As the cost of living continues to rise, Australian motorists are seeking practical ways to save money. One often overlooked aspect is improving fuel economy, and there are a number of low and no cost ways in which your car’s tyres can help improve your fuel economy, leaving a little extra in the household budget at the end of the week.
Monitor Tyre Pressures
One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve fuel economy is by regularly checking tyre pressures. Underinflated tyres create excess friction, resulting in increased fuel consumption.
We’ve spoken at length about keeping your tyres inflated to the recommended tyre pressures listed on your vehicle’s tyre placard, and the regularity with which you should check - try and remember to check every fourth time you fill up with fuel, it only takes a few minutes!
Get Aligned
Another crucial step for maximising tyre life and performance is a wheel alignment and balance by a Technician at a Toyo Tires Dealer. Balancing and alignment should be done at least once a year, depending on your annual mileage, and immediately if you notice vibrations through the steering wheel, or the car pulling in one direction.
By investing in this regular maintenance, Australian motorists can extend the lifespan of their tyres, optimise fuel economy and potentially save money in the long run.
Choose The Right Tyres
As well as employing good tyre health management strategies, simply choosing the right tyre pattern can make a huge difference to the cost of commuting.
This is exceptionally relevant to the 4x4 and off-road crowd who might have a set of giant, heavy muddy tyres for their weekend adventures. Simply changing back to a lighter and smaller diameter set of wheels and tyres - like a more sedate set of Open Country A/T III or even all the way back to the OEM wheels and tyres - will result in a noticeable increase in fuel economy, and save your muddies from suffering undue wear from daily driving kilometres.
This same principal can be applied to passenger vehicles and SUVs as well - a commuter car like a Toyota Camry can easily improve their fuel economy by switching to a low rolling resistance tyre like our Proxes C100 Plus or NanoEnergy 3, while a premium SUV tyre like the Open Country Q/T can deliver fuel economy improvements too.
Extra Economy Tips
Below are a list of easy ways you can alter your driving style to deliver improvements in fuel economy, and extend the life of your tyres:
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Smooth driving: smoother acceleration and linear braking by driving to the traffic conditions can improve fuel economy. Your driving style could be costing you more than 1L/100km of excess fuel usage!
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Remove excess weight: it can pay to rationalise what you’re carrying around in your car with you. Some estimates suggest that you can save up to 0.5L/100km by removing 100kg of weight from the car.
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Plan your trip: wherever possible, plan your trip to avoid congestion and places you know you’ll be idle for extended periods of time. Highway fuel economy is always going to be lower than urban figures, so try to keep moving at a moderate pace for the best bang for your buck.
As the cost of living continues to rise, there’s no need to trade in your four wheels for a seat on public transport or pedal power just yet! With a few easily implemented tyre management practices and some concessions to driving style, it’s possible to curb your fuel economy and see real world savings straight away.
