by Richard Serra

Created on: October 29, 2009

There were two instances that proved to me how much tires can effect gas mileage, and it never came to mind that trying to improve the ride by having under inflated tires would be such a waste of gas and power. It wasn't until I was trying to ride a bike with extremely low pressure that I could understand just how much more energy or power it took to move the bike. It was as though I had two extra people on the bike with me.

Once I inflated the tires, I was able to peddle effortlessly. Not only that, but the handling was greatly enhanced. The same thing when taking a motorcycle out after a long winters storage, the tires were a little low, and the cycle was extremely hard to control going around corners, or trying to negotiate lane changes or tight turns.

As if that were not enough of a clue, I had to use one of those hand carts, the type that are used to move large appliances or heavy loads. The tires were under inflated, and it was nearly impossible to move anything of moderate weight, much less something very heavy. Once I inflated the tires, I was able maneuver the cart as well as push it along with ease.

They say experience is the best teacher, and by just experiencing how much tire pressure can cause such problems as I've described, I'd say that this is what it took to get me to understand how important the right pressure is. It's just that in a car, the handling is slightly off, but the ride is softer with underinflated tires, but you really couldn't tell how much power was being robbed and causing poor mileage.

This is because unlike peddling a bike, or pushing a hand cart which requires effort on my part, the engine of a car just pushes ahead without effort, therefore never giving any indication as to how much power is actually being wasted as a result of low tire pressure. That said, it's obvious why tires can have a positive or negative effect on gas mileage, depending on whether or not they are inflated properly.

Perhaps one noticeable thing about low pressure is if your driving a sports car without power steering. Turning the steering wheel when trying to park or maneuver in a tight space can prove to be very demanding. As a matter of fact, the narrower the tire, the harder the steering. You'd think it would be the opposite. This is because there is more of a footprint to distribute the weight of the car, therefore requiring less effort to steer.

Of course a wider tire is much better for control, ride, steering, handling, as well as looking good

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