Why Under Inflated Tyres Increase Your Fuel Bills

As everyone’s favourite suppliers of car tyres in South Auckland, we often have people calling in with questions about our favourite subject! A lot of those questions have to do with tyre pressure. One of the more common is this one: why does my car use up more petrol if my tyres aren’t inflated properly?

We’re keen for our valued clients to drive on tyres that are inflated to the correct pressure and saving money on fuel is one of the reasons why. If your tyres are under-inflated, their rolling resistance increases. This means your tyres require more energy (or fuel) to make them turn. We often ask our customers to think back to when they were young and their bike was their mode of transport. Remember how difficult it was to ride a bicycle with flat, under-inflated tyres? That’s what rolling resistance is all about, and the same principle applies to cars.

When you drive on tyres that are underinflated, fuel efficiency can be reduced by up to 4% – this is like adding another 8 – 10 cents per litre to your fuel costs. If you drive a battery-powered electric vehicle, higher rolling resistance will likely affect your range and you’ll be recharging your car more than you should. Those cents per litre add up over the course of a year, while the inconvenience of frequent charging is something you could certainly live without – but there are more reasons why under-inflated tyres should be avoided at all costs.

When your tyres are under-inflated, the contact with the road surface is concentrated towards the two outer edges of the tread. This leads to rapid wear on the shoulders and reduces the life of your tyres. Plus, if the pressure is too low, too much of the tyre’s surface area touches the road and increases friction. This increased friction can cause the tires to overheat, which can cause premature wear, tread separation and even blowouts.

There you go. Some of your questions about under-inflated tyres answered! Maintaining the correct pressure in your tyres is very important, so we recommend you follow the manufacturer’s pressure specifications to the letter. Just check the numbers on the tyre to inflate to the correct level. If you’re unsure about how to do that, or if you have any other tyre-related questions, get in touch. As South Auckland tyre specialists, we know a thing or two about the subject and we’ll happily share our knowledge with you. So contact us, and ask away!