Fairfax Tire Shop Advice: Choosing the Best Tires for Fuel Efficiency
When Fairfax, VA, drivers think about ways to get more miles to the gallon, tire replacement might not be the first option that comes to mind. That said, tires are responsible for connecting your vehicle to the road — and the condition of your wheels can significantly impact your fuel efficiency.
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Are you ready to buy tires at a local tire shop, or are you simply trying to get the best possible performance from the tires you already have? Here’s how to choose tires that improve your car’s fuel efficiency and how to continue enjoying this benefit years from now.
How Tires Affect Gas Mileage
The concept of rolling resistance is key to understanding how tires can improve or decrease your car’s fuel economy. In simple terms, this is a measurement of how hard your engine has to work to make your tires rotate.
When a tire has a high level of rolling resistance, your engine will have a tough time getting it to move. On the other hand, wheels with low rolling resistance only need a relatively small push before they start moving. That can have a notable effect on your vehicle’s fuel usage. If your engine doesn’t have to work extra hard to do its job, it won’t burn nearly as much gas in the process.
Consider These Efficiency-Related Factors:
When you visit a tire store to purchase a new set of wheels, be sure to think about factors such as:
Tire Size
It should come as no surprise to hear that large tires weigh more than smaller ones — and as a result, these tires can lower your fuel efficiency. Along with that, the rolling resistance of large tires is greater than that of small tires. Conversely, small tires are lighter and have lower rolling resistance.
But surprisingly enough, large tires can increase your fuel efficiency when driving at high speeds. While small tires are easier to get moving than large tires, your engine has to work harder to cover the same distance with these wheels than it would with larger wheels. Because of that, you’ll need to consider your driving habits when choosing the right tire size for your vehicle.
Tire Treads
If you’re a racing fan, you know that race car drivers use tires that are entirely tread-free. There’s a reason is that up to 50% of a tire’s rolling resistance is created by its tread. Thus, treadless tires provide minimal resistance, allowing these vehicles to reach high speeds with ease.
Of course, standard cars still need their tire treads to function correctly — but you can control what type of treads your tires have. For example, while off-road tires come with deep treads designed to help them contend with rough surfaces, these treads can also harm fuel efficiency. To find tires with the right tread for your needs, ask the people working at your Fairfax tire shop for advice.
Maximize Fuel Efficiency With Tire Maintenance
While new tires can improve your car’s gas mileage, they won’t continue to offer this level of performance indefinitely without tire service and maintenance. Some of the tasks Fairfax residents should prioritize include:
Tire Rotation
Uneven tire wear can reduce your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, shorten the life span of your tires, and make it harder for you to stay safe on the road. Since tires do different amounts of work depending on their position, you’ll need to get your tires rotated often to keep them in good shape.
Tire Balancing
When your tires don’t weigh precisely the same amount, the resulting wobble can easily lower your car’s fuel efficiency (and cause other issues). To deal with this situation, you’ll need to visit a skilled tire shop for tire balancing. The mechanics at your shop can analyze your tires’ weight distribution and attach tiny weights to correct any problems.
Tire Alignment
Wheel misalignment is another major source of uneven tread wear — and it’s even an issue when your tires are out of alignment by a single degree. When you get your wheels aligned, you take another step toward ensuring even tread wear while helping your car ride as smoothly as possible.
Tire Repair
If your tires have been punctured or have sustained any other form of damage, they’re not just inefficient — they’re completely unsafe to drive on. The good news is that qualified mechanics can often repair damaged tires.
Tire Inflation
Along with these services, Fairfax drivers should check their tire pressure once a month at a minimum. When your tires are underinflated by 20%, your car’s fuel consumption can increase by 10%. But overinflation can also cause problems — it can change the shape of your tires’ contact patches, negatively affecting their ability to grip the road.
Maximize Your Fuel Efficiency at Hogan & Sons in Fairfax
Whether you need a new set of tires or maintenance work for your existing wheels, visiting a local tire store is the first step toward maximizing your fuel efficiency. If you find a truly excellent Fairfax tire shop, you’ll enjoy a wide selection of name-brand tires, helpful tire discounts, and service from qualified mechanics who genuinely care. But if you don’t do your research, you could end up dealing with limited tire selections, high prices, and poor customer service.
Luckily, you can get the best tire service in Virginia by visiting our Fairfax auto shop. Check out our online tire shop, or set up an appointment for tire maintenance work today!
