[spokeshave]

Hogwash. Torque in the driveline is determined by the engine output and the transmission/rear axle gearing. not by the wheel size.

The larger wheel, complete with a narrow tire will concentrate more mass at larger radius...consequently has a higher Moment of Inertia....so more energy is required to spin the wheels.

[norwaypinesavage]

The rotational inertia of a tire and wheel is determined my the mass at any radius times that radius squared. The squared term means that the rotational inertia is dominated by the tread, not the low mass aluminum wheel at a much smaller radius. The tread radius varies little for the large rim tires due to the need to fit within the space envelope. Also, don't mix torque with energy. Drivetrain torque is dominated by engine torque, transmission calibration and gear ratios, and occasionally tire friction.

[Arthur McGowan]

That may be true, but the effect would be negligible. And it would be zero when not accelerating.