From Tire Review
Switching to low rolling resistance tires can save an average of $150 a year for drivers, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).
UMTRI research professor Michael Sivak examined rolling resistance for 63 new, same-sized tire models. Each tire had the same load and inflation pressure in order to calculate the fuel consumed annually by the average driver. The tires used represented a cross-section of current T-, H- and V- speed-rated tires.
Sivak calculated the differenced in fuel used, and money spent, between tires at the extremes or rolling resistance.
"The obtained rolling resistance extremes yield a minimum and maximum annual fuel consumption of 505 gallons and 547 gallons, respectively," Sivak said. "At the average 2013 price of regular gasoline, the obtained fuel-consumption results in a $147 difference in the annual cost of gasoline per light-duty vehicle."
Research found for the combined set of all tires, the added fuel consumed with tires at the current maximum rolling resistance represents an 8.3 percent increase compared to the fuel consumed with tires at the current minimum rolling resistance, the university said.
