Hyper-Mileing

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Originally Posted By: JHZR2
careful driving, (my rant about braking on the interstate from the other day) goes a long way...

gentle acceleration and slow driving does a heck of a lot.

High tire pressure (sidewall max, though some do higher!) combined with gentle driving has been shown time and time again by hypermilers to not sacrifice tire life, and many are going on poor-longevity OE tires for 60-100k.



So having the tires up to sidewall max does not decrease tire life? I guess I'd worry about them wearing on the edges more. I have agressive tires on my taco, and max is about 65psi or so. I know I'd rattle my teeth loose driving them at that pressure, but what about 40 or 45psi? Hmm... something to experiment with!
 
Originally Posted By: MysticGold04
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
careful driving, (my rant about braking on the interstate from the other day) goes a long way...

gentle acceleration and slow driving does a heck of a lot.

High tire pressure (sidewall max, though some do higher!) combined with gentle driving has been shown time and time again by hypermilers to not sacrifice tire life, and many are going on poor-longevity OE tires for 60-100k.



So having the tires up to sidewall max does not decrease tire life? I guess I'd worry about them wearing on the edges more. I have agressive tires on my taco, and max is about 65psi or so. I know I'd rattle my teeth loose driving them at that pressure, but what about 40 or 45psi? Hmm... something to experiment with!


It really depends on the tire and the car it's mounted on. On my TL which is front heavy, I run 4 more psi in the front tires to get the same even footprint as the rear. If I ran the rears at the same pressure as the fronts, they would probably start wearing in the middle.

Radically altering tire pressure and sacrificing traction to save a few mpg isn't a good idea. Even though I try to save gas, I'm still running a tire two sizes wider and a lot softer than stock. If I got in a wreck and hurt someone that might have been avoided with a better tire, I would feel very guilty.
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Originally Posted By: MysticGold04
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
careful driving, (my rant about braking on the interstate from the other day) goes a long way...

gentle acceleration and slow driving does a heck of a lot.

High tire pressure (sidewall max, though some do higher!) combined with gentle driving has been shown time and time again by hypermilers to not sacrifice tire life, and many are going on poor-longevity OE tires for 60-100k.



So having the tires up to sidewall max does not decrease tire life? I guess I'd worry about them wearing on the edges more. I have agressive tires on my taco, and max is about 65psi or so. I know I'd rattle my teeth loose driving them at that pressure, but what about 40 or 45psi? Hmm... something to experiment with!


It really depends on the tire and the car it's mounted on. On my TL which is front heavy, I run 4 more psi in the front tires to get the same even footprint as the rear. If I ran the rears at the same pressure as the fronts, they would probably start wearing in the middle.

Radically altering tire pressure and sacrificing traction to save a few mpg isn't a good idea. Even though I try to save gas, I'm still running a tire two sizes wider and a lot softer than stock. If I got in a wreck and hurt someone that might have been avoided with a better tire, I would feel very guilty.


Check out amerityre on the internet, let me know what you think.
 
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
hope GM slaps a hybrid system in the cobalt.


I doubt its crossed their minds since they are gung-ho for the Volt.
 
FWIW, I ran 50,000 mile tires at the max 44 psi for 50,000 miles. Other than a harder ride, all was well. This was a 1993 Corolla.
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
It really depends on the tire and the car it's mounted on. On my TL which is front heavy, I run 4 more psi in the front tires to get the same even footprint as the rear. If I ran the rears at the same pressure as the fronts, they would probably start wearing in the middle.


Same with my old 1990 4Runner.

Toyota called for 28 front, 32 rear, up to 36 for "loaded"

I ran 32 front, and less on the rear, until holiday time.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Don't forget that pressure goes up as they warm from driving. I would keep under 50p^2 maximum.


I don't think the pressure will go up that much due to less tire flex.
 
Originally Posted By: oilyriser
the old struts on my car had trouble keeping the tires on the road when I tried 44 psi, so I use 35/33


Are you in the market for new struts? Try KYB GR2 Struts, They give comfortable tight handling.
 
Amerityre makes or will make a polyurethane tire. It is said to increase gas mieage by 10% and runs cooler. It sounds just like the kind of tire I have been looking for.
 
In my quest to hit 50 mpg in my Saturn I was thinking of making those rear tire covers like I have seen on the Honda Insight. Does anyone have any idea what kind of mileage gain can be expected with these. I think they look really dumb, but there is a reason they put em on the Insight.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
In my quest to hit 50 mpg in my Saturn I was thinking of making those rear tire covers like I have seen on the Honda Insight. Does anyone have any idea what kind of mileage gain can be expected with these. I think they look really dumb, but there is a reason they put em on the Insight.


I'm sure they'd make a difference, not sure how much though.
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
In my quest to hit 50 mpg in my Saturn I was thinking of making those rear tire covers like I have seen on the Honda Insight. Does anyone have any idea what kind of mileage gain can be expected with these. I think they look really dumb, but there is a reason they put em on the Insight.


Not sure about fit for you, but you can get the aero-pieplates for the Prius. From what I've heard, they're good for an mpg or two on the highway, no difference city of course. I'm all about efficiency, but those things are so butt ugly that so far, I've passed on them.
 
Originally Posted By: harry j
Amerityre makes or will make a polyurethane tire. It is said to increase gas mieage by 10% and runs cooler. It sounds just like the kind of tire I have been looking for.


Okay ... a nice idea, but I'm wondering -- why has some design that potentially offers a 10% mpg boost thusfar remained un-used??? My conclusion is that there must be some major drawback. What would that be?
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
In my quest to hit 50 mpg in my Saturn I was thinking of making those rear tire covers like I have seen on the Honda Insight. Does anyone have any idea what kind of mileage gain can be expected with these. I think they look really dumb, but there is a reason they put em on the Insight.


Yes. They gave 6% improvement on my subaru at 116 km/h pure highway driving. Cover the front ones as well for another 5% or so, but they need room for the wheels. Add a foot or so of boat-tailing on the rear, at a 15 degree angle, and mpg goes up again. Covering the radiator grille adds another 3%.
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: harry j
Amerityre makes or will make a polyurethane tire. It is said to increase gas mieage by 10% and runs cooler. It sounds just like the kind of tire I have been looking for.


Okay ... a nice idea, but I'm wondering -- why has some design that potentially offers a 10% mpg boost thusfar remained un-used??? My conclusion is that there must be some major drawback. What would that be?


Traction or wet traction, can't remember which.
 
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