Can 285's give you better highway mpg?

Taco's with the 6 speed manual seem to have lower overall gearing than the Autos, would a swap to 285's possibly give you the same or better gas mileage on the highway by lowering the cruising rpm's? I know there will be more weight, wind resistance and unsprung weight and worse city mileage for sure. Is this possible?

 

Well, for me it surely didn't. I have 285s and saw my mileage drop.

 

In theory it sounds like you should if you don't change speed much.

 

same for me here. I lost almost 2 mpg going to 285s

 

They may give you a taller gear ratio to lower RPMs, but they are wider and heavier so you will need more power to push them along.
I would guess it will lose some milage.

 

I lost mpg with mine. and even if you were to gain even 1 mpg on the highway you would surely lose it in town

 

what about the argument that in order to fit 285's your talking about a lift too and the added weight of that?

i'm hoping to see an mpg increase from going from 245 to 265's

 

adding a lift doesnt have to add weight. what about billys and the tsb leaf pack? no extra weight there

 

I think a lift changes the aerodynamics of the vehicle much more than it adds to the weight of it.

 

Technically the TSB leaf pack would weigh more since it's adding another leaf.

 

Anyone with stock setup, maybe just the rear spring tsb, gone from 245 to 265 staying with the 75 aspect? I am thinking it will not impact MPG at all?

TIA

 

Can people with a similar experience as the OP described and a MANUAL transmission please chirp in on this one, I'm curious of this myself. Thank you in advance.

 

I went from 265/65/17 to 265/70/17 and lost about 2 mpg. Then winter blend kicked in and I lost about 3 more. Stock height, minus TSB in rear.

 

to answer your question.no way ever.

 

Me. I saw no difference in MPG whatsoever.

 

Physics say no. Even if you discount rolling resistance due to a larger contact patch, a taller tire puts the weight of the tire farther out on the diameter. Even given the same weight with a larger tire, which is unlikely because you need more rubber to make the larger tire, the tire will take more twisting force at the axle to turn. It could be a slight change, but it won't be more efficient. Best case is you'll see no change. More likely, you'll lose mpg. Even though you'll see lower RPMs for a given speed, the amount of power required to turn the tire offsets any lowered rpm difference.

It's a similar concept that figure skaters use when they spin. With their arms out, they spin fairly slow. As they pull their arms in (change to a smaller diameter), the rate of spin increases (easier to turn).

I have a manual. I lost about 1 mpg going to 285s. It does make 1st gear more useable though.