Will different tires improve the gas mileage on my biodiesel powered Jetta?
Dear Car Talk | Feb 01, 2002
Dear Tom and Ray:
P.S. You are free to slander me, I'm used to it.
RAY: Well, before we slander you, we want to clear up our position on diesels. For the record, we don't hate diesels. We just think they're stinkier, pokier and noisier than gasoline-powered cars. Plus, not every gas station offers diesel fuel, which can be a bummer when the tank's running low.
TOM: However, by all reports we've read (we haven't driven one), the Jetta TDI is quieter and quicker than most diesels of the past. Although it still burns that primordial ooze with sulfur and dirt chunks in it that we call diesel fuel.
RAY: As for the tires, the answer is yes, you can get tires that will help you get better mileage. But I wouldn't throw away the tires you've got. Since you're an admitted eco-freak, throwing away your current tires will waste the energy and natural resources it took to make those tires. Plus, you'll be adding to the used-tire-disposal problem.
TOM: Not to mention the money you'll be wasting, which could be used on "Save the Free-Range Granola" bumper stickers.
RAY: So keep those tires for now, and study up on the topic of "rolling resistance." Rolling resistance is drag caused by the friction of the tires on the road when the car is moving.
TOM: The best way to minimize the rolling resistance of your current tires is simply to keep them properly inflated. If your recommended tire pressure is, say, 35 psi, and you let them go down to 28 psi, you increase your rolling resistance by about 12 percent. That would have a -1 percent to -2 percent effect on your mileage.
RAY: Eventually, when these tires do wear out, you can shop for some low-rolling-resistance replacement tires. By altering the rubber compounds and using certain tread patterns, tire makers have been able to reduce rolling resistance quite a bit. That might increase your mileage by another few percent -- about the same as hitting a few green lights on the way home instead of red ones.
TOM: And with all the money you save on fuel, perhaps you'll be able to replace all of those gaskets and seals that your biodiesel fuel is eating in your engine.
RAY: Seriously, Tom, ask your dealer if it's OK to use biodiesel (basically used cooking oil) in this car. I commend you for wanting to reduce air pollution, but that Burger King runoff might be doing a number on your engine.
P.S. You are free to slander me, I'm used to it.
RAY: Well, before we slander you, we want to clear up our position on diesels. For the record, we don't hate diesels. We just think they're stinkier, pokier and noisier than gasoline-powered cars. Plus, not every gas station offers diesel fuel, which can be a bummer when the tank's running low.
TOM: However, by all reports we've read (we haven't driven one), the Jetta TDI is quieter and quicker than most diesels of the past. Although it still burns that primordial ooze with sulfur and dirt chunks in it that we call diesel fuel.
RAY: As for the tires, the answer is yes, you can get tires that will help you get better mileage. But I wouldn't throw away the tires you've got. Since you're an admitted eco-freak, throwing away your current tires will waste the energy and natural resources it took to make those tires. Plus, you'll be adding to the used-tire-disposal problem.
TOM: Not to mention the money you'll be wasting, which could be used on "Save the Free-Range Granola" bumper stickers.
RAY: So keep those tires for now, and study up on the topic of "rolling resistance." Rolling resistance is drag caused by the friction of the tires on the road when the car is moving.
TOM: The best way to minimize the rolling resistance of your current tires is simply to keep them properly inflated. If your recommended tire pressure is, say, 35 psi, and you let them go down to 28 psi, you increase your rolling resistance by about 12 percent. That would have a -1 percent to -2 percent effect on your mileage.
RAY: Eventually, when these tires do wear out, you can shop for some low-rolling-resistance replacement tires. By altering the rubber compounds and using certain tread patterns, tire makers have been able to reduce rolling resistance quite a bit. That might increase your mileage by another few percent -- about the same as hitting a few green lights on the way home instead of red ones.
TOM: And with all the money you save on fuel, perhaps you'll be able to replace all of those gaskets and seals that your biodiesel fuel is eating in your engine.
RAY: Seriously, Tom, ask your dealer if it's OK to use biodiesel (basically used cooking oil) in this car. I commend you for wanting to reduce air pollution, but that Burger King runoff might be doing a number on your engine.
Got a question about your car?
Ask Someone Who Owns One
Powered by
