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TIPS & ADVICE

Inflate Your Car's Tires (And Your E-go)

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Boost your gas mileage and fight high gas prices by properly inflating your car tires.
Photo: Nicola Stratford / Istock

By Brian Clark Howard

By keeping your vehicle’s tires inflated to the proper pressure, you will be increasing your fuel economy and extending the life of your rubber, which means more cash in your pocket and more hope for polar bears.

It may not sound like a lot, but for every three pounds that your tires are below their recommended pressure, your fuel economy drops one percent, reports the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Add that up for a nation of deflated rubber, and you can see that we’re blowing money out our, um, tailpipes.

The science behind the savings is called “rolling resistance,” which is a measure of how easily the tire rolls down the road, while minimizing energy wasted as heat. Flabby tires have higher rolling resistance, which wastes more fuel. Some tire manufacturers even market models designed to minimize rolling resistance. See Green Seal’s report on them here.


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