Too much air in your tires can be equally dangerous – and not only due to possible blowouts. Over inflating a tire can reduce the size of the "contact patch" that all-important section of rubber where your tire meets the road. Too much air can actually lift the front and back of the contact patch, shortening the length of tread that's actually gripping the road. The shorter patch is also more prone to hydroplaning as fewer treads are engaged in channelling away water.
The sidewalls of your tire also suffer from the effects of too much air. Designed to provide a specific amount of flex, or roll during turning manoeuvres in order to keep that contact patch on the road, a sidewall that's become too stiff from over-inflation can cause the tire to break free, or skid.
Your tires can save you money
Look after your tires and they'll repay you, not only by lasting longer, but by reducing the number of visits you make to the gas station!
In addition to ensuring even wear and longer tread life, a properly inflated tire can actually save you money at the pumps. In the last few years, vehicles have been increasingly more fuel-efficient – thanks to more stringent regulations and consumer demands. How much fuel a vehicle consumes is directly related to its effort to overcome inertia – or resistance to moving. Low rolling-resistance tires –designed to reduce weight through thinner sidewalls and generally shallower tread depth – are the most fuel-efficient choice.
But every tire will perform better when inflated properly. An under inflated tire is not as round, and will require more effort to get rolling. More effort translates to more fuel expended.
According to www.betiresmart.ca (sponsored by the Rubber Association of Canada and the Government of Canada) every 5% of under-inflation can increase fuel consumption by 1%. Keeping tires properly inflated could add up to hundreds of dollars saved in conserved fuel.
Environmentally speaking
Needless to say, tires that last longer translates into fewer tires ending up as landfill. According to Natural Resources Canada, more than 29 million tires are disposed of there annually. On top of that, an estimated 643 million litres of fuel are wasted as a result of under inflated tires. That extra fuel, when combusted, produces over a million tons of carbon dioxide – emissions that could so easily have been prevented from fouling our environment.
For you, the smart motorist – aware of just how much is riding on your tires – a few minutes of maintenance is no pressure at all.
The sidewalls of your tire also suffer from the effects of too much air. Designed to provide a specific amount of flex, or roll during turning manoeuvres in order to keep that contact patch on the road, a sidewall that's become too stiff from over-inflation can cause the tire to break free, or skid.
Your tires can save you money
Look after your tires and they'll repay you, not only by lasting longer, but by reducing the number of visits you make to the gas station!
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In addition to ensuring even wear and longer tread life, a properly inflated tire can actually save you money at the pumps. In the last few years, vehicles have been increasingly more fuel-efficient – thanks to more stringent regulations and consumer demands. How much fuel a vehicle consumes is directly related to its effort to overcome inertia – or resistance to moving. Low rolling-resistance tires –designed to reduce weight through thinner sidewalls and generally shallower tread depth – are the most fuel-efficient choice.
But every tire will perform better when inflated properly. An under inflated tire is not as round, and will require more effort to get rolling. More effort translates to more fuel expended.
According to www.betiresmart.ca (sponsored by the Rubber Association of Canada and the Government of Canada) every 5% of under-inflation can increase fuel consumption by 1%. Keeping tires properly inflated could add up to hundreds of dollars saved in conserved fuel.
Environmentally speaking
Needless to say, tires that last longer translates into fewer tires ending up as landfill. According to Natural Resources Canada, more than 29 million tires are disposed of there annually. On top of that, an estimated 643 million litres of fuel are wasted as a result of under inflated tires. That extra fuel, when combusted, produces over a million tons of carbon dioxide – emissions that could so easily have been prevented from fouling our environment.
For you, the smart motorist – aware of just how much is riding on your tires – a few minutes of maintenance is no pressure at all.