Tire Pressure and Fuel Economy

Maintaining tire pressure saves You fuel, so saves you money

One of the primary reasons why motorists save money by maintaining proper tire inflation: Tires that wear evenly last longer before needing repair or replacement. In fact, some tire manufacturers advise that just 5 psi below placard pressure could lessen a tire's tread life by as much as 25%. Because a typical tire may also lose 1 to 2 psi a month if not checked and adjusted, uninformed motorists may be heading faster toward tire replacement than necessary.

But having the right tire pressure can also save you money at the pump. According to FuelEconomy.gov, a joint Web site of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), underinflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3% for every 0,07 bar drop in all four tires. The DOE estimates that 1,35 million liters of gas are wasted each day because of incorrectly inflated tires and advises motorists that they can improve gas mileage by approximately 3.3% by keeping tires inflated to the proper pressure.

In Europe, the European Union reports that an under-inflation of 40 kPa produces an increase of fuel consumption of 2%. This impacts also tire life by a decrease of its lifetime by 25%. The European Union concludes that tire under-inflation today is responsible for over 20 million liters of unnecessarily-burned fuel, dumping over 2 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, and for 200 million tires being prematurely wasted worldwide.

Fuel Savings Calculator (US units)

Check out our fuel savings calculator to see how much you might save by maintaining proper tire pressure on your vehicle.