Find out how much of fuel mileage I got after changing car tyre rim size

Do you remember my post about me changing my car tyre rims and tyres from 16 inch to 15 inch? You can read about it again here: Why I changed my car tyre rim from 16 inch to 15 inch..

I did the change hoping that I’ll get more mileage for the same amount of fuel as advised by some car technicians.

And what do you think the result is? Was it really worth changing my car tyre and rims?

Yes it is! It is worth making the change. My car, a Proton Waja 1.6 is getting more mileage now.

These are the results for my car before and after the car rim and tyre size change:

Average kilometer I got with 16 inch tyre

Before: 16 inch rims and tyres
City driving: 450km per full tank of petrol
Highway + city driving: 600km-650km per full tank of petrol

Average kilometer I got with 15 inch tyre

After: 15 inch rims and tyres
City driving: 530km per full tank of petrol
Highway + city driving: 580km per full tank of petrol

City driving is where I drive to work and going around Klang Valley. Highway driving is where I travel using North-South highway for long distance trips.

As you can see from the results above, 16 inch rim gives me more mileage if I were to travel more on highway for long distance journeys. But for city driving, it only gives an average of 450km per full tank of fuel. According to car technicians, a Proton Waja 1.6 is underpowered to use a 16 inch tyre as it will produce drag and slow down car during city maneuvering. But the bigger 16 inch tyre is good if you travel non-stop highway long distance drive as it goes further for every tyre spin.

Since I only drive long distance to hometown once or twice a year, it doesn’t make sense to keep using 16 inch tyres. I drive more in the city, so with a 15 inch tyre, I get around 530km for a full tank. That is an extra 80km compared to using 16 inch tyres. Although I only get around 580km for highway driving, it doesn’t matter much as I only drive to hometown a maximum of 2 times a year. At other times, I prefer to use the bus.