Tire Pressure and Fuel Economy

With the rising gas prices and the anxiety about rapidly diminishing fuel reserves, it is a good idea to go ahead and do something about your car. The best thing to do is to get hold of some mileage saving means which will enable you to save some money. Saving gas has become a great challenge nowadays and you have to work out a way to ensure that you do your bit by using an environment friendly way to run your car.

One of the easiest ways to save fuel is to have tires with correct tire pressures. Although most of us are under the impression that our tires have the correct amount of pressure, the truth is quite the contrary. There are factors like wear and tear; seasonal temperature changes and weather which make the car lose about one to two pounds per square inch each month. Although this seems to be quite an insignificant number, you will be alarmed to know that 1 psi loss in four tires means that your miles per gallon will decrease by almost 0.04%.

This means that you need to be very careful about your tire pressure in order to ensure that you get a great mileage out of your car. Tire pressure variations can affect your mileage and the sooner you understand it the better for you.

Given below are some tips which you can look at in order to see if your tires have the right amount of pressure:

1. There should be a sign on the inside of the driver's door of your car or in the glove box indicating the correct tire pressure for your car. In case you cannot find it, call your car company and get the accurate number from them immediately.

2. Though some stickers will not specify 'cold tire pressure', you need to ensure that the tires are cold, which means that they haven't been used for the past few hours.

3. The psi number marked on the tires stand for the maximum pressure that the tires can undertake. You need not consider it to be the ideal pressure for your car tires.

4. In order to know the tire pressure, always use a digital gauge. It is the best way in which you can get the exact pressure and settle the pressure of the tires accordingly.

Always keep checking the inflation of your tires as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that as many as 30% of cars and trucks do not have the correct amount of inflation. Do not ever judge the inflation and tire pressure of your cars on the basis of their visual appearance because it can be extremely deceptive, to say the least. Go for regular checks which will enable you to understand the correct amount of pressure and air required for your car. In this manner, you will be able to save quite a substantial amount of fuel by getting better mileage out of your car.