Instead of hunting around for the best gas price in town, try checking the air pressure in your tires. Proper tire air pressure results in better gas mileage, which can save you around $340 annually and will conserve approximately 144 gallons of gasoline.1
Studies indicate that about 80 percent of us are driving around with under-inflated tires! How do you know what the pressure should be? Look for a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or in the glove box and in your owner's manual. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. Automotive technicians advise drivers to check tire pressure monthly and when tires are cold.
And if saving money isn't a big enough incentive for monthly tire checks, how about helping the environment?
A vehicle with properly inflated tires consumes less fuel, which results in less air pollution and carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. When tires are not inflated to the recommended pounds per square inch (PSI), they are less “round” and because there is more resistance and drag on the road, they require more energy (gasoline) to begin moving and to maintain speed. When one gallon of gasoline is burned, close to 20 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere as the carbons in the gasoline are released and combine with oxygen in the air. A vehicle running on soft tires may contribute as much as 1.5 extra tons of greenhouse gases into the environment annually.
In addition, properly inflated tires also wear more evenly and will last longer. Longer lasting tires save you money, and also delay the need for waste tire disposal, which, if not done properly, can be an environmental and fire hazard.
How about your safety?
Besides saving fuel and money and minimizing emissions, properly inflated tires are safer and less likely to fail at high speeds. Under-inflated tires make for longer stopping distances when braking and will skid longer on wet surfaces.
Tire care is simple, easy, and will save you $$$. Properly inflated tires increase safety and reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions - emissions that pollute the environment and affect human health.
Check out other money saving tips at: www.fueleconomy.gov.
1 If you do the math to calculate the extra fuel cars consume due to under-inflated tires, consider the Environmental Protection Agency standard that a 1% loss of fuel efficiency occurs for every 2 PSI of air under the maximum level. Add to that the 2003 Department of Energy report that states that vehicles average 22.3 miles per gallon and 12,242 miles per year.
