2005 Camry LE Tire Decrease for Mileage Increase

[Matteboy]

Hi Everyone,

I LOVE my 2005 LE BUT I am feeling the gas pinch as we round up over $3 per gallon again. Anyone know if I can take my 2005 LE stock 15X6.5 steel wheels and trade down to stock 2000 Camry steel14x5.5 wheels and run thinner 185/75 14s instead of the wider stock 205/65 15's ? Has anyone done this? Can they hopefully clear the front caliper and rear drum? They have the same bolt circle and offset. I know this is probably heresy but times are tough people....

I'm posting here as all the tuners over in the suspension thread won't touch this as they are all trying to make the wheels taller and car shorter (that's gotta get painful at some point)

[MrSo0h0o]

I dont think that will make much of a difference on your fuel consumption. The best way to help gas mileage is to make sure all your preventative maintenance is done, tires are inflated properly(put a few more psi will also help), and the biggest thing is keep your right foot in check. Your driving habit is the biggest factor is fuel consumption.

[The7]

Don't think that there is any clearance for the front brake calipers in an 14in wheel for your Camry.

You need to stick to 15 in wheel as a minimum.

205/65 R15 => 25.49 in (stock diameter as 100%)
195/70 R15 => 25.75 in (+1%)

Your option for a thinner tire would be 195/70 R15 which will not give any noticeable error in speedometer.

IMO. Your Camry is optimized with a tire width of 195 to 205 mm. Any too narrow or too wide tire will reduce the mileage.

[Matteboy]

Thanks Mr Soohoo and The7. I agree totally with you Mr Soohoo about feul consumption and driving habits but I also think there's more to it than just that. Here's the way I see it .I used to sell tires in the early 90's and we watched the beginning of the 75 series aspect ratio phase out and in later years the 70 series and 14"tire. They were often replaced with 15"tires with lower aspect ratios as manufacturers would use this to increase handling as a selling point (for a while every car commercial I saw cars were drifting sideways!) Those cars' mileage was diminished however manufacturers still had to meet CAFE requirements so to compensate for their SUVs and performance cars and enhancements they were now building Prius' and other hybrid's to boost the overall gas mileage of their entire vehicle line. To the consumer this meant cars suddenly had wider, speed rated tires (like an H rating) that could take off ramps at 60mph because of the reinforced sidewalls but simultaneously phased out the average tire - suddenly average $60 tires were nonexistent or junk. The only decent ones I see nowadays are the foreign made ones that are in that price range. With the overall industry pushing performance everybody's tires are now wider and have more load capacity (especially with 44psi casings). But this also means lower mileage, increased hydroplaning (less pressure per square inch over the larger contact patch) and more expensive construction. Heck,I can remember the first dodge minivans had 195/75SR14s on their 4cyl model. So I do see the tradeoffs with tires but they are not with fuel mileage in mind on most cars. Don't get me wrong, the performance increase in the industry is actually nice as we have better performing vehicles overall and there are many more choices for the gearheads and tuners but that luxury has come at a price - both literally and figuratively.

[Daox]

Yeah a skinnier tire will help with mileage. Not a ton, but a little bit. I went from 185s to 155s on my Paseo. I have no before/after testing, but I know they helped. Rolling at low speeds I can now coast farther than I used to.

[htwo]

It's not about the width, it's about the weight. A 14" tire and wheel combo will weigh less than a comparable tire and wheel in 15" size.

Getting great mileage is like speed - speed costs money, so how fast do you want to go?

Adding a less restrictive drop in air filter can help, but it'll cost an initial $30-40. Changing to synthetic engine oil can reduce friction and increase mileage while reducing engine wear, two oil changes a year (or every 12K miles) at about $75 each is a good deal versus 6 standard oil changes (every 3-4K) at $40-45/ea.

I don't think your LE has traction control, but if it does, skinny tires can play a role in how the electronic systems, right down to the ABS, perform on the road and can also affect handling.

Going to a 10-20mm narrower tread width and increasing the sidewall by 5% might help with mileage. If you don't need new tires yet, there's no point in spending the money to get them changed so you MIGHT gain 1mpg on a 30mpg highway car. It doesn't seem worth while to spend the money on it.

Just put a high flow air filter in, check your tire pressure regularly and set it toward the max (34-35psi or what ever is listed on the sidewall), take out ALL weight in the car that you don't need, such as tools, etc. As mentioned, keep speed in check, stay UNDER 70mph to get any decent mileage, especially on longer drives. EPA tests highway mileage on 2008+ vehicles at 60mph with A/C on, and before 2008 EPA tested highway mileage at 55mph with A/C off. Just to give you an idea if you want your EPA highway mileage, keep it at 60mph or lower, otherwise, don't complain.

I know it's un-American for me to say this, but too bad - loose weight, providing you're a heavier person. I lost 65lbs two years ago and noticed an increase in my mileage just from that. It was definitely worth while for not only health reasons, but for everything else as well!