Tire upkeep can boost safety, fuel economy

Roland Jones Business news editor • Profile • E-mail

With summer road trips edging ever closer and the average price of gas nearing $3, manufacturer associations and motorist safety groups are encouraging drivers to pay more attention to an often abused part of their vehicles — the tires.

The punishments meted out on these hoops of rubber that carry us safely down the road can be cruel, tire experts say. Many have worn-down treads that, while they function effectively in dry weather, can lead to dangerous hydroplaning in the wet, and plenty more vehicles have tires that are under-inflated, or overloaded, according to Matt Edmonds, vice president of the Tire Rack.

“It’s really all about maintaining air pressure — that’s how you get the best wear, fuel economy and performance out of your tires,” Edmonds said. “We use the simile of tires and shoes,” he added. “Those old shoes you’re wearing may feel comfy, but you don’t realize there’s a hole in bottom until you wear them out in the rain.”

If you haven’t so much as kicked your tires in the last few months, the Rubber Manufacturers Association, a trade association for the rubber products industry, wants you to pay them some much-needed attention. The RMA launches its fifth annual National Tire Safety Week this week, teaming with tire retailers, auto dealers, safety advocates and state government agencies to help drivers learn simple steps to ensure that their tires are in good working condition.

Here are some startling statistics: A RMA survey found that each month three out of four drivers wash their car, but only about one in five correctly checks tire pressure, while more than 80 percent of drivers do not know how to properly check tire pressure.

What’s more, about one in every three cars has a significantly under inflated tire, and 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries occur every year as a result of low tire pressure-related crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). At the same time, the AAA says it receives about 4 million roadside assistance calls each year due to tire-related incidents.

“Not enough drivers are taking proper care of their tires and that can have an effect on vehicle safety,” said Donald Shea, President and CEO of the RMA. “Properly inflated tires promote safety, help tires last longer and maximize fuel efficiency.”

With the price of gasoline projected to rise over the summer, increasing fuel efficiency might be a prudent reason to pamper your rims. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure the U.S. Department of Energy estimates. For every pound per square inch that all four of a vehicle’s tires are under-inflated, a driver’s gas mileage is lowered by 0.4 percent.

With the price of gas projected to rise over the summer, it pays to pamper your rims. Some 3.56 million gallons of gas are wasted each day because of incorrectly-inflated tires according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure the DOE estimates. For every pound per square inch that all four of a vehicle’s tires are under-inflated, a driver’s gas mileage is lowered by 0.4 percent the DOE says.

An under-inflated tire increases rolling resistance, which cuts a vehicle’s fuel efficiency, and with an estimated 80 percent of drivers unable to check the pressure in their tires it’s not beyond the bounds of reason to think billions of gallons of gasoline are wasted on American roads each year, notes Edmonds at the Tire Rack.

“It’s pretty incredible when you think about it,” he said. “Typically, people come out of the winter under-inflated, and you might not have checked your tire pressure since the 30 degree weather,” he said. For every 10 degrees of temperature change you see about 1 pound of pressure change, and a tire loses about 1 pound every 60 days in natural depletion.”

Tire pressure is important, but there are actually better ways consumers can save money at the pump, according to Phil Reed, consumer advice editor at automobile information Web site Edmunds.com.

“The greatest enemy is aggressive acceleration and braking,” he said. Moderate drivers can save up to 37 percent of their fuel costs if they simply ease off the gas pedal, said Reed. Other tips to save on gas include clearing out the clutter in your trunk, and reducing your cruising speed to 65 miles per hour from 75 miles per hour would also mean gas savings of about 11 percent. “And you’ll save on speeding tickets too,” he quipped.

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