Effect of Tire Pressure on Efficiency

by Miles Mullins

Submitted : Spring 2010

Tire pressure is something that many people ignore in their day-to-day lives. In a country striving for the maximum of efficiency in automobiles, neglecting to maintain the correct pressure noticeably affects the amount of power required to overcome drag forces due to tire/roadway friction. In order to quantify the change in drag forces Miles completed 21 different test runs in my vehicle at different tire pressures measuring the time to coast down from 50mph to 20mph. After compiling all the results it was proven that lower tire pressures do increase the power necessary to propel the vehicle.

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