Pump it up

 

By Elizabeth Syrowski

 Staff Writer

Saving a little extra money on gas can be easily done. Students In Free Enterprise is giving students and faculty some pointers. 

As an idea that came about as a result of the 2008 election, Jason Case SIFE president and the SIFE team put together a project to inform students of the importance of properly inflated tires. The project on campus became known as Pump It Up and met the criteria for an environmental project, which is one of seven criteria that SIFE students have to fulfill.

The United States Department of Energy released a statement that, “proper inflation of your vehicles tires can save you up to 3.3 percent of your fuel usage”. With gas prices nearing $3 a gallon, in some areas 3.3 percent is about $.10 per gallon, or almost a dollar for every ten that is put in to the vehicle.  Fuel economy is not the only concern that is faced when tires are not properly inflated.

After learning about the problems that come along with over and under-inflation of tires SIFE put together some data for their Pump It Up project. From 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Sept. 30 SIFE, led by project manager Case, set up in the Physical Plant parking lot offering to check anyone’s tires that were interested. They also added air or releasing pressure to get tires at the correct pounds per square inch, PSI, which varies with each vehicle.

Case and the rest of the SIFE students here also presented some facts to each individual that came to make them more aware of the hidden dangers, and benefits of having tires at the recommended pressure.

“Under-inflated tires are responsible for nearly 3.3 million gallons of wasted gasoline each and every day,”  Case said. “Your car loses one to two pounds of pressure each month, which is measured in PSI”.

In the aspect of under-inflated tires, “low pressure affects fuel economy by increasing the tires’ rolling resistance, causing the engine to work harder,” Case said. “With more surface area contacting the ground there will be more wear on your tires.”

Individuals also face several serious problems when dealing with over-inflation in tires.

“ Wear on the center of the tire is increased. This causes for unsafe driving conditions making it easier to lose control, and increasing the possibility of a spin out or fish tailing,” said Case.

This causes a need to replace tires more frequently. Tires that are over-inflated are also, “more prone to damage when encountering pot holes; in extreme cases even causing flat or damaged tires,” said Case. They have “less traction to the road” which is unsafe for the driver.

Tire pressure should be checked when tires are cold, or under a mile of driving. SIFE also encourages getting tire pressure checked once a month to “stay on top of any fluctuations that would otherwise lower your gas mileage,” said Case. The Pump It Up project maybe taken to the Wellington Center and “hopefully to main campus one more time before it gets cold, if not we will do it again in the spring. We’ve had a really good turn out so far with about eighty students stopping and it’s not even 3 o’clock,” said Case.

“The information that we have gathered today will be used and presented in a regional and national competition later in the school year,” Said Case.