Test vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm with automatic transmission; 130000 miles on vehicle
Test tires: Kumho Solus KR21; 175/65r14
The variable for this test was tire pressure. For the control test, the pressure was set at the factory recommended 33 psi in each tire. The subsequent test was done with the pressure set at 45 psi. For each test, the vehicle was driven a total of 550 miles over the course of one week travelling back and forth between the same two cities via the same route. The fuel tank was filled twice per week. Measurement of the quantity of fuel used was taken from the readout on a gas pump at each fill-up. The number of miles travelled was taken from the vehicle’s trip odometer.
Results: During the control period, the number of miles travelled per gallon of gasoline consumed was 27. With the tire pressure at 45 psi, the vehicle travelled 30 miles per gallon of gasoline consumed; a difference of 11 percent.