Tire pressure, that is. As of today, I’m going to make sure I check my tire pressure at least four times a year — as the seasons change.
As Larry West says on About.com, “When tires are not inflated to the pounds per square inch (PSI) rating recommended by manufacturers, they are less ’round’ and require more energy to begin moving and to maintain speed. As such, under-inflated tires do indeed contribute to pollution and increase fuel costs.”
According to the website fueleconomy.gov, inflating tires to their proper pressure can improve mileage by about 3%, whereas leaving them under-inflated can lower it by 0.4% for every one PSI drop in pressure.
As West says, this means that the average person driving with under-inflated tires “uses about 144 extra gallons of gas, at a cost of US$300-$500 a year. And each time one of those gallons of gas is burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere as the carbons in the gas are released and combine with the oxygen in the air. As such, any vehicle running on soft tires is contributing as much as 1.5 extra tons (2,880 pounds) of greenhouse gases to the environment annually.”
On top of this, smushy tires can also lead to longer stopping distances, roll-overs and skidding (and as someone who almost ran over her boss once while he was jogging, I can attest that it is very important to be able to brake effectively).
While I acknowledge that I probably shouldn’t be driving a car to begin with, at least when I do, my tires will be treading a bit more lightly on Mother Nature’s back.
Vanessa, thanks for posting this one. It is one thing that I always mean to do, but never “get around to it.” This will be a good reminder, since I visit every day.
Next year our youngest son will be attending a private school for Learning Different kids, and I will be travelling 200 miles per day between his transport and errands for the other two kids. I am thrilled to report that I’ll be doing it in a new Prius, though!
New car, new habits… I like it!
(Thanks for adding me to your Blogroll… you’d be on mine, too, if I could figure out how the hell to make one work! LOL!)
I just found your blog and I love it! I’ve been documenting the changes I’m making this year to be more environmentally-sound in my homelife, though not nearly as ambitious as you
This is an excellent post, and I thought you might like to see this product, which automatically tells you when your air pressure is low.
Hey Lori, it thrills me to no end that you’re investing in a Prius — if I could, I would do the same, but until I get a raise I’m stuck with a VW Beetle. At least it’s cute!
Thanks for the heads-up on that tire pressure alert system, calypso72 — I’ll go look for one next weekend for sure, it’ll definitely make my life easier. And everyone else, check out calypso’s blog too; there’s a link to a fascinating discussion between Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and the CEO of Whole Foods, and right below that is a post linking to an awesome website called Nietzsche Family Circus (’nuff said).
hi ya, Lori – Great infomration you have here. the environmental effect of running car on underinflated tires somewhat eluded me for a while though I would say I am quite aware of the effects in terms of better, even wear and tear of the tires, fuel economy, and most importantly, the safe handling of the vehicle.
So, thanks for the posts and I will be happy to spread the message on making the environment better.
Good day.