On the track..

A bigger Wheel/Tire will give you better 'Top-end'... While sacrificing Punch/Torque... Also a bigger Tire (in general) takes longer to overheat.. Has a Bigger Contact Patch which results in better traction.. Also, when going to a Bigger Wheel usually the Tire has a smaller sidewall which Flexes less.. Sometimes that can be bad for handling depending on your current setup, but usaully shorter sidewall makes the handling a lil more 'Responsive'..

Hope this helps..

$0.02

 

yeah thats what i thought. the whole sidewall thing. but at two pounds lighter and only one inch smaller. i dont think the 17's are adding up.

 

That's two pounds of rotating weight. Check out the weight of the tires too to get a true weight.

 

i will. i think i will mount them on stock tires if i get them before i need new ones. if not then then ill find a decent light road tire, or just set the rims aside for some aggressive low pros and keep the stock rims.

 

Good question - how DO you find the weight of tires? I haven't found an online store yet that reveals this. I'm shopping for wheels and tires right now and was horrified to see that nearly every aftermarket wheel is heavier than the stock EX wheel. Some by 4lbs, but the one I want is a full 14lbs heavier PER WHEEL!
I can't find any info on tyre weights to figure out if the tyres will be heavier or lighter, but it seems a lose-lose scenario to me - change your wheels and tires seems to only add to the unsprung weight - the last thing you want on an Element

Anyone got any bright ideas? I struggle with the gas mileage as it is - adding more unsprung weight is going to be a disaster.

 

tire rack shows it when you click on "specs"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec....+Trail+T/A&partnum=17TR6LONGTTAOWL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=1

 

Anyone got any bright ideas? I struggle with the gas mileage as it is - adding more unsprung weight is going to be a disaster.

No disrespect intended but you might consider staying with stock wheels. Maybe a TL or SC wheel will fill the need and still stay light. Probably a newer Civic wheel would be the lightest.

 

Anyone got any bright ideas? I struggle with the gas mileage as it is - adding more unsprung weight is going to be a disaster.

Practically every change in wheels or tires is going to hurt your mileage.

 

Practically every change in wheels or tires is going to hurt your mileage.

you could get some volk, rota, or some other lightweight racing wheel (like the thread is talking about). some 20's are like 19lbs in the volk brand. but the price per wheel does not justify doing so.

 

I would never race on my wheels but for a 20x9.5 with tire only weighs about 5lbs heavier than the stock 16 with tire. As far as going with the TL wheel, its not very light but it is made by Enkei

 

Good points, of course. But the tire that most people would choose to go on that lightweight 20" wheel would still bump up the rolling resistance. Which is fine. It's just something that some people would want to keep in mind, like chrisell.

 

Practically every change in wheels or tires is going to hurt your mileage.

Is this something bizarre to the world of SUVs or the E in particular? I've changed wheels on cars for years without it ever impacting the performance, and for the most part, the aftermarket stuff has always been within a couple of pounds of what was put on at the factory (in a lot of cases, it's been a lot lighter). Without going bonkers on the cost, the closest wheel and tyre combo I could find was a tyre that is 5lb heavier and a wheel that is 4lb heavier. Did Honda manage to skimp on something to make their wheels so light ?

 

I don't think that it is unique to the Element or to SUVs. When you look at the OEM tire we were dealt, most everyone who changes to something else will choose something wider, or lower profile, or stickier, all of which will lower the mileage. Because of the CAFE requirements, the manufacturers choose a fairly low rolling resistance setup to start with. Honda didn't skimp on anything, really. They coulda put something a ton less expensive than the Goodyear HP on the car, huh? And, as you are finding, ligher wheels actually cost MORE than heavy ones, so Honda may have spent a little more to give you a light wheel.

 

(sigh).

Oh well. such is the life of an Element owner.