Replacing the OEM tires

catpat8000 · 07-25-2008, 01:32 PM

Hi,
New guy here with my first post. I have a 2006 Civic hybrid w/30,000 miles and it's time to replace the OEM tires. I'm quite happy with my current mileage but not so happy with the general performance (handling) of my tires and I wouldn't mind improving this aspect of the car, if the penalties aren't too great.

I've looked through the postings and the summary appears to be that going to a wider tread width or higher performance tire will substantially hurt the mileage. Yet I've also seen people posting that they've installed Civic DX 16" wheels and tires and not seen a large decrease so I'm not sure where the truth lies.

I know sportier tires are likely to reduce mileage. The question is how much?

Is there a consensus on the forum about what tires are useful replacements?

Has anyone got solid empiracle data on the mileage penalties for sportier tires?

Pat

lithosphere · 07-26-2008, 08:37 AM

really comes down to weight, I think the stock rims with tires weigh in at 22lbs so you may want to look for a light weight aftermarket rim. Lightwieght is consider to be 15lbs - 17lbs. Average weight of most 17 inch rims are in the 18lbs - 22lbs. Chrome rims will weight more.

I've recently picked up a set of aftermarket rims for my hybrid and to be honest the hit in overall mileage hasn't been great. Its not big enough to deter me, but then again what doesn't bother me may bother you immensely. Opinions vary. In the end most after market rims will affect mileage on the hybrid. It all depends on the weight of the rims/tires along with the size.

I'd recommend finding a tire that stays in the same range as your speedometer, Most guys who do upgrade are either getting tires too big/heavy or too small and wide. Our stock tires are 195/65/15 so 215/45/17 is a pretty good size to go with unless you want a bigger size or smaller size. I have 215/45/17 , BSA 354 rims on mine (40+ offset). In case your not sure our bolt patterns are 5 x 114.3 (4.5). Unfortunately the general consensus vary and not one stands out. However if you haven't done so check out this post on this very forum | Wheel Fitment Recipe - wheel offsets that work

Good site to get an estimated calculation on tires...
Tire size calculator

Some links explaining offset etc...
Alloy Wheels from Race and Road Ltd. High Quality Alloy Wheels and Tyres. UK Borbet & Ronal Alloy Wheel Distributors. Buy Alloy Wheels , High Quality Alloy Wheels , Polished Alloy Wheels , Alloy Wheels UK , Alloy Wheel Online , Cheap Alloy Wheels, BM
Wheel Offset Calculator
Offset (wheel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Another useful resource for you if you haven't visited them yet is Greenhybrid.com | GreenHybrid - Interactive Hybrid Cars Resource

I can't give you any empirical data there are simply too many variables. Weather, Temp, Road Conditions, Distance, traffic, etc etc...

Good luck in your search

SuperJay · 07-26-2008, 12:38 PM

also remember that the physical design of the rim has aerodynamic qualities that you most likely won't get with an aftermarket rim.

pks17 · 07-29-2008, 09:26 PM

Go with the stock hybrid wheels, and mount a better tire on it. Just keep the size the exact same, and you probably wont much at all of a difference in milage. Maybe 1-2MPG max.
If you go shorter profile tire, wider tire, Heavier rim, larger rim, or all that, you will see a huge drop in MPG, maybe 5-10MPG worse in the most extreme cases.

civicracer32 · 07-30-2008, 03:17 PM

I personally lost 2 mpgs on my civic hybrid going from oem (1/2 worn out) to new 15's with new tires. Wheel tire combo was 37lbs vs 34lbs new(oem setup) and 32lbs used(1/2 worn OEM tires on OEM rims).

The handling of the car OEM does suck. I noticed a definate, quantifiable improvement just by switching to better tires, i.e. non oem tires. The Dunlop Sp-31's that come on the car are very skinny for a 195mm tire, hence the high mileage capabilities, yet poor handling.

