Your tires are meant to keep you safe on the road. Their traction helps your vehicle start, stop, and maneuver on the road. However, this also provides road resistance, which can send your gas bill skyrocketing. Thankfully, it is possible to have safety on the road while saving money on fuel. Here is everything you need to know about fuel-efficient tires.
What Are Fuel-Efficient Tires?
Low rolling resistance tires (also known as fuel-efficient tires) are tires with treads designed to improve gas mileage. Fuel-efficient tires require less energy (and less fuel) to move at the same pace as other tires.
How Do Energy-Efficient Tires Work?
Tires have several different design considerations that can impact how they perform, including:
- Tire tread patterns
- Composition of tire rubber
- Thickness of tires
- Tire sizes
…and more. For example, winter tires are designed to capture snow and slush in threads of the tread, helping maintain traction in slippery conditions.
Fuel-Efficient tire tread is designed to move with the road. The traction grips the road with more friction when turning, maneuvering, and handling. When the tires are facing forward and rolling evenly, the tread is designed to minimize the resistance.
How Much Gas Do You Save With Fuel-Efficient Tires?
So how much gas can you save with low rolling resistance tires? On average, drivers will save 5% of gas costs each year; however, some estimates suggest fuel-efficient tires can provide up to 15% in fuel savings. This can amount to hundreds of dollars in savings each year and up to thousands in savings over the lifespan of your tires.
Other Ways to Save Gasoline
You can take every gallon of gas further with these other fuel-saving tips:
- Vehicle Services: Maintaining proper vehicle care can help it run efficiently—while saving you money on repairs in the long run.
- Inflated tires: Make sure your tires are fully inflated to boost your fuel economy. You can read more in our full guide to low tire pressure here.
- Good driving habits: According to the US Department of Energy, you can save up to 33% of gas by adjusting your driving habits. This switch includes avoiding unnecessarily rapid acceleration, harsh braking, and speeding.
- Remove extra cargo: Lugging around extra weight can weigh down your vehicle—resulting in fuel waste.
- Mindful heating and cooling: At low speeds, rolling your windows down is the most fuel-efficient way to cool down your vehicle. At higher speeds, your HVAC system is most efficient. You can read more in our guide to affordably running car AC.
Fuel-Efficient Tires Near Me
Chapel Hill Tire has a comprehensive selection of new tires for you to choose from—including fuel-efficient tires. We proudly serve the greater Triangle area with 9 locations across Apex, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham. Our professional mechanics also serve nearby communities, including Knightdale, Cary, Pittsboro, Wake Forest, Hillsborough, Morrisville, and beyond. We welcome you to make an appointment, browse our coupons, or give us a call to get started today!