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According to the tire experts at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., taking proper care of your tires can prolong tread life by as much as 50 percent at virtually no extra cost! Taking just a few minutes a week, they say, to maintain proper inflation levels and check for unusual wear patterns will maximize safety, add thousands of miles to the tread life and help increase fuel economy.
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Underinflated tires run hotter than properly inflated ones, developing excessive heat that leads to tire failure. An underinflated tire also wears abnormally, with the tread on the outside edges of the tire wearing faster than the tread in the center of the tire. Driving on underinflated tires can cost you up to a mile a gallon in fuel economy because it takes more fuel to overcome the rolling resistance of a partially inflated tire. It is also dangerous. Driving on underinflated tires adversely affects handling and the tire can overheat and blowout. Apart from not filling them properly to begin with, tires lose air naturally, through a process called permeation and changes in the outside temperature can affect the rate at which your tires lose air. On the average, a tire will lose one or two pounds of air per month in cool weather, and more during the warmer months.
Overinflation, or putting too much air in the tire, is another common mistake. Putting too much air in a tire is almost as bad as not enough, resulting in premature tread wear in the center of the tire and increased operating temperatures that can, again, lead to a blowout.
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Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that if an underinflated tire costs you in fuel economy, an overinflated one will help your gas mileage. While it is true that an overinflated tire rolls more easily and can improve fuel economy a little, the costs of excessive tread wear and danger of blowout more than offset the small increase in fuel economy.
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