ALT-2 Gas Mileage and Tires
Tires and Gas Mileage are inextricably linked yet most drivers never give their tires a second thought or glance!
There are numerous aspects of car use and abuse and the particular driving style of the driver that contribute to the level of gas consumption. Tires, which are generally the most neglected of essential equipment, play a much more important role than is understood by the everyday driver. In extreme cases, where there are many faults evident in a particular car and the service history (cycle) is something that has long since warranted attention; it is surprising that the car will move at all.
Tire Faults
Cars have an uncanny knack of sitting down for the slightest reason, usually totally unfathomable by even the keenest of mechanics and yet for some owners they will continue to chug away with a litany of faults. Tire faults tend to be more visible however.
A tire fault is usually quite easily identifiable even to the untrained eye, the problem being that tires usually don't even warrant a fleeting glance. While the tires are begging for attention, behind the scenes the fuel consumption is going through the roof.
Tire abuse and lack of tire maintenance however, is probably the top contender in contributing to excessive gas consumption. Probably the main reason for the total indifference to tire care by the average driver is that in general tires are not that expensive and so do not figure prominently in the top ten list of things to be concerned about until it's obvious that the car wont move with a flat tire.
The key to successful tire care is a visual inspection daily which will, with practice, highlight several problems that contribute to excessive fuel consumption.
Tire Pressures
Under inflation leads to very rapid tire wear, poor road holding and excessive drag which leads to excessive gas mileage. The substantial friction between the under inflated tire and the road requires greater power out put to move the car along, using more fuel in the process.
Over inflation, while also leading to severe and rapid tire wear, is less likely to have such an effect on the fuel usage but quite a disastrous effect on road holding particularly in the wet. Failure to increase tire pressures with a heavier load and a long journey in prospect will also increase resistance and lead to greater fuel usage.
Foreign Bodies
Failure to get down and dirty, literally, to inspect a tire can lead to a common problem with tires that of picking up a nail which will mean a slow but steady loss of pressure daily to the tune of approximately 6psi.This then creates the drag which leads to increased fuel consumption. If this foreign body is not spotted and it's often difficult to recognize, then the tire will probably be flat in about five or six days and could very well be destroyed at that point as the nail digs into a sidewall. During this expiry process the increased drag will continually impact on fuel usage
A simple visual check from behind the car from a short distance will quite often show that the tire is not fully inflated as the profile will appear slightly different to the other tires.
Badly Worn Tires
Tires that are partly worn lead to greater stopping distances when the brakes are applied thus wasting fuel and those that are badly worn further aggravate this situation, quite apart from the safety aspect. Using the simple eco driving skill of coming off the gas pedal well in advance of a situation where the car has to be brought to a halt, is great for minimizing brake wear and fuel consumption but not advisable with worn tires.
With tires in excellent shape and properly inflated, much less gas pedal pressure needs to be used to maintain a given speed after suitable momentum is reached and this eco driving skill will provide substantial fuel savings if practiced to perfection.
Remember every second your foot is on the gas pedal fuel is being burnt and every second it is not, fuel is being conserved.
