly
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