Summer Driving Tip:Checking Tire Pressure Can Save $200 in Gas!

By: Scott Siegel


Ignoring the tires on your car is one of the fastest ways to prevent your car from getting good gas mileage. Checking your tires to ensure you are traveling on correctly inflated tires is one of the easiest ways to save money on gas.

Energy Information Administration and EPA statistics support the fact that it is possible to save between $100.00 to $200.00 per year by maintaining properly inflated tires. Your individual savings will be unique based upon how many miles you drive and how much your tires may be under inflated.

Twenty-three per cent (23%) of cars have at least one (1) tire under inflated by more than twenty percent (20%) according to the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency. In addition to hurting your fuel consumption, under inflated tires can also lead to poor steering and delayed or bad braking. those factors describe situations where under inflated tires can be dangerous. Although using a tire gauge is the only way to be certain what pressure your tires contain, a telltale sign of under inflated tires are squealing when stopping or cornering even at moderate speeds, particularly on warm pavement.

Operating a vehicle with just one tire under-inflated by 20% (8 psi) can reduce the life of the tire by over 9000 miles and can increase the vehicle's fuel consumption by 4%. Tires are permeable and can lose up to 2 psi (pounds of pressure) per month. More air is lost in hot weather as the pores in the tire material expand.

Since heat can accelerate air loss in a tire, it is important to note that when a tire is under inflated, the tire flexes and bends more than it would normally. The extra flexing and bending builds up heat. With the additional heat a tire that is under inflated will lose air at greater and greater rate.

There is more bad new concerning under inflated tires and gas consumption. Under inflation also causes the tire to increase rolling resistance. That means the motor has to work harder to move the car and that also increases fuel consumption. Also the extra flexing and bending can weaken the tire walls which could lead to sudden tire failure.

You should make it a habit to measure the air pressure in your tires at least once every month. When you measure your tire pressure the tires need to be cold. A tire on a car is considered "Cold" if the car has not been driven more than 1 mile or the car has been sitting still for at least three hours.

Keep a pressure gauge in your car and check the tires often. By maintaining your tires at the correct inflation levels you could save between $100.00 and $200.00 per year in fuel. Of course in addition to saving gas, maintaining the correct tire pressure could also prevent tire damage that could lead to serious accidents.

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Information about the Author:

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the gas pump. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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