Under-inflated tires waste gas. Think how hard it is to walk in sand – you just have to work harder because of the resistance. When your tires don’t have enough air in them, their rolling resistance is dramatically increased and it simply takes more gas to get where you’re going.

Always check your tire pressure when you gas up. If they’re low – even just a little bit – bring them up to proper pressure. There’s a sticker on the inside of the driver’s door that gives the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure.

And don’t rely on your tire pressure monitoring system to alert you to when you need more air. The TPMS system is set to warn you when pressure drops twenty percent below recommendations. That’s severely under inflated and you needed more air a long time ago. And if you have a slow leak – get it fixed right away.

Get some air and save some gas.

Here’s some information on the fallacy of cheap tires.  You could save money by spending more.

With the recent focus on improving fuel economy, we’ve been told how important it is to maintain our tire pressure.

We all know that tires wear out, but we want to make them last as long as possible because they’re fairly expensive to replace. In addition to saving gas, properly inflated tires last longer. Under-inflated tires will wear out more quickly.

Some people wonder if there is benefit to adding a few extra pounds of pressure when they fill up their tires. But actually, there isn’t. In fact, there are very good reasons not to over-inflate your tires. For one, the middle of the tread will wear unevenly because the full tread is not contacting the road properly. That also adversely affects your handling.

Every vehicle has a sticker on the driver’s side door jamb that tells you the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. This recommendation is an integral part of the vehicle’s suspension tuning. A lot of engineering actually goes into the recommended tire pressure, so it’s important to follow it.

What else do we need to know about tire maintenance? Tire rotation and balancing are very important. Let’s start with rotation. Because the front tires handle the brunt of turning forces, the shoulders of the front tires wear more quickly than the rear tires. We rotate the tires so that they all get to do some duty on the front and they’ll all wear evenly over their life.

For most vehicles, front tires are rotated to the rear and vice versa. Others recommend a cross rotational pattern. Some vehicles use an asymmetrical tire so those tires need to stay on either the right or left side – it’ll say which on the tire. Some high performance cars have asymmetrical tires and different sizes on the front and rear. These can’t be rotated at all. Your owner’s manual will have details for your car.

How often should you rotate your tires? Your owner’s manual will have a recommendation. Your service advisor can do a visual inspection to let you know if it looks like it should be done. The interval is typically around 5,000 miles.

You know, some people don’t think new tires need to be balanced. What they aren’t taking into account is the wheel. Between the wheel and the tire – even a new tire – there’s enough variation to require balancing.

When you add the valve stem and tire pressure monitoring sensors required on new cars, balancing is definitely in order. When a tire’s out of balance, it’s actually hopping down the road. You’ll feel the vibration through the steering wheel if a front tire’s out of balance and through your seat if it’s a rear tire.

Proper wheel balance promotes tire life and increases safety. Historically, lead weights have been attached to the wheel to bring it into balance. Lead gives some environmental concern, so steel weights are starting to be substituted.

Also, always use the same size tire on an axle. Different size tires on the front or on the back can lead to some real handling problems. And tire manufacturers recommend that when you get two new tires, they be installed on the rear because that’s where you need the most traction to avoid spinning-out.

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We all want our tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to maximize tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation.

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When wheels are out of balance, they wobble a bit. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. And they vibrate. Your service technician puts weights on your wheels to balance them out. If a front wheel is out of balance you’ll feel it in the steering wheel. If it’s a rear wheel you’ll feel it through your seat.

That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a car wear out more quickly than the rear tires. As they push through turns, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire.

Proper tire inflation will also help your tires last longer. Under-inflated tires wear excessively on the shoulder and may even overheat. This could cause tire damage or a blow out. Over-inflated tires wear to fast in the middle.

Four wheel drive trucks and SUV’s tend to wear their tires more unevenly so rotation is even more important with them.

See your owner’s manual or ask your service technician for your recommended tire rotation schedule. It’s usually every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.

Tires cost a lot and they are one of the most critical safety components on your vehicle. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you.

Don’t forget to visit AutoNetTV.com for more great video tips for your car.

The hottest news story may be different everyday, but there’s one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas.  But we’ve found several basic things that any vehicle owner can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the environment.  You can really impact your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here’s a review of things you can do for your car that’ll save gas no matter how you drive.

