Easy, I was just making sure you knew.


Width? I thought you wanted TALLER tires, not wider.

The factory 14" tires are 175/70-14. That tire has a 602 mm (23.7") diameter.

How much taller are you going to go? 2%, 5%, 10%. I highly doubt the small tire height increase that will fit will have a large difference in fuel economy.

 

Well if I can fit a 16x7" rim on the car I would go to a 205/50/16.

I really am not a nitwit.

 

The stock 175/70-14 tire has a 602 mm (23.7") diameter.
A 205/50-16 tire has a 612 mm (24.1") diameter.

That's a difference of 10mm (less than 1/2") or 1.7%. You think a 1.7% tire height increase will help fuel economy?

Let's see:
- with the factory tires in 5th gear, at 60-mph the engine was spinning at 2889 rpm
- with 205/50-16 tires in 5th gear, at 60-mph the engine will be spinning at 2841 rpm

That's an RPM drop of 48 rpm. Do you really think a 48-rpm drop is going to save fuel? Even if it did, you will lose any gain because you are now running a tire that is 1.2" wider and has more rolling resistance.

 

So just how much more is the rolling resistance all knowing one? A shorter sidewall hass less flex and you don't even know what kind of tire I'm planning on using.....

What are the OEM wheel widths and offset?

 

Generally, the taller and narrower the tire, the less rolling resistance it has. As the tire gets shorter and/or wider, the rolling resistance goes up. Again, those are general statement. There are always exceptions. Plus, you have the factor in the added weight of a larger wheel and tire.

There are two 14" steel wheels listed for the 2008 Accent:
- 14 x 5.5 with an offset of 46mm
- 14 x 5 with an offset of 39mm

I believe the first wheel (the wider one) comes with a 185/65-14 tire while the second wheel comes with the 175/70-14 tire. You will have to physically check your tires to see which you have.

 

I found this post v. interesting since I havea 1988 Ford Festiva & my wife has a 2008 Hyundai Accent. Here are some real-world comparisons.

For decades my Festiva has been the best MPG car I ever had & I still drive it. It averaged 45MPG for a decade. No, it didn't hit 45MPG loaded down with cool weather clothing, camping, camera, binocular & spotting scope optics & other gearfor a month ofadventuroustraveling. Itturned in 53+MPG on a thousand mile leg & 47 MPG overall which included climbing 12,000 foot mountain passes. Not too bad for an EPA rated 42MPG highway.

As for my wife's Accent, she averaged 32+MPG thru a long cold winter & stop & go highway commuter traffic. I thot Accent had more to give & my wife let me loose with Accentfor 3 daytrips over 1400, 3000, 4000, & 5500 foot mountain passes. Accent got 41.5, 42.6, & 45.2 MPG. Not too bad for an EPA rated 32MPG highway.

All in all, I love my Festiva & I suddenly love the Hyundai Accent!

 

^^^ There is a lot of talk about how great fuel economy cars have now but in reality, they could be MUCH better if the cars were lighter. Your Festiva is a great example of cars that got equal or better mileage than a Hybrid Prius. Weight is the key. Today cars have multiple airbags, ABS brakes, traction control, A/C, etc.All those things add weight. Imagine the mileage the Accent could get if it was 700-lbs lighter (the same weight as the Festiva).

 

Threereasons I got such good Accent MPGis thatour Accent doesn't have ABS, traction control or a/c. A fourth reason is the Accent has a much lower coefficient of drag than the Festiva(0.31 vs. 0.37). Afifth reason is the technology is 20 years newer.

 

Does your car have an ATX or MTX tranny?

 

He said in a previous post that it's a manual:

https://www.hyundaiforum.com/fb.asp?m=15233