Do Fuel Efficient Tires Work?

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Want your tires to help out on the fuel front, but also deliver a comfortable, confident ride and environmental peace of mind? Check out fuel-efficient tires. 

Fuel-efficient tires can not only help save you money on gas, but they have environmental advantages, too. The less fuel your vehicle burns, the fewer emissions it creates. That's something you can feel good about. And, if you own a battery-electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid, fuel-efficient tires might be able to help extend its range.

And how about saving money? While many factors come into play, studies show that drivers may pocket hundreds of dollars over the life of a set of tires designed with low rolling resistance — a critical feature of fuel-efficient tires like Bridgestone Ecopia™.

WHAT DOES LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE MEAN?

To better understand low rolling resistance, picture this:

  1. Imagine two vehicles at the top of a hill: one outfitted with regular tires and the other with low rolling resistance tires.
  2. Push both cars down the hill, allowing them to roll free of any engine power.
  3. Watch as the car with low rolling resistance tires rolls farther than the vehicle with conventional tires. 

In other words, low rolling resistance tires help a vehicle travel a greater distance than conventional tires when the same amount of energy is applied.

A DOUBLE-PLAY FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY AND THE ENVIORNMENT

Reducing rolling resistance in your tires is crucial for gaining better fuel efficiency from your vehicle's engine. Bridgestone achieves that rolling resistance reduction with the technology in our Ecopia™ fuel-efficient tires:

  • NanoPro-Tech tire technology that optimizes performance characteristics by controlling the interaction between polymer, filler materials, and other rubber chemicals at the molecular level
  • A fuel saver sidewall that reduces heat generation
  • A strategic trim design, since wider tires can increase resistance and reduce gas mileage
  • An environmentally conscious construction that includes non-aromatic oil and recycled materials

HOW TO IMPROVE GAS MILEAGE

New tires aren't the only way to get more out of every fill-up! Here are four ways drivers can help improve their gas mileage.

1. AVOID AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

Accelerate slowly and brake smoothly. Aggressive driving such as speeding and rapidly accelerating may lower gas mileage by about 15% to 30% at highway speeds and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic, reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

2. DON'T SPEED

Just because a car can go very fast doesn’t mean it should go very fast — especially if you’re interested in fuel economy. Gas mileage usually decreases when a vehicle goes more than 50 mph. From the U.S. Department of Energy: “You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas.”

3. KEEP TIRES PROPERLY INFLATED

Make sure your tires are always well inflated. Failure to do so may result in a nearly 3% decrease in mileage for tires underinflated by 7.5 pounds. Check your tires’ recommended pressure on the driver’s side door jamb or in your vehicle owner’s manual.

4. RIDE ON BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA™ TIRES

Bridgestone Ecopia tires help drivers get extra miles per tank. For everyday sedans, there's the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus — specially engineered to provide long wear and designed to make your car more fuel-efficient. The Ecopia EP422 Plus tire offers a

* Based on rolling resistance in lab testing comparing Ecopia EP422 Plus (215/60R16 95T) to Firestone FR710 (P215/60R16 94T) when new (excludes original equipment tires). Actual results may vary based on proper tire maintenance, vehicle, driving style and road conditions. Limitations apply.

70,000-mile treadwear limited warranty and provides dependable all-season performance, confident handling, and a smooth ride in both dry and wet conditions.

If you are looking for truck tires, the Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus is for you. This all-season crossover/SUV tire combines year-round traction with a quiet, comfortable ride and a 70,000-mile Limited Mileage Warranty.

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

Throughout the automotive industry, manufacturers are striving to make every aspect of an automobile more efficient. That’s just one reason we produce the Ecopia tire. Our goal at Bridgestone is to have a waste-free future for our industry and the communities where we operate — that means no more tires to landfills, every spent tire turned into a valuable resource, and a healthy environment for current and future generations.

"Sell a tire, recycle a tire" is the idea behind Bridgestone’s Tires 4ward Recycling Program. This initiative ensures every Bridgestone tire sold in the U.S. means one spent tire (that’s a tire that’s no longer in use) is given a valuable second life.

Our environment-focused efforts have:

  • Aided in more than 240 cleanups
  • Collected and recycled more than 70,000 tires
  • Supported a nonprofit that leads a national watershed protection movement

Plus, the fuel savings offered by the Ecopia tire line contribute to our global goal to improve tire rolling resistance by 25% by 2020. The Ecopia tire line also moves Bridgestone closer to our long-term environmental vision of achieving a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by the year 2050 and beyond.

Be part of that vision and do more for your vehicle's fuel efficiency. Find your Ecopia tires today or visit a Bridgestone tire dealer near you

** Certain restrictions and limitations apply. See warranty manual for details.