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Tire Economics 101:
What You Should Know Before You Purchase Your Next Set of Tires
Tires are one of the most undervalued and underrated parts of a vehicle. Most drivers don’t realize the protection and comfort proper tires provide, nor the punishment the tires endure. Due to the many brands, features, and models on the market today, consumers are presented with some confusing decisions when shopping for a new set. Here are some important things to consider before purchasing that next set of tires.

How will the tires be used?
You’ll see tires on the market that are designed to last 30,000 miles. More expensive tires may last over 60,000 miles. Vehicle use and long-term plans for the vehicle should be considered when purchasing new tires. Although the 30,000-mile tire costs significantly less up front than the 60,000-mile tire, both have an average cost of about 1 cent per mile over their anticipated life spans.

Let’s look at the financial savings. On average, it costs $15 - $30 for each newly purchased tire to be mounted and balanced. Since the 30,000-mile tires will have to be changed once more than the 60,000 mile tires, the more expensive tire saves you $60 to $120 over the life of the tires.

Now for the Driving Green aspect.
The 60,000-mile tire also is more economical from an environmental perspective. According to Michelin’s statistics, producing the average tire requires 5 gallons of oil for the core and another two gallons just in the energy to produce it. That’s 7 gallons of oil per tire. If you purchase the 60,000-mile tire that lasts twice as long as the 30,000-mile tire, you save 7 gallons of oil per tire, or 28 gallons of oil per set! If the owners of each of the 250 million vehicles in the United States purchased the 60,000 mile tires for their next set, we would conserve 7 billion gallons of oil over the life span of the longer-lasting tires! This would also mean 100 million fewer tires going into landfills over that same timeframe.

Here's an interesting site that will help you calculate your savings that come by using better quality tires. Just click here.

What's in Your Air?
Air is oxygen, right? That's the element we need to breath, but thinking back to your high school chemistry class, you may remember that 78% of air is nitrogen. That's the gas you really need in your tires.

Nitrogen-inflated tires produce better fuel economy and they last longer. That's good for your pocketbook and the environment. But there is a fun element too, because nitrogen-inflated tires also handle better. For more on the benefits of nitrogen in your tires visit the Web site for the Get Nitrogen Institute.

Read More About Driving Green
Green Home Page | Oil Economics 101 | Tire Economics 101 |
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