Rolling resistance! I was thinking about frontal area and completely slipped my mind that a larger contact patch means more rolling resistance. In addition to a bigger contact patch, the rubber might be a different formula as well which would further alter the rolling resistance. Are the 20” tires the same model as the 19” ones? (Michelin Primacy EV is what my 2023 Ioniq 5SEL came with)
for want of a convincing technical explanation, i think you nailed it!
seems to me, as a long lost physicist, that the 'contact patch' is the same for any tire: the number of square inches x the inside pressure divided by 4 has to equal the weight of the car (with, of course, whatever is in it).
'divided by' should be 'multiplied by'
Outstanding. Thanks. Seems to prove smaller wheel is better for range/efficiency. Am still disturbed by their embarrassing error about wider tire having more contact with the road. The amount of contact is determined by what is necessary to keep the car off the rim, namely, for each wheel, the weight of the car divided by 4 must equal the area in contact x the air pressure inside the tire.
Coincidentally, I took a 600+ mi RT from WNC to Roanoke the other day. 3.4mi/kw average as compared to 4+ average on local driving. 2025 Ioniq6 Limited AWD 20” wheels. Between 5-8 over speed limit. Half interstate and half other 4 lane or 2 lane.
Makes no sense. How can a wider tire not have a larger contact patch? I agree that tires of different diameters and appropriate loading pressure will have a negligible difference in contact patch. But! I assure you from personal experience that a wider tire does have a bigger contact patch resulting in more grip. And more grip is typically a detriment to efficiency.
Thanks much, had not seen it. Yes, almost everything now is pointing in the direction that these 'giant' wheels were placed there for aesthetic purposes, and nothing else. Interesting, tho, that while he talks a great deal about the 0.21 drag coefficient, he doesn't mention the LOSS of efficiency due to these large wheels - a compromise they made for looks/sales.
On a nice summer day at 65MPH, our best was 4.1 M/KwH. RWD with 19" aftermarket wheels. Usually just under 4. Wind direction can make a big difference
thanks! Am suspecting your wheel size, 19 instead of our 20, made the difference.
My 2024 I6 SEL AWD in ECO mode gets about 4 at that speed in moderate temperatures. I found that tire pressure is critical and temperature of course is a huge factor.
The Ioniq 5 Limited 2025 has different wheel sizes for AWD and RWD. 20” vs 19”. As to efficiency, my understanding is that the tire diameter is the same (the sidewalls are bigger with the 19”.), and the tire is wider in the 20”. Apparently this gives the AWD a sportier feel, better handling on corners and greater rolling resistance. I guess the folks at Hyundai felt that the AWD was appealing to a more performance oriented buyer, and the RWD buyer was more interested in range and efficiency.
3 weeks ago I bought a 2025 long range IONIQ 6 SE RWD and drove from Ocala to Gainesville FL averaging 4.4 miles per kWH. I have never reset this and over the total 440 miles driven since purchase, I am averaging 4.9 miles per kWH. I have the engine braking set near the maximum for recharging the battery when de-accelerating. I drove a Polestar 2 in Italy last year and the engine braking was just like my current setting.
I have the 2024 AWD and I consistently get 7.2Km/KWhr (4.5miles/KWhr) with most of my driving around town. That works out to about 550Km or 350 miles range 100% to 0%. Pretty happy with that. I usually charge at home (24A) to 90% and run it down to about 20% before recharging. It does drop maybe 20% or so during the winter season - Nov. to Feb.
Pretty amazing, you are exceeding almost everyone else in this thread. From Google maps, that stretch, from Ocala to Gainsville, it pretty short, under 40 miles. What was your average speed? Any tailwind? Do you have 20" wheels? Maybe your engine braking is the key - i personally can't stand anything over about 1.0.
Not a physicists
