- Ever wondered why the tyres of your car are the way it is? Like why is it circular? Couldn’t it be square or at least spherical? Why is it made of rubber? Why is it filled with air? We could try something else, say water for example. The simple answer to all these questions is “optimization”. These were put in place to ensure movement is seamless on the road.
Tyres play a very important role in cars. The safety of the car and its occupants are highly dependent on the tyres of the car. Apart from safety, the right style of tyres can affect the rate of fuel consumption and reduce it by 5%-15%.
Reducing the amount of fuel burnt doesn’t only cut costs on your end, but benefits the environment by discharging fewer emissions into the air, thereby saving the planet.
Here are 5 Ways tyres can help you save fuel:
1. Inflation:
Inflation in tyres is the amount of air pressure present in the tyres. There is just the right amount of air pressure that allows the tyres to perform optimally. Underinflation causes a larger contact area between the tyres and the road, this causes more friction and causes you to use more fuel.
Overinflation on the other hand makes the tyre have too little contact area with the road. It causes the engine to do extra work while burning extra fuel. The optimal inflation of tyres ranges typically between 32 and 40 psi (pressure per square inch²).
2. Tread:
The tread refers to the combination of ridges and rubber on the surface of the tyre. When tyres are worn out, it has more than an essential amount of rubber in contact with the road surface. This increases the rolling resistance of the car. That translates to more than an essential amount of fuel being burnt. The right amount of tread helps you save fuel.
3. Size:
The size of your tyres also affects your fuel consumption. Larger wheels are heavy, decreasing your fuel efficiency. In normal driving mode, smaller ones have smaller rolling resistance and reduce the amount of fuel needed to move, however, if you do a lot of freeway driving at high speeds, then a bigger tyre is preferred.
4. Type:
There are basically 2 types of tyres – low-rolling resistance and all-season. The low resistance ones make use of a lesser amount of fuel. Overcoming rolling resistance using small tyres can reduce your fuel consumption by 5-15% as they are designed to have good traction, making it safer to drive in wet and dry conditions.
5. Age:
The age of your driving tyres adversely affects the amount of fuel needed to move. Old and worn-out wheels would cost you more engine power to bring about movement. Due to the different driving conditions and climate, manufacturers cannot place a cap on the age limit of tyres. However, it is advised to be checked every year once the tyre is older than 5 years. On average, they have been seen to last between 6 and 10 years.
In conclusion, investing in a great deal for quality tyres that best suit your driving needs and terrain may seem a little expensive at the moment, however, in the long run, it will prove to be cheaper due to saved cost on fuel, plus you would be saving the environment.
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