U.S. Tire Testing Company TireRack.Com Now Offers Fuel-Savings Information
By Scott Doggett August 5, 2010
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct inaccuracies that appeared in the article initially.
Independent tire tester TireRack.com today announced two industry firsts designed to help fuel-efficient motorists make smart tire choices.
Fuel-efficient tires - those with low-rolling resistance properties - are now identified on the TireRack.com website. And, a vehicle fuel economy component has been added to its tire testing regimen.
Starting with the 2010 testing cycle, which commenced in April of this year, TireRack.com began measuring the fuel-economy capacity of the tires that it tests along with a host of other performance parameters.
"The purpose of this testing is to allow costumers to compare the fuel-efficiency contribution of the tires that they are considering," company Vice President Matt Edmonds told Green Car Advisor. "This should become a tie-breaker at the end of their decision process once they've narrowed their selection to tires that fulfill their performance and budget needs."
By "performance," Edmonds referred to how a tire stops, handles, rides and makes a contribution to the driver's ability to safely control his vehicle.
Edmonds made the point that if you go out and select a low-rolling-resistant, fuel-efficient tire without first considering those other characteristics, you might not have selected the tire that offers the greatest capabilities for control in emergency situations.
The fuel-economy component - an example of which is given in the following paragraph - is only available with some models now. But going forward, we were told, fuel-economy results will be incorporated in all future tire testing done by the South Bend, Indiana, company.
The example, which TireRack.com mentioned in a statement issued today: In recent tests the company determined that the impact of fuel savings for a BMW 3 Series driven 15,000 miles a year could be as much as 30 gallons using one set of tires over another set. With the average price of fuel at $2.75 a gallon, a consumer can save a total of $80 annually by outfitting the mid-sized sedan with the most fuel efficient of the tires tested.
The reason TireRack.com could make that comparison is because the company has four BMW 3 Series vehicles in its fleet. However, your results may vary based on your vehicle and driving habits.
"The interesting thing we've found is that when it comes to fuel efficiency, the biggest decision that you'll make will be the vehicle model you select - not the tires or other parts you put on the vehicle," Edmonds said.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study has determined that the tires one puts on a vehicle will account for 4 to 7 percent of the vehicle's fuel efficiency.
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