Tire and wheel weight vs diameter

Does anyone have experience with the difference in a heavier smaller tire vs a lighter bigger tire?

My first tire change I went from stock 265/70r16 @37 lbs to a 265/75r16 @45 lbs. The truck felt a little more sluggish but by no means underpowered.

Next tire change went from the 45lb tire to the same size in a 39lb tire. I didn’t notice a difference in performance.

What I’m looking at now is a 265/70r17 @ 57 lbs vs a 285/70r17 @ 49 lbs. So my question is which tire am I likely to perceive the most power loss or drivability decline from?

 

In my experience, OD has a larger effect on perceived power, and weight has a larger effect on ride. However, gaining 10+ lbs will also likely be noticeable.

 

Part of the problem I’m facing too are the 17” wheels I’m looking at are about 6 lbs heavier than my stock 16s. So total package with the 57lb ST Maxx would be 88lbs . Compared to my current 64lbs I’m a little nervous.

I should also note that about 70% of my driving is highway. But I do live in the Northwest so mountains and hills are everywhere.

 

Diameter usually has the greater effect due to the radii being squared in rotational inertia formulas.

 

If you can take both wheel and tire packages and let them roll downhill, the slower one will have less effect than the faster one.