Stock vs 18" and MPG impact

Hi all, picked up a used 2013 Tacoma, double cab, V-6 Auto 4x4. Previous owner put on 18" wheels and 285/65/18 Nito Terra Grappler tires, aggressive Mud and snow tire.

They look awesome but I'm a highway/city driver for the most part and I'm looking to squeeze all the MPG's I can. I'm looking at the BridgeStone Dueler HT D684 II in 265/65/18 tires to swap out, they will be much quieter and should improve my MPG some. Looks like I'm at 13.5 MPG right now from the last tank.

Question, are the 18" size vs stock making a big impact on the MPG's? I really like the look of the truck with these 18's and height increase.

I've done a lot of reading buy couldn't quite find this question discussed.
Thanks much

 

Are the 18 inch wheels aftermarket? If so I would figure out what brand and how much they weigh. It's not the size of the wheel, it's the weight. You will gain a lot when you drop from the 285s and lose that extra weight.

 

Yes they are aftermarket wheels, XD 806 Bomb wheels, can't find the weight of the wheel, http://www.kmcwheels.com/wheels/XD806/XD8063/techsheet

I do have the factory wheels and tires that came on the truck too. Guess I could weigh them and compare.

 

I switched over from stock to 18x9 BBS wheels with Toyo II 265/65/18 on my 2012
and didn't lose a beat on mpg's. Still at 16.5 in town and 19 on road trips. No lift,
and the Toyo's are a P-rated (still ride nice & good traction in snow?ice).

 

13.5 seems low, even with 18's. Do you have a heavy foot?

 

Hi, no, not really I don't think, usually don't go much over 2500 rpm I looked at my notes again and got 14 MPG mix of city and interstate driving. Likely low due to the Nitto Terra Grappler tires. I did change to a K&N Filter two days ago, we'll see if that helps.

Had two tire shops tell me 265/65/18 was too narrow of a tire for my 8.5" wheel, said it would look a little odd of that narrow of a tire on that wide of a rim.

Looking to go 275/65/18 likely Bridgestone Dueler HT D684 II

Again, looking for a quiet, on-road tire, highest MPG possible.

Thanks guys!

 

Look into the Michelin LTX M/S2. I've heard good things about that tire if you're looking for a long lasting all season.

 

Weight is important.. post back your results.

 

I don't think the 18" wheel makes a difference. It's the tire diameter that makes a big difference because your stock gearing is made for the stock tire diameter. Your engine will struggle more with a bigger diameter tire as all your gears will be "taller".

 

Yup, rim size doesn't make much of a difference. The weight of the rim would, but with alloy metals being so light, there wont be a drastic difference. The tire diameter, width, and tread pattern will make the biggest differences in performance and power.

 

You'd think that, but from looking at 16" rims I've seen weights range from sub 20lbs to over 30lbs each for the same diameter and width. Looks like the OP's wheels are about 34lbs each (18x9" according to TreadDepot.com). Not sure if a lighter rim will be worth the cost, but there are certainly lighter wheel/tire combos out there that will help the mileage.

 

My 18's are the stock wheels (18x7.5) and with 275/65/18 tires I did not notice any MPG change with my General Grabbers.
G

 

just a thought... but your milage may not be as bad as you are coming up with "IF" you are solely using your odometer to do the calculations. Basically you are in fact traveling further than the odometer is stating because the larger tire is covering more ground that the stock size. I'd use a GPS to track milage and see if it makes a difference (assuming you haven't done so already).

 

Good call ripper

 

My truck has the same tires in the same size. My speedo was adjusted at the dealership, and I'm getting around 13.5 mpg when I do my math. I drive in town mostly