Narrow Tires

E

Ed Hall

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The tires on my 1997 Lincoln are too wide and have too much rolling resistance for good fuel economy. Has anyone tried using 15 inch wheels and tires from a Thunderbird and what were the results? I would imagine I could pick up a few mpg's.
 
And I would imagine that you are a total idiot fock tard. Oh wait! I dont have to imagine it. Its a reality.

Pull the 125 pound tow hitch off it and save some fuel.

Better yet, die in a fire. That will save you some fuel.
 
A man that calls himself "Chicken" on this board put T-bird wheels on his Mark VIII. It works well.
 
I heard inflating your front tires to 100 PSI lets you gain 25 MPG on an otherwise stock Mark VIII. Try it and get back to us.
 
Ed Hall said:
The tires on my 1997 Lincoln are too wide
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i would be careful going to a skinnier than stock tire, as a mark is not a light car, and the width of the tires are important for traction (not just acceleration either) is a mile or two more per gallon worth not being able to stop quickly when the cause arises?

also if you want better fuel economy, sell the mark and buy a focus
 
brentalan said:
A man that calls himself "Chicken" on this board put T-bird wheels on his Mark VIII. It works well.
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thaywood said:
Yeah, but if I recall correctly, they were 16" SuperCoupe sawblades. And they looked surprisingly good on a Mark.
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chris2523 said:
15 inch rims are too short to fit over the front brakes.
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all above is correct except they were 5 spoke supercoupe/ 96 & 97 sport wheels. mine are actually the sport since i didnt want the bird centercaps. and most didnt like them lol
 
Just food for thought... I used to have a 91 Ford Escort GT back in my early college days. I had some tires I wanted mounted on some Escort rims I had in my trunk to drop off at the tire store to get mounted while I was at work. I drove that car to the tire shop with 2 donuts on the rear, and it was REALLY squirrely... I wouldnt even want to imagine what it would do on a relatively heavy car, compared to my escort. One time on a long sweeping turn, I thought the rear end was going to come around on me... Just get skinnier tires on your 16 inch wheels... like a 205 I think is the narrowist I would go, but that would probably look retarded.
 
just how bad is your fuel economy?
its a 4000 pound v8 powered full size car for pete's sake.

try a 60 k tune up first.
plugs, plug wires, o2s, etc.
 
chris2523 said:
just how bad is your fuel economy?
its a 4000 pound v8 powered full size car for pete's sake.

try a 60 k tune up first.
plugs, plug wires, o2s, etc.
Click to expand...
No, he does not do that. He just tows 4000+ pounds with the car and fills the bags with slime. Damn waste of a pristine super low mile Mark.
Guy is a POS.
 
Rim diameter has NOTHING to do with tire width.

If you look at the overall economics of modding your car for fuel economy it never makes sense... but most people are too retarded to look at the overall economics...
 
LaserSVT said:
No, he does not do that. He just tows 4000+ pounds with the car and fills the bags with slime. Damn waste of a pristine super low mile Mark.
Guy is a POS.
Click to expand...


If he's towing 4000+ pounds, wtf would one expect for economy? Skinny tires or not, they wouldn't even make a difference. Mark VIII's are not designed for towing sh!t.
 
chris2523 said:
just how bad is your fuel economy?
its a 4000 pound v8 powered full size car for pete's sake.

try a 60 k tune up first.
plugs, plug wires, o2s, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm getting about 24 mpg on the freeway solo driving which is typical for this car. If I could put on a pair of 15" Thunderbird wheels and tires and gain several mpg's, I would do it. If not, I'll stay with the stock size tires.

My Dodge Cummins diesel had wide tires on it when I bought it and when I went to narrow 215/80/16 tires, I gained 4 mpg's instantly. This is what got me to thinking about narrower tires on my Mark.
 
