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Pulse & Glide with Light Weight Wheels

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by knite75, Jul 17, 2013.

  1. knite75

    knite75 Junior Member

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    Hello,

    I now have about 2,000 miles on my Prius. I've practiced and somewhat got a yellow belt in the pulse and glide technique.

    In my quest to get better MPG, I'm contemplating about gettting a set of lighter aftermarket wheels like Enkei RPF1. It's about 16lbs vs the stock 17'' 24lbs (?).

    My concern is that the success of the pulse and glide technique is contingent upon keeping the momentum of the vehicle constant. With lighter wheels, I suspect that it would be more difficult to maintenance the "glide" as the Prius would have more tendency to decelerate. Hence, lighter wheels would have inverse effect on MPG.

    Is my concern valid?

    Thank you.
     
    #1 knite75, Jul 17, 2013
  2. Sabby

    Sabby Active Member

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    Lighter wheels should help your mpg overall. You have less weight to accelerate and less rotational resistance when you pulse.

    If your objective is mpg you should get 15 inch wheels.
     
    #2 Sabby, Jul 18, 2013
  3. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Contrary to popular belief, weight isn't the biggest factor in terms of mpg hit. It does help with acceleration/deceleration though. Switch to smaller wheels (15" or 16") in your quest to get better mpg.
     
    #3 32kcolors, Jul 18, 2013
  4. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    Will the fuel savings ever outweigh the cost of the new, lighter wheels?
     
    #4 mad-dog-one, Jul 18, 2013
  5. JuRuKi

    JuRuKi Junior Member

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    that for that extra 1-2 mpg you will spend that much money? You would need to drive your car for years to make up for the money you spent
     
    #5 JuRuKi, Jul 18, 2013
  6. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    Any benefit you got from more weight in "glide" is negated by the extra energy you spent getting up to speed.

    Unless you live in a universe where you're always driving downhill lighter weight wins every time.
     
    #6 css28, Jul 18, 2013
  7. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    I doubt you would see any difference in P&G performance. The most noticeable difference when you get lighter wheels is better handling over rough roads. Be careful though, if you also change the tyres their weight must be factored in as well. From what others have said and from my own comparisons a smaller diameter wheel with a higher tyre will be lighter in every case. So no 30 series tyres. ;)
    Just a reminder, the stock 15" wheel/tyre combo is almost the same overall diameter as the stock 17". The difference is weight. The 17" is heavier! Also keep in mind the same size tyre from different manufacturers and even different models from the same manufacturer can have different overall diameters.
     
    #7 David Beale, Jul 18, 2013
  8. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

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    well the weight is not really significant .. 8lb x 4 =32 lb ... your car curbside weight is 3000lb (give or take a few )

    The wheel size make a lot more difference for the rolling resistance ...

    Also buying new wheels to save money WILL NEVER pay off ... if you buy them for look do not try to rationalize that :)
     
    #8 szgabor, Jul 18, 2013
  9. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    Trade wheels with someone with factory 15".
     
    #9 Jonny Zero, Jul 19, 2013
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