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Old 05-16-2012, 12:12 AM   #363 (permalink)
michael.long8
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Questioning the payoff for hypermiling tip # 8

original thread:
HTML Code:
8) Check tire inflation regularly 
Make sure that your tire pressures are, at minimum, set to manufacturer specifications. The higher the pressure, the less rolling resistance.

Remember that pressure is affected by ambient temperature. As temperature drops, so does your tire pressure, so keep track as the seasons change.
my post:
I am aware that properly inflated tires do increase mileage over tires that are underinflated; however, as indicated above, higher pressure equates to lower rolling resistance, which leads to my question. Has anyone done a real-life study to see how much sooner their tires wear out because of overinflation? Also, does the tradeoff for premature wear offset any savings you might see at the gas pump? I have inflated my truck tires about 3 psi over the manufacturer's recommended psi, and now I'm showing a noticeable amount of premature tire wear in the center of the tread. Mind you, I'm only talking about a max psi of 35 psi versus a recommend psi of 32. My concern is that now I have increased my mileage by 1 mile per gallon by overinflating, and I've shortened the treadlife of my tire by approximately 5-10,000 miles, or more. That's by no means a science; it's just an estimate on both accounts.

Label me curious.

Thanks in advance.
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