With winter approaching, it’s wise to start preparing for the cold season early on. Besides making sure that your house is properly insulated to keep you warm during the following months, you most certainly want to have your car ready for snowy and icy roads.
So the first thing to consider is replacing your all-season tires with snow tires. To save money on gas, it’s important to know a few things about snow tires and gas mileage. Here are a few tips on how to improve gas mileage of snow tires.
Make Sure Your Tires Are Properly Inflated
Evidence shows that about one in two drivers fail to inflate their tires adequately, which is both unsafe and detrimental for the vehicle. Moreover, failing to have optimal air pressure in your tires negatively influences your gas mileage. Under-inflated tires are subject to more road friction, which is bad for gas mileage.
Check the air pressure in your tires from time to time. Make sure they are inflated as per manufacturers’ recommendations. You can do that with a tire pressure gauge, readily available in auto parts stores and gas stations. You can also have your tires checked at an auto repair shop. Make sure you check all the tires to make sure they’re equally inflated.
Choose Your Tires Wisely
Snow tires are specially designed to make driving through snow easier, but gas mileage is affected. To minimize this effect, you can consider using steel belted tires, which will improve your gas mileage during winter time.
Another aspect to keep in mind when it comes to gas mileage of snow tires is the rolling resistance of the tire. A tire with low rolling resistance is better for your gas mileage. The same goes for wide or studded tires.
Check Your Car’s Balance
After you’ve fitted your snow tires in readiness for winter, take your vehicle to an auto repair shop and have a mechanic check the alignment and balance of your car’s wheels. Proper alignment and balance means lower gas consumption.
While it’s important to keep all parts of your vehicle well maintained, it’s advisable to give the tires a high degree of attention. This way you’ll be safe and benefit from the best possible gas mileage of snow tires.
Need Help?
If you need expert advice on how to choose the best snow tires and have them installed, TalkLocal can put you in contact with a local professional right away.
