heavier wheels affecting performance?

[Daaaaan]

The new shoes for my mistress









To be honest i can feel the car's acceleration being a little lazyer, but i can't be sure if it's actually true or my mind is playing tricks on me after all the talk on the subject here )

The ride is definertly harsher, but that was to be expected.

The Ultrac Sessanta tyres are a little noisier then my old michelins, but i suppose as they break in, it will go away. They make a slight "wuuuuuuu" that can be heard if you pay attention

Overall, i am tremendously excited about the new look of my mistress, and the smile on my face will last for a few months at least

 

[cj10jeeper]

Wheels look very nice.

Interesting to see that you perceive you can feel the difference on acceleration, which indicates the theory is pretty well spot on. Feeling it indicates the effect is quite significant too as you'd not notice it otherwise.

Harshness and noise are of course the low profile tyres, but you knew that would happen.

Now enjoy the good looks

 

[chrissrush]

I changed to Hartge 18's with 225/40/18 each weighing about 3.8Kg more than the original BMW wheels with 165/55/16 on my 118d and saw a decrease in MPG of about 1.5% I didn't notice any performance change though. Diameter is very close between these sizes.

The increased rotating mass and rolling resistance etc. probably accounts for that.

I'll be changing to the Goodyear Efficientgrip tyres next to see if that makes a difference, my old car ran Michelin energy savers and I calculated the fuel savings probably saved the cost of the tyres themselves over 30,000 miles!