The first one is keeping your tires properly inflated.  That can save two miles per gallon.  Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder.  Most service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask your service adviser.  Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you get gas in your car.  Many gas stations have an air hose you can use for free.

Another important item is to keep your air filter clean.  An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn’t let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you almost two miles per gallon in reduced fuel efficiency.  And worn spark plugs can cost another two.  A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every thousand miles driven.  Check the owner’s manual for replacement recommendations.

The biggest item is the oxygen sensor.  This device provides the engine management computer with information it needs to fine-tune the fuel/air mix.  When that’s messed up it can cost up to three miles per gallon. And of course, there’s dirty or substandard oil.  Dirty oil causes extra drag.  The wrong grade may be too thick.  That’s another .4 miles per gallon right there.

One item people seldom think about is their gas cap.  A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost another two miles per gallon.  Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a total of almost 11.4 miles per gallon in reduced fuel efficiency! And with current gas prices, the cost really adds up.  Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save big bucks at the pump.

Now most people aren’t missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don’t forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other key services spelled out in your owners’ manual.

Your service center knows all this stuff and can tell you when you’re scheduled to take care of each item.  Create a system of your own to track your service schedules, or just use the computer system at your service center – which may also be updated with recall notices and maintenance schedule items from your manufacturer.

The price of gas has got everyone talking.  It seems that people who need a bigger vehicle to carry family and gear, or provide four wheel drive, are especially hit hard. That is why we thought it would be good to review some things that anyone can do to improve fuel economy.

First let’s start with how we drive.  People may not realize that they can really save on gas by just changing a few driving habits. One of the biggest is jackrabbit starts – you know, flooring the gas as soon as the light turns green.  That really wastes a lot of fuel.  Building up your speed at a slower pace uses less fuel and is easier on your engine and drive train.  And don’t drive with one foot on the brake.  That’s also a drag on fuel economy, and it wears out your brakes faster too.

Another thing is to drive slower – but only when it’s safe.  Sometimes on the highway we drive an extra five … ten . . . twenty … over the speed limit.  We do it to save time, but it only saves a few minutes out of maybe an hour long drive, and we may use 10 to 15 % more gas.  Just leave a little bit earlier, save some money and arrive more relaxed.

You can also try and group all of your errands for the day into just one trip, rather than several.  If you can put off a trip today that can be combined with one tomorrow – you can save some time and money.

Using your cruise control can save money too.  Driving at a constant speed really improves fuel economy.  Be sure to only use your cruise control under safe conditions – you can look in your owner’s manual for some good tips on using your cruise control.

Did you know that reducing the weight in your vehicle saves gas?  Clean out the trunk or back seat from time to time so that you are not paying to carry around a lot of stuff you do not need in the car. If you live where there is snow and ice, clear it off your car.  They add weight and mess with aerodynamics too.

Another tip is to avoid long idle times, which includes warming it up when you start.  Modern engines do not require a long warm up to get going – just take it easy for a couple of miles.

Be sure to get a new gas cap if yours leaks or is worn.

Now, let’s start talking mechanical.  Bottom line – the better you maintain your vehicle, the less fuel you will use.  It all adds up in a big way.  For example, replacing your dirty engine air filter will pay for itself in fuel savings before your next oil change – and will keep saving you money after that.

A clean, well-maintained fuel system really pays big dividends.  A clogged fuel filter wastes gas.  So does a dirty fuel system, grimy fuel injectors and plugged up PCV valves.  A fuel system service decreases the gas you use, and increases the power – so you can’t go wrong with that.

Some of us ignore our check engine light.  But fixing the problem that caused the light to come on will usually save some fuel as well.  It may be a bad oxygen sensor that can really rob your fuel economy.

And, it may be time for a tune-up.  Tune-ups should improve your fuel economy. Don’t overlook the routine maintenance items, like scheduled oil changes, transmission and cooling system service.  Dirty or low fluids actually use more fuel.  Just look at your manufacturer’s recommended service intervals in the owner’s manual, or ask your service advisor for the schedule.

Don’t forget your tires.  Underinflated tires waste gas.  And if your wheels are out of alignment you won’t get the economy you need.

None of these things are very complicated or expensive to stay on top of.  When you maintain your car properly, you save gas today, and prevent costly repairs tomorrow.