Saving Money: Where The Rubber Hits The Road
Sometimes the small things add up. This time it was something simple, but potentially costly. My spouse mentioned that someone noticed a low tire on our vehicle while I was out driving, so I pulled over to check it out. Sure enough, the passenger side rear tire was very low.
As I pumped it back up, I inspected the tread. It had the tell-tale wear on the outer parts of the tread – a sign that it had been below proper pressure for some time. This could hurt me three ways:
- Fuel economy. be tire smart! Has tips on tire inflation and mentions this. As of this writing gas is about $2.50 (or more) in the US. Every gallon counts.
- Longer tread life. Improperly inflated tires wear faster than inflated ones. Goodyear has some nice pictures of under and over inflated tires. The tires on my vehicle are NOT cheap. I don’t look forward to replacing any of them early – which is what I’m going to have to do.
- Safety. One cannot put a value on life. Tires are (or at least should be) your only contact with the road.
Of course, you should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your vehicle and tires — which is what I need to do more carefully.
