How Tires Can Save You Money on Gas & Some Shocking Truths About ECO Tires!

In this video I look at how simply changing your tire pressures can save you money on petrol / fuel / gas, and how the new breed of ultra low rolling resistance tires are perhaps not the best idea despite some significant fuel savings!

Tyre pressures has a significant effect on the rolling resistance of a vehicle. The U.S. Department of Energy, states that for every 1-psi drop in pressure, you can expect your gas mileage to lower by 0.4 percent.

Even more significant is the rolling resistance of the tire you're fitting, which is why there's new ultra low rolling resistance tires. These tyres have up to 30% less rolling resistance than normal car tires, however that lower rolling resistance does come at a cost, a safety critical cost. Wet grip, wet braking and wet handling is significantly reduced, and the hydroplaning performance of the tires are severely limited.

What does the future of this tire type look like? It will be interesting.

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[mituc]

This video exposes something which is at the edge of hypocrisy in the automotive industry... Awesome stuff, Jonathan! Thank you!

[pigeonpoo]

1)get uhp tires so you can go round corners quickly and not slow down then speed up again. Also, it's way more fun.

[HOON]

The reduced tread life of low rolling resistance tires is also irritating. You're certainly not saving the environment by replacing tires more frequently.

[antwonefernandez]

The wet grip issue is SCARY. There's an old saying : You can't put a price on safety. Great video as ever. Cheers.

[simonkolar]

Here in the EU, the German magazine Autobild more or less confirmed what you stated: low rolling resistance tyres comprimise driving in the wet.

[stephenpage-murray]

Wasted $800 on a set of e-Primacy for my daughters car. A bad decision due to a distinct lack of grip, especially wet braking and handling. Replaced 6 weeks later with Primacy 4 New Generation

[simon.revill]

Average speeds are interesting… I used to drive 35K a year cross country here in the UK and average speeds were typically between 35-40 mph. 45mph was a really good run and 30mph was poor, traffic bring the variable. A throttle and brake driving technique doesn’t make it faster, totally agree with the driving advice in this video. And there were times I was so thankful for having premium tyres with excellent wet grip. Great video.

[TheSlowDude]

Thanks for the video.
I bought Bridgestone t005 due to the low rolling resistance, AND having impressive wet braking performance.
Your video's are my only guide for tyre's!
Thanks a lot 🙂

[dilysi]

Conclusion, ignore rolling resistance testings and go for wet grip. That rolling resistance problem will be solved by inflating the tyres correctly 👌

[saucyp]

I think it's important to note that the sacrifice in wet performance may be worth it if you live in a particularly arid place, but it would be nice if the manufacturers stated this clearly in their marketing and promotional materials. The same way that a winter tire comes with a 3 peak mountain snowflake symbol, maybe an eco tire should come with a symbol of the sun embossed in the sidewall. Or something.

[anmihovil]

I always consider wet performance as the paramount factor in choosing the tire. What sense does it make to save yearly 200€ and wreck the car resulting in thousands of € in repair costs.

[roelvanes]

Wet grip, wet grip, wet grip. My favourite criteria for tyre selection, balanced out with noise and resistance...

[dj_efk]

I looked at ultra low rolling resistance summer tyres and eventually concluded that for most U.K. drivers who want one set of tyres for all year round, look no further than the excellent all-season Michelin CrossClimate 2: its pricey but it wears very slowly (and is designed to still grip well when worn); it’s has excellent rolling resistance for an all-season tyre and of course functions well in cold weather.

The biggest thing you can do to save fuel is to read the road better as Jonathan says; also try a lower cruising speed: 65mph will save a noticeable amount of fuel compared to 75mph and you really won’t get there any later if you just leave a few minutes earlier!

[davepalmatier]

Much appreciated this video! I’m in the market for tires and thinking about low resistance tires. I’m not thinking about low resistance anymore. I’ll instead go with what is safest and works best in wet conditions. My safety is worth more than the gas savings of low resistance tires.

[ivanbuckingham]

I never buy tyres until I've looked through your back catalogue of videos. I'm about to buy Michelin Primacy 4 for my new car. Thanks for doing all your hard work for us, even if it looks like your having a lot of fun!

[pedrosoares]

Some years ago thanks to your website I've purchased a set of Bridgestone T005 for my Mitsubishi Colt and I was very happy with the tires. Low rolling resistance, they feel really safe even on wet, and I've repurchased them after 60 000 km of wear. Very nice indeed and not too expensive.

[andrewrobertson]

Good stuff. Thanks for confirming my suspicions. It might be the middle of summer but it has just been a couple of days since I was driving on very wet roads and appreciated how surefooted the crossclimate 2 is in adverse conditions.

[klaatuzogran]

Just an idea, a feature on doing the moose avoidance test (slalom) using different tyres (squishy to sporty) would be interesting 👀😁

[jfv]

With regard to fuel consumption it is your driving STYLE that can save you the most.
In a conventional car it is easy to conserve up to 20-25% by adapting your driving style: calm acceleration, quickly shifting up to the highest possible gear avoiding high revs, look farther ahead to avoid having to brake or stop, use CC when ever possible, remove roof racks if not being used, avoid lugging around unnecessary junk in the trunk (boot), leave AC off if not needed.

[Retset]

What a shocking result - more people need to see this video! I'm running Michelin Cross Climate 2 now on my A3 (a TR recommendation - thank you!). I'm sure it's not the best in every (or any?) category but they have plenty of wet and dry grip over a massive range of road conditions and temperatures. I'd hate to run a tyre that was hobbled in some regard, especially wet braking!