You can get better handling to answer your question by just switching your tires. BTW, the OEM rims weigh 16 lbs, and the OEM tires weigh 18 lbs.

whtdvl · 07-30-2008, 03:27 PM

let us know what you do and how it works out for you

***bluetwo*** · 09-14-2008, 01:21 PM

I think there is a loss, otherwise would Honda really go to the trouble of having that specific tire and to make all the claims with them?

I say just look around and see all the cars on the road with larger rims, 17's or bigger, and most of the tires these cars use aren't the best for low rolling resistance. Yet a lot of these cars have decent fuel economy, all things considered, even the Prius doesn't go nuts with smooth rims and hard compound tires.

So, no. That's not hard data or anything really. I use the Civic SI's summer tires on Accord rims and even with those there isn't a huge penalty to pay.

duk · 09-14-2008, 01:44 PM

I am using BFG G-force sport tires and am getting 40mpg on a good day. I account this to my tires. They are on lightweight 17" rims (lighter than the 15"s that come with the car)

hooville · 09-14-2008, 02:17 PM

No hard data with a Civic, but with my TDI wagon, the OEM tires were Michelin Energy MXV4 195/65/15 with steelies and hubcaps. My average was about 45 mpg city/hwy combined. I then changed to 16" Stock alloys with MXV4 205/55/16 tires, and mpg went to just under 43, so a slight loss due to a wider, lower profile tire and a bit more unspring weight. Handling and driving feel improved also, so well worth it! I now have Pilot Exalto A/S 205/55/16 tires, and wet traction, handling and overall feel are drastically improved, and mpg is in the toilet at just under 42 combined. You may find more info on one of the Hybrid sites: someone with a Civic has probably already done this and has the answers!

Cheers!!

07-25-2008, 01:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
catpat8000 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Replacing the OEM tires Hi, New guy here with my first post. I have a 2006 Civic hybrid w/30,000 miles and it's time to replace the OEM tires. I'm quite happy with my current mileage but not so happy with the general performance (handling) of my tires and I wouldn't mind improving this aspect of the car, if the penalties aren't too great. I've looked through the postings and the summary appears to be that going to a wider tread width or higher performance tire will substantially hurt the mileage. Yet I've also seen people posting that they've installed Civic DX 16" wheels and tires and not seen a large decrease so I'm not sure where the truth lies. I know sportier tires are likely to reduce mileage. The question is how much? Is there a consensus on the forum about what tires are useful replacements? Has anyone got solid empiracle data on the mileage penalties for sportier tires? Pat

09-14-2008, 01:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
*bluetwo* Beware of the Dog Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 408 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I think there is a loss, otherwise would Honda really go to the trouble of having that specific tire and to make all the claims with them? I say just look around and see all the cars on the road with larger rims, 17's or bigger, and most of the tires these cars use aren't the best for low rolling resistance. Yet a lot of these cars have decent fuel economy, all things considered, even the Prius doesn't go nuts with smooth rims and hard compound tires. So, no. That's not hard data or anything really. I use the Civic SI's summer tires on Accord rims and even with those there isn't a huge penalty to pay. Last edited by bluetwo; 09-14-2008 at 01:48 PM.

09-14-2008, 01:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
duk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Calgary Age: 24 Posts: 1,330 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I am using BFG G-force sport tires and am getting 40mpg on a good day. I account this to my tires. They are on lightweight 17" rims (lighter than the 15"s that come with the car) Last edited by duk; 09-14-2008 at 01:45 PM.

