| There are many differing opinions as to whether your | | | | pressure and improve their gas mileage. The trade off |
| tires should be inflated to the max cold pressure, or | | | | is you lose some of the tires adherence to the road |
| even if you should over inflate them in order to | | | | (grip). Caution: This could make an accident more likely, |
| increase gas mileage. Over inflation reduces the | | | | particularly if you drive aggressively or operate a |
| resistance of the tire traveling over the road. Less | | | | performance vehicle. |
| resistance means increased fuel economy. The | | | | Remember though, over inflating your tires too much is |
| question is, how much should you over inflate from the | | | | going to cause them to wear out sooner. If you do |
| recommended inflation pressure? | | | | have to replace your tires, consider energy saving |
| One proponent of over inflation is Wayne Gerdes, | | | | replacements. Under federal fuel-economy standards, |
| who is a “hypermiler”. Hypermiling is a term | | | | automakers equip new vehicles with tires that have a |
| refers to a set of techniques used to maximize fuel | | | | lower rolling resistance, which leads to higher fuel |
| economy. Those who practice the techniques are | | | | efficiency. |
| referred to as "hypermilers." The term was originally | | | | By requiring replacement tires to be as efficient as |
| coined by Wayne, who is considered by the media to | | | | new car tires, gasoline savings would begin |
| be one of the top hypermilers in the world. He is | | | | immediately. "Low rolling resistance tires" cost |
| known to hold the record for gas mileage in some | | | | consumers only $5 to $12 more than conventional tires. |
| common vehicles, including 30 mpg in an Acura MDX | | | | But within a year, the average driver would recover |
| and 59 MPG in a Honda Accord. | | | | the additional cost of the more efficient tires, and over |
| Many others inflate their tires to the maximum. In fact | | | | the 50,000-mile life of the tires, the typical driver would |
| it is somewhat of a joke among the hybrid car crowd | | | | see a return of $50 to $150. |
| (and hypermilers) about how high they can get the | | | | |