How bad will this hurt mpg?
 

Hey you guys, merry Christmas! I was wanting to put a slightly wider tire on my accord. I have a 205/60 but want to go to a 215/55. This tire is wider and shorter so I know it will hurt my mpg but I was wondering how much? I mainly travel highway 80% and city 20%. I drive very conservatively and never speed. I am not happy on how my accord is steering. Thanks for your help.

yea but the aspect ratio is a RATIO using the width. they're wider so it doens't make much difference. specifically, you're going from 80.7" to 79.5" so about 1.24% total height difference and .5" width difference.... that means not much change.

How are you not happy about it's steering? keep in mind most cars are tuned from the factory to understeer pretty harshly. Have you checked the tire pressure and alignment?

Yeah, I check pressure every time I fill up with gas. I like to run them higher than recommended. Usually the front is at 36 and the back at 34. I had my cars alignment checked about 7,000 miles ago and it checked out ok, with no repairs needed. The Accord turns ok, I just want it better. There are no good tires in the standard size anyway. I look at wet and dry performance but especially the tires weight. So many people do not look at weight but I think it plays a big part.

Recommended by the tire? Or by the car? Pump them up to the sidewall pressure stamped on the tire (or beyond). You may (or may not) notice an increase in steering response. What's your definition of "better" - do you want a faster response time? Faster turning velocity (before under steer)? Something else? "Better" is a rather subjective metric without more description :thumbup: I personally have factory sized (Pilot Exalto's) tires pumped up to 55 front and somewhere along 52 rear :thumbup: I can do my turns at faster than I care to in normal conditions :thumbup:

For acceleration - sure (less spinning mass is generally better for acceleration - less unsprung weight is always better)... For steering control... Only if the angular momentum is preventing you from physically turning the wheel ;) As for wet/dry -- always keep in mind that tires that say wet/dry always compromise both wet and dry traction versus a tire for dry or tire for wet. But I'd rather have reduced dry traction than have none in a rainstorm :D

I would say that ANY difference in fuel economy is going to be negligible. As for not liking the way the car steers, do you perhaps mean that you don't like the lack of cornering stability?

I have the stock Michelin's on my Accord. I keep them at a higher pressure as to what it says, inside my front door. I would like a tire that turns faster and does A Lot better in the rain. The stock tires are awful in the rain. I really have to slow down even in a fwd! The only tire , in stock size, that I liked was called the Toyo Versado LX. They are light, good warrenty, and ranked high on 1010tires.com. I am going on 2 long trips this weekend so when I get back I am going to buy some new ones. Do you think these are good? Do you have any recommendations for a 205/60/16 to a 215/55/16? Thanks

I say buy them BEFORE your trip.

Ok, so my real question from the beginning is, how bad will my gas mileage be hurt if I go to a 215/55/16 from a 205/60/16. I know thats a hard question but do you think it will subtract 1,2,3, or 4 plus? Thanks

If you want better handling, install some better struts, lowering springs poly suspension bushings, and larger sway bars... turns an econo box into a corner carver.

^ I'm with him. if you want to change the way your car handles, actually cahnge things. 5% different tire sidewall won't make a whole lot of difference. Like I said before, the difference in tire size is less than 2%. You'll see more difference from underinflating a tire by 5 psi.

Modern cars are designed to understeer badly from the factory. Especially in the rain/snow I consider FWD worse to drive because around corners the front wheels are responsible for steering braking and acceleration. RWD cars they only have to worry about steering and braking and if you break the drive tires free (rear) who cares, just leave them whipping around the outside in a drift. the only significantly good hadnling FWD car I know is the infiniti G20...with walmart tires, stock suspension, 255k miles I took 90* turns at 60mph floored. the car's balanced well enough that all 4 tires grip the same. Give gas around a corner in the snow in a FWD and you don't turn. give gas around a corner in a RWD and the rear kicks out and you can control it and still go around the corner (at least I can... all the time)

Changing from 205 to 215 by itself isn't going to make a dramatic improvement in handling. We have Kumho Solus KH16s on our 03 Accord, inflated to 40psi all around, and to me it handles just fine. Accords are not set up to be whammed around in maneuvers like a racing car. Try inflating your tires to 40 all around for a while, see how that feels. If you still don't like the way it handles, look at the reviews on Tire Rack for performance all season tires such as the G009. If you really feel a strong desire to go wider, you might ask about 225/55/16. With a more performance oriented tire, that might feel different. You may lose some fuel economy.

All else being equal, I would have to agree. But I would guess that not everything is equal here. Specifically, f we are comparing an all season 205 with a performance 215, you are going to notice a HUGE improvement in handling. I know that, for instance, a Dunlop Sport A2 195 feels like GARBAGE compared to a Kumho Ecsta 205 on my Civic.

As I said in the previous post, if he wants a significant difference in handling, he should consider changing to performance all season tires, and also think about going to 225/50/16.

Just install a set of lowering sprins that only lower the car 1.5". Then you won't have to get new struts right away. But for even better handling get some KYB GR-2 struts(which are cheap and still have a warrenty up to a 2" drop) and some lowering springs. Then you will be happier with road handling and won't have to buy new tires right away.