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Subject:Better MPG - wheels and tires ?
From:Joel Sell
Date:Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:48:58 -0700

I am interested to see where the "under the front end aerodynamics" thread goes, but I'm also wondering about wheels and tires. Short of purchasing racing wheels which I think are illegal to use on the street, what are our options for lightening up our wheels? Also, Is a 14" wheel with a tall tire better than an 18" wheel with a low profile tire? I know that thinner is better, and it seems that as wheels increase in diameter, they also increase in width ,but assuming you could stay thin, is a tire with a tall sidewall better/worse than a tire with a low sidewall? How about overall diameter?
August '06 Popular Mechanics says that "rotating weight of a spinning tire is  1.5 times its actual mass- so this is an area where trimming pounds really pays off".
Any thoughts on this?
Joel in Philly