One of the quickest ways to rob a car of efficient gas consumption is to neglect the tires. There are a number of different ways tires can affect your car's fuel saving performance. Making sure you are riding on properly inflated tires is probably the easiest way to save money on gas. According to statistics provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Administration, the Possible savings of avoiding under inflated tires is between $100.00 to $200.00 per year depending upon how much you drive and how under inflated your tires may be. According to the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency twenty-three per cent (23%) of vehicles have at least one tire under-inflated by more than 20%. Not only do under inflated tires on your vehicle hurt your fuel consumption it can also lead to poor or delayed braking, steering and acceleration. In other words, under inflated tires can be dangerous. Under-inflated tires may squeal 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. 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. Under inflation also causes the tire to increase rolling resistance which also increases fuel consumption. In addition under inflated tires can cause serious damage to the tire walls can 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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One of the quickest ways to rob a car of efficient gas consumption is to neglect the tires. There are a number of different ways tires can affect your car's fuel saving performance. Making sure you are riding on properly inflated tires is probably the easiest way to save money on gas.
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider information 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. Don't reprint the same version as everyone else. Get your own unique content lower gas costs article here.
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