Yes, Proper Tire Inflation Actually Saves Money At The Pump

Immediately after Barack Obama made the statement about keeping tires on cars inflated properly to save gas, McCain scoffed at the ridiculousness of the statement. I don’t know about McCain as a daddy, but my dad gave me this bit of advice when I was learning to drive. Keep your tires inflated, keep your car tuned up, he always said.

“There are things that you can do individually, though, to save energy,” Obama said in the July 30, 2008, appearance. “Making sure your tires are properly inflated — simple thing. But we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires, and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much.”

Sen. John McCain and his allies — who advocate lifting the federal moratorium that bans drilling in some areas of the Outer Continental Shelf off the U.S. coasts — immediately mocked Obama for the claim. The McCain campaign even offered to send “Obama Energy Plan” tire gauges to anyone who sent in a donation of $25 or more. — PolitiFact.com

McCain finally admitted today that yes, proper tire inflation is beneficial to your gas mileage.

The tires on your vehicle are designed to perform safely, but to do their job correctly, tires need regular maintenance. Under or over inflated tires can cause handling problems – the tires may not accelerate, brake, or steer properly.

Properly inflated tires will also help a vehicle to run more efficiently. The average American driver could save the equivalent of two weeks worth of gas every year.

One gallon of gas used by a vehicle results in the release of 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the environment. Proper tire inflation helps increase fuel efficiency thereby reducing these greenhouse gas emissions.

Properly maintained tires will last longer, keeping them out of the landfill for a longer period of time, and could save the cost of a couple of sets of tires over the life of a vehicle. Of course not driving so often will accomplish the same thing.

So there are more reasons to take care of your tires than just saving gas.