My tire psi for my EV is set for 36 psi but most dealerships and people keep them at 40 psi. Would this have anything to do with gas mileage and efficiency?
I would think that inflating your tires more would be more efficient but also cause more wear because there’s greater forces on the rubber. But too little inflation would cause them to hit every rock and bang it up more.
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No tire pressure (flat) – The inside of the rim rests on on the tire itself, and damages the inside of the tire if driven.
Tire pressure too low – The rim may hit the inside of the tire and damage it on a bump, decreased MPG/Efficiency due to more contact area of the tire on the ground.
Tire pressure low – more contact area of the tire with the ground, will increase traction (which may be useful for off-road or bad weather in some cases) but decreases MPG/Efficiency, it will also cause extra wear. Ride quality may feel smoother.
Tire pressure nominal – Optimal balance of tire wear, and efficiency.
Tire Pressure high – Reduced traction, increased MPG/efficiency, but bumps may lead to loss of control. Ride quality will be more “bumpy” and less pleasant.
Tire pressure too high – Tire may explode.
No tire pressure (flat) – The inside of the rim rests on on the tire itself, and damages the inside of the tire if driven.
Tire pressure too low – The rim may hit the inside of the tire and damage it on a bump, decreased MPG/Efficiency due to more contact area of the tire on the ground.
Tire pressure low – more contact area of the tire with the ground, will increase traction (which may be useful for off-road or bad weather in some cases) but decreases MPG/Efficiency, it will also cause extra wear. Ride quality may feel smoother.
Tire pressure nominal – Optimal balance of tire wear, and efficiency.
Tire Pressure high – Reduced traction, increased MPG/efficiency, but bumps may lead to loss of control. Ride quality will be more “bumpy” and less pleasant.
Tire pressure too high – Tire may explode.
So I’m gonna talk about tires for cycling, while not exactly comparable to car tires there’s a lot that can be learned from them as reducing rolling resistance is even more essential for going fast on a bike. For a long time it was thought that a road bike tire should be as skinny and high pressure as possible in order to reduce rolling resistance. While this is true, it only remains true when looking at a tire rolling on a very smooth surface. Track cyclists still use very skinny tires at pressures that would be way too high on the road, <20mm tires at well over 100psi. 23mm tires at ~90-100psi have been the norm for road bikes for a while, but recently tires have been getting slightly wider and running at lower psi. Over rough pavement the smoother ride of a softer tire can actually roll better than the harder one. So it’s a trade off, higher psi *can* improve efficiency, but only up to a point where other downsides start to creep in. Apparently having your car tires way overinflated can eventually lead to some wayward handling and will give a harsher ride.
So I’m gonna talk about tires for cycling, while not exactly comparable to car tires there’s a lot that can be learned from them as reducing rolling resistance is even more essential for going fast on a bike. For a long time it was thought that a road bike tire should be as skinny and high pressure as possible in order to reduce rolling resistance. While this is true, it only remains true when looking at a tire rolling on a very smooth surface. Track cyclists still use very skinny tires at pressures that would be way too high on the road, <20mm tires at well over 100psi. 23mm tires at ~90-100psi have been the norm for road bikes for a while, but recently tires have been getting slightly wider and running at lower psi. Over rough pavement the smoother ride of a softer tire can actually roll better than the harder one. So it’s a trade off, higher psi *can* improve efficiency, but only up to a point where other downsides start to creep in. Apparently having your car tires way overinflated can eventually lead to some wayward handling and will give a harsher ride.
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