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Show Gain 300 Miles By Checking Tires You c;in give yourself short, as-free vacation simply by keeping your tires properly inflated in-flated all year, according to the Tire Industry Safety Council. IK YOU drive 10,000 miles annually, you can gain approximately appro-ximately 300 extra miles on the same amount of gasoline by checking and adjusting the air pressure in your tires on a monthly basis, said Council Chairman Malcolm R. Lovell, Jr. "Three hundred additional miles represent a substantial savings now that the cost of gasoline has eclipsed the $ I per gallon mark," Lovell said. "That's enough miles to take a small vacation trip, say from Philadelphia to Washington and back." TIRE engineers say you are wasting about a half a mile per gallon or decreasing your fuel economy by about three percent per-cent if you allow your tire pressure to fall six pounds below be-low the inflation pressure recommended re-commended by the vehicle manufacturer. In addition to maximum safety, properly inflated tires have less rolling resistance than underinflated tires, thereby there-by requiring less energy to make them roll. UNDERINFLATION is widespread among the nations estimated 120 million automobiles. auto-mobiles. The National High- way Traffic Safety Administration Adminis-tration says its research shows that half of the passenger car tires in use are underinflated. A tire is considered seriously underinflated when it drops four pounds below the pressure press-ure recommended by the vehicle vehi-cle manufacturer. A recent survey of radial tires by the Society Automotive Automo-tive Engineers found that an average of one tire per vehicle was underinflated by three to six pounds during the summer and five to eight pounds in the winter. "CHECKING YOUR tire pressure at least once a month and adding air when necessary is the cheapest service you can give your car," Lovell said. "You should check your tires when they are cold or have been driven less than a mile. Tires normally warm up during use which results in a small increase in-crease in pressure. In addition to the bonus of extra miles, proper inflation pressures ensure maximum tire safety and optimum tread wear. Correct air pressures provide proper sidewall support sup-port and safe operating temperatures. tem-peratures. Underinflation creates cre-ates excessive heat (a tire's worst enemy), lowers the load-carrying load-carrying capacity, seriously reduces tire life and can cause premature tire failure. IF YOU are uncertain about the amount of air needed for your tires, refer to the tire information in-formation sticker attached to the vehicle for the pressure recommended re-commended by the vehicle manufacturer. It can be found on one of the doorposts, door edge or on the back of the glove compartment door. Tire pressures are also listed in some vehicle owner's manuals. For a free booklet on tire care, send a stamped, self-addressed self-addressed envelope to Consumer Con-sumer Tire Guide, Box 1801, Washington, D.C. 20013. |