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A Tip for Summer Driving:Save $200 in Gas by Checking Your Tires

By: Scott Siegel One of the fastest ways to rob a vehicle of good gas mileage is to ignore the tires. There are many different ways that tires can affect the fuel economy of your car. Checking that you are riding on correctly inflated tires is one of the easiest ways to save money on fuel.

Statistics provided by the Energy Information Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, support that it is possible to save between $100.00 to $200.00 per year by avoiding under inflated tires. Of course your individual savings is based upon how many miles you drive and how under inflated your tires are.

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 increase the vehicle's fuel consumption by 4%. In addition it can reduce the life of the tire by over 9000 miles. Tires are permeable, meaning that air can and does leach through the tire walls. A tire can lose up to 2 psi (pounds of pressure) per month. This is even more critical in summer as more air is lost in hot weather as the pores in the tire material expand.

When a tire is under inflated, the sides of a tire bend and flex too much. This builds up heat. As stated earlier heat can accelerate air loss in tires. So an under inflated tire will continue to lose air at an increasing 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.

To maintain proper inflation levels, measure the air pressure in your vehicle's tires at least once a month. Measure your tire pressure when your tires are cold. "Cold" means that a vehicle has been stationary for at least three hours or has not been driven more than 1 mile.

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.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Scott Siegel has written a 143 page book of automotive industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump. Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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