Hi Ahmett
Our TwinAir Plus (Dualogic) came with 16" wheels so we had no say in it
Our son has a Lounge and here in Oz they only come with Dualogic and 15" wheels
So there is a good comparison between our two cars wheel wise
Can't comment on the economy as he flogs his to death and ours doesn't get such a quiet life either - you have to love that TwinAir engine and the paddles
But the difference between the 16" and 15" wheels is massive
The 16" have much better handling at the expense of harsher ride.
OEM tyres were different brands, Conti contact 2 on ours and Bridgestone on his (I think) but the wear factor is also massive.
We got 24k out of ours and with the Nexis that replaced the Contis look like they will do about the same
Whereas he has 38K on his and says about another 10K to go. He commutes to Brisbane daily.
But that's about double the tyre mileage
Admittedly we do have a few sharp corners on the road out of where we live
They are advisory sign posted at 50kph but we can take them at 100kph, although more regularly more like 80kph for better comfort.
My guess would be that 80kph would be near the limit with the 15" wheels but surely that can't make difference of half/double the tyre wear ??
Not only that he would come to our place at least 4-5 times a week so he is taking those same bends and he will be near 80kph when he does so I can't figure it :shrug:
15 inch good tires are just fine for the car you really don't need the extra grip. Now if you have budget tires then that is another story = )
probably to bribe customers = ). whats really annoying is you cant even chose the 15 inch rims on the lounge even if you wanted! I guess you can pull the dealers arm and make him do it, something i would definately be doing if i were ordering a fiat 500 these days. fact of the matter is, the tech on the fiat 500 has barely been changed since 2007, so i would never buy one new for the full price in 2015.Would 16" alloy wheels weigh a lot more than 15" alloys, or would the difference generally be negligible?
Heh I wonder when they changed this -- when I bought my 500C TwinAir Lounge in 2013, they still came standard with 16" alloy wheels. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A -- great wheels for me since I don't drive much, so they last ages
They would have to be given that they have a larger diameter and longer spokes
His is a 1013 Lounge so unless the 16" wheels are standard on the "C" it must vary dealer to dealer or delivery to delivery :shrug:
thats what i did and the car felt much 'heavier'. fuel economy between 5%-10% worse.
no the fat tires made a big difference in feel. i am much happier on the 185's. I dont get the obsession with fat tires on small cars.
Would 16" alloy wheels weigh a lot more than 15" alloys, or would the difference generally be negligible?
Heh I wonder when they changed this -- when I bought my 500C TwinAir Lounge in 2013, they still came standard with 16" alloy wheels. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A -- great wheels for me since I don't drive much, so they last ages
Since you don't live in the UK, you don't have to worry about this!
I don't agree with both parts written with capitals.
Yes the 16s also feel slower! Regarding tire wear I would be grateful if you could check something. My tread wear rating is 400 . What's yours ? It's written on the tire and very few people are actually aware of this. Mind you, the higher the better
yeah its interesting mine are at 400! lets see if it makes a difference = ) i found it from the porsche gt3 manual, first time i read about it. maybe tire manufacturers dont want you to know about it = )Ahmett
Sorry for the delay - been busy
The original Conti Contact 2s had a wear rating of 280
View attachment 153230
and the now Nexis have a wear rating of 300
View attachment 153231
Have never seen this before
