We all know the way in which we drive can change our car’s fuel economy, but one of the biggest keys to getting great gas mileage is often overlooked: your car’s tires.
According to Mark Chung, director of corporate strategy at Yokohama Tire Corporation, most consumers don’t know how car tires can help get better fuel economy. In Yokohama’s latest Tire Tips YouTube video, Chung lists some of the things that can negatively affect fuel economy -- such as an overloaded car, under-inflated tires or misaligned wheels -- but he says it all comes back to one simple thing: rolling resistance.
In this short 3 minute video, Chung explains what rolling resistance is, why it needs to be low in order to move with the least possible energy, and why it’s so difficult to have a low rolling resistance car tire which also grips properly in the rain.
Naturally, Chung is also keen to point out how Yokohama has developed a car tire compound which it believes offers excellent low-rolling resistance properties for highway travel while simultaneously giving high grip under breaking.
The key feature? Orange oil and natural rubber, which apparently help the tire to soften up under braking in order to give good grip.
At the end of the video, Chung shows viewers how to correctly check their car tire pressure, as well as impart some tire-industry wisdom to ensure that customers get the highest possible mileage out of their car’s tires.
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