Going to a 15 inch rim is only increasing your sidewall ht, as the rim is smaller in diameter and the tire will need to compensate the ht by being a taller tire. And therefore causing unstability while driving, and the width only comes into factor for fuel economy when you increase the width of the tread which increases tire contact to road, which increases rolling resistance, which can cause lower fuel economy. Going to a lower ht tire over stock ht will increase the total rotation count per mile, and cost you fuel economy.

Using a 15 inch and going with a 225/60 15 will be smaller in total diameter than that of a 225/60 16, that being said, you would have to go to a 225/65 15 to compensate, which increases sidewall ht.
 
Raped Ape said:
Going to a 15 inch rim is only increasing your sidewall ht, as the rim is smaller in diameter and the tire will need to compensate the ht by being a taller tire. And therefore causing unstability while driving, and the width only comes into factor for fuel economy when you increase the width of the tread which increases tire contact to road, which increases rolling resistance, which can cause lower fuel economy. Going to a lower ht tire over stock ht will increase the total rotation count per mile, and cost you fuel economy.

Using a 15 inch and going with a 225/60 15 will be smaller in total diameter than that of a 225/60 16, that being said, you would have to go to a 225/65 15 to compensate, which increases sidewall ht.
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Very good points. The stock tire for a Thunderbird is 215/70/15 which is nearly the same diameter as the 225/60/16's on my Mark. I would use either a 215/70/15 tire or go to a 205/75/15 tire which is a little taller. Also, I can get this size tire in a higher weight rating so I can run them at higher psi and gain back stability.

Here's the diameter's of various tire sizes.
Stock Mark VIII tires - 225/60/16 - 26.62"
Thunderbird tires - 215/70/15 - 26.85"
Tall and Narrow - 205/75/15 - 27.10"
 
it still dont matter what size tire you use...........

a 15" t bird wheel wont clear the bigger markviii front brakes

and the reason your dodge got better millage i bet because the skinner tires weighed less than the big ones. i noticed a instant decrease in my mpg when i put the 18's on and they are the same width as the tires on my 16's. still beating a dead horse as they wont fit on the car anyway
 
Ed Hall said:
I'm getting about 24 mpg on the freeway solo driving which is typical for this car. If I could put on a pair of 15" Thunderbird wheels and tires and gain several mpg's, I would do it. If not, I'll stay with the stock size tires.

My Dodge Cummins diesel had wide tires on it when I bought it and when I went to narrow 215/80/16 tires, I gained 4 mpg's instantly. This is what got me to thinking about narrower tires on my Mark.
Click to expand...

I just drove my mark 603 miles from Il to KY and back. I averaged 25.4 mpg. I also have 275/40R18s on the back and 3.73 gears. Just stick with the tune-up that someone suggested.
 
Well first of all I would want to consider recapture of expenses for what you are considering. The prices for tires, rims and labor is costly, and how long would it take me to recapture that expense in fuel savings, it would take forever.

And I really do not want to drive a Mark VIII with a retarded looking stance.

Going to a harder compound tire at a 15" diameter as you state is going to beat the hell out of your Upper and Lower CA's, and what not and give you a harsh ride, you would feel every bump in the road, especially talking about inflating past the recommended pressures of a tire to stiffen the sidewall. I seriously think you are spinning your wheels 'no pun intended' for nothing. It is not worth the effort.

225/60/16=
26.6" tall x 8.9" tread width x 5.3" sidewall

215/70/15=
26.9" tall x 8.5" tread width x 5.9" sidewall

205/75/15=
27.1" tall x 8.1" tread width x 6.1" sidewall

Seriously, you are not overcoming anything in way of savings. You would be better off making sure you maintain correct tire pressure in all 4 tires. And alignment correct, and tires are serviceable. And use proper preventive maintenance.
 
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if you are so worried about fuel economy in such a :q:q:q:qty time then buy a :q:q:q:qing smart car.
 
Smart cars get :q:q:q:qty mileage.

33city/43 highway for a combined 36mpg.

A Chevy Cruze gets 28/42!
 
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