How the Rubber Meets the Road

There are technological advances we take for granted in our everyday lives. Refrigeration. Television. And the wheel. Yes, the wheel. Possibly the most significant material invention in history has been leading the charge on fuel efficiency for several millenia. After all, it wasn't until very recent human history that machines replaced beasts (or humans) of burden to push, pull, and turn stone, wooden, and metal wheels for the sake of transportation. It's now easy to ignore how well a tire can save energy when you or your favorite horse isn't the one doing the pulling.

And after being in Akron today, the former "rubber capital of the world," wheels are definitely on our mind.

Because believe it or not, the design of the modern tire on your set of "wheels" has a lot to do with how far you can go on a tank of gas.

When you buy a new car these days, you get a fuel-efficient set of tires that will help you go farther on every tank of gas (or ethanol!). Automakers equip them this way to help meet fuel performance standards. But when it's time to replace your tires, your most common choices are likely to be less efficient, upping your car's gas consumption.

Does it make sense for fuel economy performance to take a dive the minute you replace your tires? Of course not.

We need more efficient replacement tires, ones which have "low rolling resistance," which is the measure of the amount of energy needed to move a tire. If all replacement tires were as efficient as the originals that rolled off the assembly line, we'd save 7.3 billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years, significantly reducing our dependence on oil.

Here are some solutions: First, tire manufacturers need to make more efficient tires. To make sure that happens, much like a law NRDC helped to pass in California, the federal government should require that replacement tires be as efficient as the originals. Second, tires should come with rolling resistance labels so that consumers can make informed choices.

But since you're probably not making your own tires now, what do you do to save gas? Check out Green Seal's tire ratings to get the most efficient tire for your car. And when you go to your local tire retailer, ask them to carry more efficient models.

That way, wherever you roll, you'll be saving money and take the long evolution of the wheel one step further.