Why do you get better gas milage with overinflated tires?

Answer 1

I don't know the answer to that particular question, however it is dangerous to overinflate your tires. This could cause a blow out, and that would be very bad if you're driving 70mph down the interstate...

Answer 2

Reasonably accurate answers, but there's more to it than what's been presented here. The deal is, there are many things that act together to make your mileage go up the more your tires are inflated, not all of them good. As tires move down the road, they flex. The tread touching the road is nearly flat, the rest is round. In order to transition from flat to round, the tire flexes, both the sidewalls and the tread. This causes internal friction within the tire, which is made up of several layers of rubber, fabric, steel belts, and wire. The fact that there is a patch of flat tread touching the ground, called the "contact patch" also creates friction. The lower the pressure of your tires, the more the tires flex, the larger this contact patch is, and the more friction there is. All this friction makes the car harder to move. It also makes the tires hot, which can cause them to disintegrate. So, manufacturers have a specific pressure, usually around 32-35 pounds per square inch, that your tires must be inflated to in order to optimize the contact patch and the sidewall flex in order to balance tire life, handling, stopping ability, and ride quality. Overinflating the tires makes them as hard as a rock, like the tires on your 10-speed bike which may be as high as 90 pounds per square inch, which reduces tire flex and contact patch, which in turn reduces friction, which allows you to get better mileage. Like some people said here, this is highly dangerous because that contact patch is the only thing connecting your car to the road, and if it's too small, your brakes will not be able to stop you, and your car will have very little traction. Your car will also ride like an ox-drawn cart, and your tires will wear out quickly. It is not a good idea to run your tires either overinflated or underinflated.

Answer 3

Well I sure wouldn't ride around on over inflated tires because you could blow them out. That could cause you to wreck your vehicle and possibly get hurt or hurt someone else. Now to answer your question, having the proper amout of air pressure in your tires makes the engine work less therefore giving you better fuel milage. Have you ever ridden a bicycle with a flat tire or low pressure? You have to pedal much harder to get moving. This also applies to your vehicle.

Answer 4

If your tires are overinflated, you could have and accident because even though you would save more gas, you wouldn't have control on your car because your car has less friction. But if you also drive with the tires with little air, you would spend more money in gas, and also could have an accident. So the best way to drive is to fill your tires to the PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) limit. To check the PSI limit, you just have to see it in a tire. So if the PSI limit is 30, fill them around 28 PSI.

Answer 5

Because there is less tire touching the road reducing the friction which reduces the effort required to move the vehicle.

Answer 6

Less rolling resistance.

Answer 7

less rubber on the road,friction less.