Lightweight, thin, economical wheel and tire recommendations.

[bhgl]

Howdy folks!

In my everlasting quest to make my little truck as efficient as possible by any means necessary, I’m now on a quest to find an affordable, but lightweight wheel and tire combo. I know this is probably a question best asked to folks on ecomodder forums, but I like this forum more!

For reference, I’m looking to remain near the stock 27.4 inch tire diameter, but reduce the tire width itself, trying to guarantee as much sidewall as possible for ride comfort and a lighter weight. I’m also Canadian, so TireRack is basically off the table for me as the shipping, exchange, and duties will cost more than the tires themselves.
Wheels:
I did just buy these 16x7 Mazda OEM trispoke aluminum alloy wheels, with center caps! They were a good deal, but obviously not the lightest weight, and not the best size for an eco-focused mindset.

I am partial to working with them strictly because I already have them, and they’ve got the Mazda drip, but if others can recommend 15x6-7 wheels that are lightweight and affordable I may consider them as well.

I also have a pending order for these aluminum Rally 55 style wheels for a very reasonable 93$ CAD a pop: https://www.partsengine.ca/55-5604-vp-vision-wheels-464.aspx

The order is on hold at the moment because they’re on back order, and the customer support is incredibly slow to get back to me. They are lighter weight than steelies, and most likely lighter than the Mazda tri-spokes, but I’m considering canceling it all together given that I have those Mazda wheels.

The ideal wheel would be a custom ordered, carbon fiber 15x5.5 wheel, but unfortunately I don’t have several thousands of dollars and brain damage. So any recommendations for the lightest weight wheels per dollar would be greatly appreciated.

Tires:

As for tires, this is where we’re kind of up shit creek in terms of available selection, ideal tires like Michelin Energy Savers don’t come in sizes that’ll work for the truck. We’re looking for summer/all season tires strictly, with low rolling resistance.

I’m looking for recommendations that focus on economy, but don’t totally discount ride quality and handling. Economics however is the main focus.

I did find some tires that will work for my needs so you have any experience with them please let me know!

Hankook Kinergy ST/PT
Toyo Extensa A/S II

The ideal sizes in order are:

16 inch:
205/70r16
215/65r16
225/65r16

15 inch:
205/75/r15
215/75r15
225/70r15

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[Uncle Gump]

The set of wheels I would be looking for are the forged aluminum Alcoa wheels that came on the FX4 trucks for several years. I think they weigh a few 1/10's more then the cast aluminum factory offerings... but I think they look better and are arguably the best wheel ever put on a Ranger.

Super lightweight wheels on a loaded up truck running at 90mph just seems like and accident waiting to happen... IMHO.

 

[superj]

I would say find out if those 14s from the gen 1s fit and then you can get an 85 series sidewall and a 185 or 195 wide tread tire. You would get really thin and lots of sidewall that way and tires were only 47 dollars each when i got some a few years ago.

Those 14s look like the alcoas above


But those mazda wheels are good looking

 

[2011Supercab]

For reference, I’m looking to remain near the stock 27.4 inch tire diameter

In one of your other threads you mentioned re-gearing, why not go to a taller tire?

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

The set of wheels I would be looking for are the forged aluminum Alcoa wheels that came on the FX4 trucks for several years. I think they weigh a few 1/10's more then the cast aluminum factory offerings... but I think they look better and are arguably the best wheel ever put on a Ranger.

Super lightweight wheels on a loaded up truck running at 90mph just seems like and accident waiting to happen... IMHO.

View attachment 107767

I’d pay decent money for a set of these, but the problem is that nobody wants to part with them for any reasonable price.

 

[sgtsandman]

There is some variability in the weight of aluminum wheels based on how they are constructed and designed. Forged tends to be lighter than cast but not always. Uncle Gump's suggestion is probably going to be the best bet without breaking the bank.

A p-metric all season tire is likely to have the best rolling resistance and a thinner tire is generally going to have a lower rolling resistance than a wider one. The taller the sidewall gets, the more "slop" you are going to have in handling. So, finding the balance may take some trial and error to meet your goals. A 75 or 80 series tire may be where that balance is. Probably more 75 than 80 since there is a point where rolling resistance is going to start going up again due to sidewall flex.

Perhaps looking at tires used for EVs or hybrids might the direction you want to look. They tend to have the least amount of rolling resistance in order to maximize battery life and efficiency.

Just make sure they have a similar load rating to what you have now. I've been in a vehicle that didn't have the proper load rating and the driving experience was not fun. The tires tended to squirm quite a bit over a certain speed, which was lower than the highway speed limit. I refused to drive that vehicle ever again because it was down right unsafe.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Perhaps looking at tires used for EVs or hybrids might the direction you want to look. They tend to have the least amount of rolling resistance in order to maximize battery life and efficiency.

Be cautious.

They are made to carry a heavy vehicle and to try to not burn off quickly with all the torque. And of course have low rolling resistance. EV tires are kind of their own beast.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Be cautious.

They are made to carry a heavy vehicle and to try to not burn off quickly with all the torque. And of course have low rolling resistance. EV tires are kind of their own beast.

As an auto tech and a former tire technician, I agree. EV tires are focused purely on fuel economy and noise, and not much else. They are expensive, do not last very long, and are often stiff. Yes, the stiffness helps fuel economy, but makes them noisy. How do they fix this?

They glue a giant strip of sound-deadening foam to the inside of the tire. I think it's stupid, but that's me. It also means they are notoriously difficult to repair flats, as some of the foam and its glue has to be removed for the patch. I know some shops and dealers simply refuse to repair them because of how high the comeback rate is on them.

Modern Tire Dealer did a whole podcast episode on it a while back if you want more info.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

As an auto tech and a former tire technician, I agree. EV tires are focused purely on fuel economy and noise, and not much else. They are expensive, do not last very long, and are often stiff. Yes, the stiffness helps fuel economy, but makes them noisy. How do they fix this?

They glue a giant strip of sound-deadening foam to the inside of the tire. I think it's stupid, but that's me. It also means they are notoriously difficult to repair flats, as some of the foam and its glue has to be removed for the patch. I know some shops and dealers simply refuse to repair them because of how high the comeback rate is on them.

Modern Tire Dealer did a whole podcast episode on it a while back if you want more info.

Put in a tube?

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Probably less problematic in the long run

 

[don4331]

Tire Sizes

Browse tires by size. Search hundreds of tire sizes to find the right tire size for your application.

tiresize.com

195/75R16 = 27.5x7.7R16 and there are a few choices in that size.

Moonies for fuel economy - which usually suggests steel rims

 

[Blmpkn]

A set of these wrapped in 185/80s

 

[franklin2]

You need to re-think your sizing. The aluminum wheel is much lighter than the rubber tire. So more wheel, less tire would make the assembly lighter.

 

[Blmpkn]

You need to re-think your sizing. The aluminum wheel is much lighter than the rubber tire. So more wheel, less tire would make the assembly lighter.

With 10 plys this can be the case.. usually not with p ply cases though

 

[bhgl]

View attachment 107844

A set of these wrapped in 185/80s

I was considering ordering these because I know they're lightweight, but unfortunately I can't find a set in Canada that either fits a reasonable tire selection, (finding 185/80 tires is basically impossible) and doesn't cost an exorbitant amount of money.

I did almost order a set of American Racing Outlaw 2s as they're pretty lightweight and were available, but then I found the vision 55 Rally wheels which were about the same weight, and significantly cheaper.