I get my tires from TR and they don't carry the size. I would appreciate if anyone can point me to a reputable online store.

Thanx

 

Why are you getting that size tire?

Stock is 185/55/16

In any case, last pair I bought (this past winter for the Nissan Pathfinder) was from discount tires online, then picked it up at a tire shop. Unfortunately, it was a 40 min drive on local roads.

Edit: apparently they don't have that size either (185/50/16). But they do have stock size.

 

theyre on my stock wheels!

 

You can also get 205/50/16but yeah 185/55/16 is the stock size. Only two tires in that size I believe...one Dunlop, one Bridgestone.

 

Here's why... This is the first small 4cyl honda I owned (did own a 99 4cyl accord before) and I'm just liking the Fit's MPG yield vs what I normally have on my crosstour. So I was thinking, maybe... just maybe, running on 185/50/16 would squeeze a few more mileage down the road. I want to keep my stock 16 wheel. My search only points to TOYO Proxes.

 

turning off your AC will do more than tires

 

Consider that any mpg savings is likely offset by being stuck with only 1or 2 tire choices. Check out what's available in 205-50 and you'll likely have choices that will save you more than an extra mpg or two would. There should also be low rolling resistance options.

 

I'm no tire guru... but I was a bit of a math freak in high school (went to state freshmen year!).

Stock is 185/55/16. Overall diameter of just about 24" (24.01 etc)

If you go 185/50/16... you now have a diameter of close to 23" (23.28... etc).

For some simplicity, I'll round the difference to about 3/4". I bring that up only because from BRAND NEW to "need to toss ASAP", a tire can only lose about 1/2" in diameter (from 10/32" or 11/32" to 2/32" tread depth), before it is considered legally worn out (Tire Tech - Tire Specs Explained).

That being said, you see a LOT of people noticing that worn tires give differing measurements of speed/odo vs what is really going on. Your difference is still more than that. When your speedometer is reading 65, you'd only be going 63. Which I suppose could reduce your likelyhood of getting a speeding ticket (by 3%?!? blah).

By going with smaller tires, you are putting more miles into the odo, than you are actually getting. When your odo reads 100k miles, you would've actually ONLY traveled just under 97k miles.

To put it another way... if you are currently pulling 32 mpg with stock tires, then appear to get 33 mpg with the smaller tires (divide odo or trip by gallons)... then that's the exact difference of the size of the tires. Your odo will read 33 miles, when you only traveled 32 miles.

In reality, you're getting squat.

You would have a slightly better chance of getting better mpg at using narrower tires... but 175/55 is smaller diameter than stock and 175/60 is bigger when using the 16" alloy rims. 165/60 comes close, and 155/65 is almost spot on, but I don't know if that's pushing it in fitment of the rims.

 

I'm gonna agree with goobers...

I upped the psi a few notches, not to the extreme like some have, and noticed a marginal improvement in mpg.

But my next tire will likely be 205/50s

 

Well stated!... The stock size tires on these little cars are hard to beat... Even with a 70+% power increase I find the 195-55-15s that is the stock size works just fine.... If you want to increase the rate of acceleration smaller diameter tires have the same effect as a change in final drive ratio.

 

@Goobers: Great info. Thanks for laying that down. My work includes driving and racking up around 3K city miles per month so any gas saving tips and options would be great. I'm already toning down on my heavy foot and cuts A/C as possible.

BTW, my crosstour feels like I'm manning a yacht and the fit is more like a jetski... love it :-)

 

I'll be honest... as much as I want to increase MPG... I don't care for low rolling resistance tires or "over inflating."

I'm an aggressive driver... and I like driving that way. So, for me, when time comes for new tires, I'll look for wider tires (cross section, not diameter) that perform better in as many conditions as possible. MPG will take a back seat, even if I cry/whine about it later.

I don't know if its an asian thing, or just my unfortunate luck... but I have a habit of thinking about "other people" when I do/decide on things. If it'll negatively effect others, the choice/option becomes less likely. Safety issues aside, I wonder about "will the tires make my passengers uncomfortable?", "If my car is fully loaded, would the tires make the ride a nightmare?" etc.

Around the middle of this past winter, I paid $700 for a set of new tires for the 1999.5 Nissan Pathfinder, the Michelin LTX M/S2. They are, supposedly, one of the better tires for all season traction. $700 on tires for a vehicle I had no intention of driving within a few months (I had been planning on buying the Fit since last year). I could've easily spent far less than half that on crappy tires. Since I picked up my Fit a little over a week ago, I returned the PF to my sister and her husband.

Sorry about going off on a tangent. <-- yes, intended math pun.

Low rolling resistance tires can potentially offer better mpgs, assuming your driving "skills" don't get worse. But aside from a few exceptions, those tires compromise on other areas. Could be performance, could be treadlife and some, more than others.

"Over" inflating affects treadlife/wear pattern. This is not based on my experience, but the complaints of others. My guess as to why, it causes the tire to bulge out when you're traveling at speed. In reality, it's as if you put a bigger diameter, but narrower cross section tire on (with the exact same total weight). "Air" still has weight (mass, to be exact)... put more of it, spin it fast, and it'll push the tire more too. Steel belted or not, it will still bow the part thats supposed to stay flat.

Did you know, the person standing on the North pole is closer to the person standing at the South pole, than two people standing at the equator on opposite sides of the planet?

Uneven wear + extra pressure isn't something I'm fond of.

Ok, I went off on another tangent...

My point is really just, I'm the wrong person to ask about it. I'll consider MPGs AFTER other characteristics.

Aside from that, the only tip I can give you, you're already using... don't drive like me.

 

My tips for max mpg

Use the brakes as little as possible, try to always keep your speed up to limit acceleration
Windows closed/ac off


That's what I do and I just got 40 in a car that's supposed to get 24/29

 

Well, I understand...I'm not talking up to 50psi like some of these wankers. I believe mine are currently at 35 cold...only two psi from recommended.

My next tire will be Continental extreme contact dws unless I find something better. It's got awesome reviews and will work well in many scenarios.

 

My fit gets the same MPG whether it is on/off. Is there something wrong with yours?

 

The thing that is wrong with gbaby's fit is that it's still at the dealership.. Hehe

 

Why do you want 185/50x16 tires?

 

Don't forget... you kill your warranty sooner too.

AC drops my mpg by a few. I get about 40 in the summer but with the AC on, it drops to 37 or 38. been like this in every car I've owned except for one (My Integra GS-R - why? Dunno)

~SB

 

Yea.

It also artificially decreases your resale value.

But as I pointed out, its 3% (or less, when you value a car)... some folks don't particularly care.

People like me don't care much for resale value, I plan on keeping this car until it needs to visit the junkyard (I'm no good at selling off anything I buy).

 

I've had my fair share while I was young, grew up in asia and was in the not so legal drag racing back in my high school days and the early part of college. I still have and own my 1st generation Mitsubishi Lancer

That was then... this is now...

When me and a partner started our small company (Sept of 09) we can only wish that lease was an option. To own is the only way. Resale value is the least of my concern since the nature of our biz includes racking up ridiculous miles. The two Hondas in my sig will stay for the entirety of it's life or until otherwise. These are company car first and anything in between are just second. At this young stage of our biz... any penny pinching is always welcomed.

If all goes well... a second Fit might be in the works before the year ends.