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07-26-2008, 08:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
lithosphere Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Winnipeg, Mb. Posts: 191 Tyler iTrader: 0 / 0%	really comes down to weight, I think the stock rims with tires weigh in at 22lbs so you may want to look for a light weight aftermarket rim. Lightwieght is consider to be 15lbs - 17lbs. Average weight of most 17 inch rims are in the 18lbs - 22lbs. Chrome rims will weight more. I've recently picked up a set of aftermarket rims for my hybrid and to be honest the hit in overall mileage hasn't been great. Its not big enough to deter me, but then again what doesn't bother me may bother you immensely. Opinions vary. In the end most after market rims will affect mileage on the hybrid. It all depends on the weight of the rims/tires along with the size. I'd recommend finding a tire that stays in the same range as your speedometer, Most guys who do upgrade are either getting tires too big/heavy or too small and wide. Our stock tires are 195/65/15 so 215/45/17 is a pretty good size to go with unless you want a bigger size or smaller size. I have 215/45/17 , BSA 354 rims on mine (40+ offset). In case your not sure our bolt patterns are 5 x 114.3 (4.5). Unfortunately the general consensus vary and not one stands out. However if you haven't done so check out this post on this very forum \| Wheel Fitment Recipe - wheel offsets that work Good site to get an estimated calculation on tires... Tire size calculator Some links explaining offset etc... Alloy Wheels from Race and Road Ltd. High Quality Alloy Wheels and Tyres. UK Borbet & Ronal Alloy Wheel Distributors. Buy Alloy Wheels , High Quality Alloy Wheels , Polished Alloy Wheels , Alloy Wheels UK , Alloy Wheel Online , Cheap Alloy Wheels, BM Wheel Offset Calculator Offset (wheel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Another useful resource for you if you haven't visited them yet is Greenhybrid.com \| GreenHybrid - Interactive Hybrid Cars Resource I can't give you any empirical data there are simply too many variables. Weather, Temp, Road Conditions, Distance, traffic, etc etc... Good luck in your search

07-26-2008, 12:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
SuperJay Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: BIG IE BITCHES Age: 32 Posts: 186 Resident ICE Wizard iTrader: 0 / 0%	also remember that the physical design of the rim has aerodynamic qualities that you most likely won't get with an aftermarket rim.

07-29-2008, 09:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
pks17 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 806 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Go with the stock hybrid wheels, and mount a better tire on it. Just keep the size the exact same, and you probably wont much at all of a difference in milage. Maybe 1-2MPG max. If you go shorter profile tire, wider tire, Heavier rim, larger rim, or all that, you will see a huge drop in MPG, maybe 5-10MPG worse in the most extreme cases.

07-30-2008, 03:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
civicracer32 Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SAN DIEGO Posts: 513 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I personally lost 2 mpgs on my civic hybrid going from oem (1/2 worn out) to new 15's with new tires. Wheel tire combo was 37lbs vs 34lbs new(oem setup) and 32lbs used(1/2 worn OEM tires on OEM rims). The handling of the car OEM does suck. I noticed a definate, quantifiable improvement just by switching to better tires, i.e. non oem tires. The Dunlop Sp-31's that come on the car are very skinny for a 195mm tire, hence the high mileage capabilities, yet poor handling. You can get better handling to answer your question by just switching your tires. BTW, the OEM rims weigh 16 lbs, and the OEM tires weigh 18 lbs.

07-30-2008, 03:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
whtdvl Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Age: 25 Posts: 2,041 iTrader: 0 / 0%	let us know what you do and how it works out for you

09-14-2008, 02:17 PM	#9 (permalink)
hooville Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marietta GA Posts: 24 iTrader: 0 / 0%	No hard data with a Civic, but with my TDI wagon, the OEM tires were Michelin Energy MXV4 195/65/15 with steelies and hubcaps. My average was about 45 mpg city/hwy combined. I then changed to 16" Stock alloys with MXV4 205/55/16 tires, and mpg went to just under 43, so a slight loss due to a wider, lower profile tire and a bit more unspring weight. Handling and driving feel improved also, so well worth it! I now have Pilot Exalto A/S 205/55/16 tires, and wet traction, handling and overall feel are drastically improved, and mpg is in the toilet at just under 42 combined. You may find more info on one of the Hybrid sites: someone with a Civic has probably already done this and has the answers! Cheers!!