Political Talk About Tire Pressure Serves as Important Reminder to Motorists

Significant Fuel Savings and Safety Benefits Realized Through Properly Inflated Tires and Nitrogen Tire Inflation

Recent political talk about tire pressure serves as an important reminder to motorists about the fuel saving benefits of properly inflated tires. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that as much as 1.2 billion gallons of fuel is wasted in the United States each year due to under-inflated tires. Additionally, nitrogen inflated tires maintain proper pressure up to three times longer than air inflated tires, enabling motorists to realize the fuel saving benefits of proper tire inflation for a greater period of time.

“Nitrogen is a superior material for tire inflation because it diffuses through tire rubber about 40 percent more slowly than air, helping the tire maintain proper pressure longer,” explains Ashok Mathur, business manager at Air Products, which makes the UltraFill® High-Purity Nitrogen Tire Inflation System. “Proper pressure reduces rolling resistance, which maximizes gas mileage.”

Nitrogen, which is non-flammable and non-corrosive, makes up about 78 percent of the air we breathe. For more than 20 years it has been used to inflate tires in high performance applications such as race cars, the space shuttle, and Air Force One. Thanks to new technologies, consumers have easy access to nitrogen today. Plus, nitrogen will work in any grade of existing tire. The air can be purged out and the tire re-inflated with nitrogen at auto service centers nationwide.

“If your tire is under-inflated by just 20 percent, you can lose up to three miles per gallon,” says Mathur. “Those miles add up quickly and cost Americans a great deal of wasted fuel and unnecessary expense.”