Pump It Up
Keep Your Vehicle’s Tires Properly Inflated
HOW
Tires lose air over time. Unless you’re keeping an eye on them, chances are your tires are under-inflated. Next time you fill up your gas tank check your tire pressure and add air if necessary. The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner's manual. Filling up your tires at a gas station is usually free or costs less than a dollar!
WHY
You can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. That 3 percent may not seem like much but over the course of a year that is an extra 360 miles that the average vehicle could drive on the same amount of gas. Additionally, properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.
Math and Assumptions
- An increase in fuel efficiency of 3 percent from properly inflating tires. Source: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
- Emission factors based on EPA's estimate of the greenhouse gas emissions from a typical passenger vehicle in the United States. Source: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05004.htm
- Cost of gasoline ($2.80) is calculated using a 3 year national average (2007-2010) Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_history.html
- Estimates of the typical values for fuel economy (20.4mpg) and miles driven per week (231) are from the Federal Highway Administration's Highway Statistics. Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/pdf/vm1.pdf
For more on how Do Your Part! calculates Co2 savings, please visit our Carbon Accounting page.
