tire size and fuel milage


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Old 02-12-04, 11:57 AM
PNUT883
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tire size and fuel milage

hello
my question is how much does tire size affect gas mileage. i have a 96 gmc 1500 p/u vortec 305 2wd which gets about 15 mpg. i do have tires that are 1 size taller and 1 size wider than stock they are all terrain due to living in rural south ga. was wondering how much affect size affected. also does anyone have ideas on improving gas mileage.
 
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Old 02-12-04, 12:03 PM
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reduced rolling resistance...

...equals increased fuel efficiency. because fuel mileage is affected by so many variables, mostly driver operational characteristics, it's virtually impossible to predict what kind of increase you could expect by merely changing to a lower rolling resistance tire. as for additional things you can do...probably not a whole lot...those trucks just don't get much fuel economy...no full size PU's do
 
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Old 02-12-04, 12:14 PM
PNUT883
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thank you
i am pretty careful about not having alot of jack rabbit acceleration. or letting it kick in to passing gear during travel. i have done a full tune up and fuel filter ( fuel filter helped more than anything). which way should i go with tire size to stay with the a/t tire i live on a dirt road and sometimes can get a little slick.
 
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Old 02-12-04, 12:22 PM
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it's not so much the size as...

...it is the actual frictional characteristics of the tire and for that you'd probably need to go to the tire manufacturer's website or perhaps tirerack.com and see what you can dig up on various brands and styles of tires.

now...what difference diameter DOES make is that a taller tire will go around fewer times in a mile than a smaller one, thereby giving you the impression that you travelled a shorter distance and lowering your fuel mileage calculation. that truck can be programmed for just about any tire size/driveline combination but it must be done with the factory scan tool. if the tire you have installed is anything but what was originally installed (check the tire placard) it would have to be reprogrammed to keep the speedo and odometer accurate.
 
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Old 02-12-04, 04:05 PM
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Excluding all the computer and ABS problems that changing tire size can cause, the general result of going to a taller tire will be better mileage on the highway but worse for around town driving because of the increased load on acceleration. If you do a ton of highway miles, you may see improvement, otherwise it will be a loss. As the other guys told you, rolling resistance is the major factor.
 
 

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