Like everybody else who drives, you have been feeling the
squeeze on your pocket book from the rising gas prices. The days
of cheap gas for our automobiles are probably over. And now you
need to know how to make buying that tank of gas less painful.
There are many things you can do to save on your gas bill, and
one thing that may be overlooked is increasing your gas mileage
through your tires. Yes, proper inflation will help slightly,
gives a more comfortable and safer ride, but have you ever
considered inflating your tires with nitrogen?
The newest ingenuity in automobile tires is nitrogen inflation.
Automotive racers (such as NASCAR) use nitrogen instead of air
in their tires because of the many advantageous, the least of
which is improved gas mileage. You can increase you gas
mileage by 5 to 15% simply by filling your tires with
Nitrogen, which can be done at a nominal cost of $3 to $5, and
you won't have to worry nearly as much about properly inflated
tires.
Our air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen and other gases, but by
filling your tires with nitrogen you eliminate the troubles
oxygen has with our tires. Air corrodes aluminum and steel
wheels, causing leaks through valve stems, wheel flanges and
around the tire beads. Air also migrates through rubber. Air
actually escapes through the rubber whether there is a leak or
not. Plus, there is humidity in the air, which accelerates rust
and corrosion. If you have ever wondered how one tire could
"look low" this is why. You could be losing 2 psi a month with
air, compared to taking 6 months with nitrogen. By maintaining
better air pressures, you improve rolling resistance, have
better tread wear and lower your fuel consumption.
Nitrogen tires will also run cooler then tires inflated with
air, which keeps tire pressures more constant (won't increase or
decrease with rising or lowering temperature). You are better
able to keep your tire pressures at the recommended pressure,
which will also improve tire life and gas mileage.
But how much can you really save? Let's say you add nitrogen to
the tires on your full size, regular cab pick-up. You were
getting approximately 15mpg average, and now you are getting a
16mpg average. Doesn't seem like much, but over time can add to
substantial savings. It cost you $3 per tire, or $12 to fill
your tires with nitrogen to get a 6 2/3% increase in your gas
mileage, which equals a 6 2/3% savings on each gallon of gas you
buy. If you are buying gas at $3 per gallon, you save nearly
$.20 per gallon. You will save $3 with each 15 gallon fill
or recoup your expenses after 4 fill-ups. And then you can begin
counting the profits from you quick and easy investment in
nitrogen filled tires.
If you want to save money on gas, just start driving less. If
you can't do that, improve your gas mileage, and one of the
easiest ways you can do that is ride on nitrogen.
Learn how to save more in our age of rising fuel prices at
http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com
About the author:
Justin P. Ertelt is the author of Saving Your Way to
Success and owner of www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com, helping
others reach financial success. You can reach Justin at
Justin@savingyourwaytosuccess.com. To learn more go to
http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com
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