economy tires

Economy tires have less rolling resistance than standard tires. This means you don't use as much gas which is both great for your finances and for the environment. Energy efficient tire manufacturers say there are no disadvantages to them, which if true means these economical tires should be the choice of every car owner.

Since the growth in economical cars is so rapid at the moment its no surprise that tire manufacturers want to jump aboard the movement too. The biggest manufacturers in the economy tire market include Michelin, Hankook and Bridgestone.

Economy tires work by reducing friction within the tire. About 20% of a car's gas use is due to friction from its tires. Economical tires have a new rubber compound containing silica which reduces friction between molecules in the tires. This means less energy goes to waste and your car consumes less fuel.Tire makers are keen to make it clear that the lower friction of the new rubber compound does not lead to any less grip of the tire on the road.

Michelin's economy tire is the Green-X and already they account for about 70% of Michelin's range! They're available from 13 to 17 inches and can be fitted to most cars. Michelin were the trail blazers for efficient tires because they first started selling them in 1992, but its only more recently that the market for them really took off. Michelin believe that some of their fuel efficient tires have more grip than conventional rubber. Michelin say the tires 'get up to operating temperature faster and maintain a more uniform temperature, which is better for grip.' Michelin's own research found their economy tires saved drivers between 4 and 8% on gas and lasted 25% longer than standard compounds.

Hankook's low rolling resistance tire is called the Enfren. The manufacturer says it has 20% less resistance than ordinary tires translating into a fuel saving of somewhere between 2 and 7.5 per cent. 

Bridgestone also make a fuel efficient tire called the Ecopia. Its available in sizes from 14 to 17 inches. Bridgestone have researched their tire and found it had a fuel economy benefit of 3.3% on average.

So is it all good news about these economical tires then? Well one drawback is their price. Efficient tires sell for around 15 to 25% more than ordinary tires so you need to bear this in mind when considering fuel savings.

The website Drive.com.au carried out some real world testing of Michelin and Hankook's fuel efficient tires. Their fairly extensive testing yielded the following results. Michelin's economy tire gave a 6% improvement in fuel consumption and Hankook's gave a 4% improvement over standard tires. Drive.com.au also found that grip and performance differences were negligible when compared to standard tires. Low rolling resistance tires definitely work then, offering both better fuel economy for your car and saving carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The question is, taking into account the higher initial outlay do these tires make financial sense? A car tire for an average family car costs about $140 and a low rolling resistance version for the same car costs around $170. So for four efficient tires you'll pay a premium of around $120. If the economical tires had a lifespan of 25000 miles, then at 30 miles per gallon and with gas costing $2.50 a gallon you'd spend $1970 over the life of the tires on fuel. With ordinary tires fitted instead of economy tires you'd spend around $2080, which is only a saving of $110. It'll cost you about that to have the eco tires fitted in the first place. 

So don't expect to save lots of cash by using fuel efficient tires but they are much better for the environment and you'll break even financially or do better. When fuel prices rise further or if you drive a car that has bad fuel economy then you'll save more money.

Brand new cars are increasingly being sold with economical tires especially eco cars like Toyota's Prius and Ford's Fiesta Econetic. The tires increase the all important fuel mileage figure which is so competitive among manufacturers. The fitting of economy tires to new vehicles should increase as the tires gain more acceptance.