Improving Your Drive: Pablo's Perspective
By PABLO PEREIRA
Updated 1:40 PM PST, Fri, Oct 17, 2008
If you're looking for a simple way to save on gas, the answer is right under your feet when you drive. Recent studies have suggested that 9 out of 10 cars on the road run with under-inflated tires. That alone is wasting something in the neighborhood of 2 billion gallons of gas each year. How simple. Just check your tires each time you fill up and think of all the gas we could save and less pollution in the air.
Many people would say that gas stations are not what they used to be. No full service - and most motorists always in a hurry neglect such an easy energy saver. Did you know that most tire shops will check and fill your tire air free of charge for the asking? OK, there is the lecture... now what about an alternative?
For years, commercial airlines, big rigs and race cars have been using an alternative to putting air in their tires. Because they travel so far so often, they needed something that did not break down as quickly as air does in tires. So nitrogen has been the alternative of choice. Why nitrogen? It does not heat and cool like regular air, meaning that tires stay at a constant inflation level at all times. That's important, because your tires do not under inflate nearly as fast, which means better gas mileage and longer tire life. Car dealerships began offering nitrogen as an alternative to regular air about a year ago. Some charge for it, as much as 50 bucks while others provide it as a free service to their customers. The jury is still out on just how much better your gas mileage becomes when using nitrogen rather than air in your tires. But if people would just take the time to check their tire pressure, it likely would not be much of an issue.
First Published: Oct 16, 2008 12:49 PM PST
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