Best tire pressure for Fuel Economy

[tooter]

Lighten up, W...

(oooh... a pun )

Nitrogen being "lighter than air" just struck me as funny because at 78%, most of air is nitrogen.

[DMZ]

Pure nitrogen is good for tires because there is no moisture in it and it does not migrate through the tire and bead as O tends to do.

The big caveat is cost. $20-$30 per tire. Think I will stay with free atmospheric for now.

[tooter]

That's pricey. I'm with you, I'll stick with free mostly nitrogen, too.

[sickpuppy1]

Originally Posted by vincentg

is nitrogen better than just air? it gives out more handling but i dont know if it really changes the car's fuel efficiency

The advantages of nitrogen are, its dry, no rust to wheels or sensors or permeation into the tires. But considering most wheels outlast the car, I don't think that's a big deal. The main advantage is its consistent. Air expands when it gets hot so if you set your tires to 40 and drive a long trip, they may end up at 44 psi. Nitrogen does not do that. you set them at 40 and it stays at 40.

[edmscan]

I just got new tires on my Yaris .. and I am interested to see how my mileage changes. I am a little scared that my mileage will decrease now that I have new tires on my car. I got Hankook Optimo 4S "All Weather" tires now (only available in Canada I understand). I am running them at about 34 psi ... which I think is normal.

It will be interesting to see if my mileage has changed ... I will know in less than a week probably.

BTW .. I opted not to go with Nitrogen as I think that normal air will do me just fine.

[Yar Is Word]

Originally Posted by edmscan

I I got Hankook Optimo 4S "All Weather" tires now.

I have Hankook Optimo 727s. They seem to be better handling than OEM tires, especially in rain and snow, but cost 1-2 mpg.

[edmscan]

So far I have no issues with my new Hankook tires. They seem to be just fine .. they are quiet and seem to work well in most conditions. I have yet to try them in snow .. but from what I have seen on YouTube, they should perform well. I have actually also gained 2 MPG since changing tires, so overall I am quite happy.

[2012YarisSE]

Originally Posted by vincentg

is nitrogen better than just air? it gives out more handling but i dont know if it really changes the car's fuel efficiency

From what I've read on it, nitrogen is a dry gas and thus no moisture will be present inside the tire. Also pressure variances due to temperatures are pretty much non existent compared to air. Nitrogen molecules are larger than air so tires stay inflated longer meaning less top offs. Downside is its expensive to replace air with nitrogen.

[2012YarisSE]

Originally Posted by edmscan

I was wondering what tire pressure I should use on my 2007 Yaris RS LB. I have Goodyear Assurance tires which have a maximum pressure rating of 51 psi. On my door jam .. it says to set tire pressure at 32 psi. I have set my tires to 40 psi as I felt that is someplace in the middle.

I am interested in getting as much fuel economy as I can without damaging my tires.

Is there an optimum amount of pressure to use for good fuel economy ?

The door sticker on my 2012 Yaris says 32 front and 29 rear. however the max psi on the sidewall of the tires says 51 psi. I am running 90% of max pressure or 46 psi. Just started this a couple days ago and will monitor tire wear and if it looks like wear is uneven will back off pressure gradually until wear evens out. However I don't think I'll have to reduce any. I must say the ride is noticably different at the higher pressure. The car rolls and coasts so much better and the inboard real time computer confirms my mileage is better then before. Do notice the bumps more but nothing extreme. I am under the impression the manufacture recommended pressure of 32/29 is a number that accounts for ride quality.

[Idahotom]

That seems to be the general consensus here. I run the max psi listed on the tires I have, 44. I also drive a Dodge 1 ton (85 psi) and a 40,000 lb boom truck (110 psi) and just got a winter driver, a 2000 Toyota Rav 4 AWD (40 psi) all the max listed on the tires. I too notice a marked ease of movement, by hand, one finger almost!

[DJYojimbo]

i'm going on a road trip from chicago to orlando so 32 in the front and 29 in the rear for cold tire pressures is good?