You see, your tires have a large impact on your gas mileage. If your tires aren’t inflated correctly, you’re going to lose gas mileage. Why is this? Well, it has to do with the way tires work.

The tires on your Acura, Honda, Hyundai, or Suzuki are similar to a balloon. The more air that’s inside the tire, the more firm and the more round your tire will be. If your tire is inflated to the recommended level, you might have six square inches of tire that touch the road when you’re driving. If you remove just 5 psi from your tire, you may have as many as 8 square inches of tire touching the road. That means your engine has to work a little harder because there’s more of your tire creating more friction on the road.

Some research suggests that proper inflation of your tires can gain you between three and four miles per gallon of gas. For the average vehicle, that works out to be more than 1,500 extra miles you’ll be able to drive each year, for free.

In addition, having tires that are properly inflated can help avoid tire blowouts and other accidents.

Whether you need new tires or just an oil change, come see us at your Lehigh Valley Honda, Hyundai, Acura, and Suzuki dealer today.

Some of them include:

• Keeping a Clean Air Filter. Your air filter catches all of the dirt and dust that tries to get into your engine. Eventually, that stuff builds up and blocks the filter. Replace your air filter when it gets too dirty.
• Regular Battery Maintenance. From time to time, take a peek at your battery to make sure the casing is clean. Make sure the connectors aren’t eroded, and that there aren’t cracks or bulges. If you find corrosion, clean it with water, baking soda and a brush.
• Change Your Oil. You’ve heard it a million times: oil is your car’s life-blood. Over time, it breaks down. Follow your manual to know for sure how often to change your oil. Usually, that will be around every 3,000 miles.
• Maintain your tires. Make sure your tires have the right amount of air. Not only will it prolong the life of your car, it’ll help save money on gas.

If you require Honda maintenance in Lehigh Valley, PA, visit our dealer today.

That may seem like a strange statement, but the Yokohama Tire Corporation is mixing orange oil into its tires to create a more eco-conscious product that uses 80 percent less petroleum. These “orange oil tires” are the first ever of their kind. They use more natural rubber than traditional tires and they are also lighter. Both of these benefits contribute to about 20 percent less rolling resistance which leads to better gas mileage and other advantages all around.

Unfortunately, the tires are not colored orange and they just smell like regular tires. That’s good in a way because you won’t look like you’re driving around on four pieces of citrus. However, it would be fun to have bright orange tires on your used cars to show you care about the environment.

The tires are already scheduled to be used on the race cars in the upcoming 2009 Patron GT3 Challenge. Hopefully, the orange oil tires will be coming to a tire shop near you so you can use them as a way to be more eco-friendly. It’s just one of the ways we can help the earth by being more conscious about the parts we have on our cars.