WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

October 7th, 2005

Fifty Ways to Cut Automotive Fuel Costs Doubling Your Gas Mileage-A Nine Part Series Part 9 of 9

TTires Can Save 5 Percent in Fuel Costs, Especially if you Inate with Nitrogen and Use Low Roll Resistance Tires. Keeping tires inated is considered one easy way to improve fuel mileage. Double that up with low roll resistance tires, based on silane technology and gas mileage can be expected to improve further. So what is the right pres-sure and the right gas to inate your tires with. Race car drivers swear by nitrogen to maintain a consistent tire pressure and tire companies say the right tire pressure is critical to maximize fuel consumption. Tire companies often site studies from the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation and Safety Agency) that indicate that for eevery 3.3 pounds per square inch your tire is under inated your car will lose one percent in fuel efficiency. As well, under inated tires also result in poor tire wear, increasing your costs even further. According to Owen Schiano, brand director for Uniroyal Tire, "Making sure tires are properly inated is one of the easiest and most important maintenance procedures drivers can do. Properly inated tires last longer, perform better and contrib-ute to greater fuel efficiency."So What is The Right Tire Pressure – It’s Not on the Sidewall, That’s Maximum Pres-sure

According to surveys, many don’t know what the right pressure is to obtain optimum gas mileage. The sidewall, according to UniRoyal, lists the maximum tire pressure, not the recommended tire pressure. The correct pressure is listed on the doorframe of the driver's side. There are two other ways to improve your tire’s gasoline saving contribution. These include the use of silane based tires and inating your gas with nitrogen. Goodyear entered into an agreement with General Electric in 2004 for the development of silane-based low roll resistance tires. So ask your Goodyear dealer which tires are based on silane and which have the lowest roll resistance. N2 Revolu-tion has ition has introduced its nitrogen product for the consumer automotive and bicycle market. Besides improved fuel economy, benets of the nitrogen tires pointed to include better handling and safety. It is expected that even more tire ination technology will enter the market soon. Tire pressure sensors have been mandated into law. So expect to see them in new cars. These tire sensors will automatically report to you if the air pressure is too low, or if your tire has become completely deated. One reason you need to be reminded to check your tire pressure is that over time they tend to lose air. The precise amount depends on the temperature, but a rule of thumb is about 1 1 pound of pressure a month. Bridgestone/Firestone also indicates that a 5 degree Celsius change in temperature results in a change in tire pressure of about 1 psi.