Need to get some tires soon for my ’95 Ram pickup and thought I’d check in and see what some of you might suggest. I’m hoping that there might be a certain tire type that might get me better gas mileage? Maybe one that accepts a higher pressure?
I’ve been running Bridgestone Dueler APT (bought from Sears) because they seem to last a long time. What tire type would you get these days??
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My F150 has Continental tires. I have 65k on them. Grip well ride nice and holding up. MPG help I never noticed any change, but its always been around 13. Super cab 8' bed, so its not light!
Good years were the first set and they lacked traction in the wet, took them off at 33K. Could not stand the easy slide and wheel spin anymore.
Pep boy LT next, worked well but only 40K.
I would get the Continentals again. 255/65/16
Cycling with a speedo-computer teaches a lot about tire tread, tire width, and air pressure. I also learned a bit from a Honda Insight owner's board.
The milder the tread pattern, the less rolling resistance. The narrower the tire, the less rolling resistance. The higher the tire pressure, the less rolling resistance.
This is pretty obvious to anyone who rides a particular bike regularly. Just pumping up the tires from 90psi to 100psi adds about 5% to the average speed.
Most cycling road tires are bald in the center, just to decrease the rolling resistance. It does make a difference, 5%-10%.
I recently raised the pressure in my Toyota pickup's tire to 38psi, up from the standard 32psi. There's an easily noticeable difference in the way it accelerates and rolls out. I can't offer gas mileage data yet as I haven't refilled the tank since add air to the tires.
I plan on buying the narrowest tires I can find with the least aggresive tread pattern, that also correctly fit the width of the wheels on the vehicle.
I'll also look into higher pressure tires, like those used on the Honda Insight. Some of the Insight owners are reporting very high mileage, largely due to high tire pressues.
> I haven't refilled the tank since add air to the tires.Get a ScanGauge for an instantaneous readout on MPG:http://www.scangauge.com/
It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May
Get a ScanGauge for an instantaneous readout on MPG:
http://www.scangauge.com/
That looks pretty cool but my old truck isn't worthy of such high tech stuff, not at $160, anyway.
I'll figure it the old fashioned way; odometer, pencil and paper. It'll take a month or two to fine tune the tire pressure but that's OK.
If you have enough room in the wheel wells, get a taller tire. Taller means greater circumference, which changes the final drive ratio -- so you'll go farther on each revolution.
I've always assumed that this also means farther on each gallon.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
It changes the gear ratio, but also changes the speedometer readings, so most likely you'll appear to get poorer mileage.
It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May
Dan has it right.If you go to a taller tire, you have a couple of options.You can take the vehicle to someplace where they can figure out the needed gear for the speedometer, and then replace that gear.Or you can pay very close attention to the road mileage markers for a while, and figure out the difference between what you see, and what is real.If you choose the latter, realize that those highway crews are not the most accurate people on the planet. Take comparisons on several different roads, over several days.If the majority of your comparisons are the same, go with that. If they are all over the place, make an average.Once you have figured out the difference in actual miles traveled, versus recorded miles on the odometer, it is possible to figure out the difference in your actual speed, and in your actual mileage per gallon.As far as inflation, I have kept mine at 40 pounds, for over a decade, and I have never seen excessive wear.I lower the pressure only when dealing with snow/ice, or particularly boggy mud conditions.
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You don't need to read the road signs. You can calculate the difference in circumference and determine the multiplication factor. Or, go to a good tire store. They have a book that shows all the compatible sizes, and it lists circumference.
Or follow the link from cmiltier that I just saw.
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Edited 8/6/2008 7:01 pm ET by FastEddie
Or borrow someones GPS unit and it will tell you how fast you are going.
My taller tires actually cause my speedometer to read 5 miles slower.
Which means I am actually putting on more miles than my odometer is reading.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
OK, so there isn't any magical tire that would increase mileage darnit. I guess I'll just stick with the same type I have been using. I've been running them at 41 psi but will bump the new ones up to 44 which is the Max pressure for those.One thing I have been doing these recent few months is driving with a very light foot, I used to drive 75 to 80 on the freeways, now I go 65 to 70 :-) that's got to help with my mileage.http://woodsshop.com/
Joe Wood
Consider your options..
I used to see nearly all pickups at most construction sites lately I've noticed far fewer pickup and more Honda's and motorcycles etc.. Instead of one guy getting out of a car I see two or three.
I bought my daughter a new Toyata Yaris and the payments on that for 4 years are less than what she would have spent on gas driving my old pickup. (not to mention almost no maintinace for those 4 years).. Maybe a Cheap economy car isn't Macho but it sure can save money and nobody I know has too much of that..
In theory having harder rubber would improve gas mileage slightly. Harder rubber is found on tires with a higher wear rating. Downside is poorer traction and harsher ride.
It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May
Joe
There is no magic bullet..tall slick high pressure tires might save you a little fuel but they could also cost you an accident. The deductable on your insurance will set you back far more than you're likely to save..
Keep your tires well inflated, make sure the wheel alignment is correct (a do-it yourself task for most carpenters).. Don't carry anything not needed and that's about the best you can safely do..
Significantly better mileage will come from a vehicle with improved mileage capability.. Lot's of vehicles from other parts of the world achieve better mileage than American vehicles..
I have a 98 dodge ram. I have Cooper discoverer HTs load range C. I am at 55000 miles and still have plenty of life left. I went with a larger tire, mainly for looks. They fill up the wheel well a little better.
The following website is useful in determining size and speedo difference. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I buy my tires at garage sales. Have an air powered post changer and a good balancer so that zeros out labor (except for own, which is counted as 'recreation'.
Top price is $5 a tire, run 32 psi rated tires at 40psi, get a typical 30K more off old tires before the middle is near bald.
Do occasionally have a tread separate from the overpressure, but live in PNW (selcom get over 90F) so they fail benignly (as in not losing control) and tere are always more where those came from.
My '71 Datsun got 42 mpg with 40 psi in 195/78R14s.
i posted a wanted to buy ad on craigslist... for 4 205/75r15's for my subaru... within hours a guy called and had some new takeoffs from his Jeep,,, 215/75r15's "hurcules" brand... ck'd em on the net... seemed to be a good tire.. and @ 150.00 for the set with the tits still on...... checked the subaru forum... 215/75/r15 was the max tire size... put em on tuesday... WOW the subaru has never driven as good... u can tell you are sitting taller (maybe an inch) but you can tell... and it drives great... i think if i read the net right these tires cover about 6" more on each turn than my stock size... i don't notice any downside on take off (taller should hurt there)... i'm running them on the high side of pressure... so i don't know fuel mileage yet... but ride quality is way up there... i mean it's in the WOW area... plus the subaru isn't as wimpy now with blackwalls... as it was with the whites...
check out "hurcules brand) i'd never heard of them... but the people that buy em... say good things...
p