Tires and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy: Informing Consumers, Improving Performance

TRB and the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, part of the National Academies’ Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS), have released Special Report 286, Tires and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy: Informing Consumers, Improving Performance.  This report examines the contribution of tires to vehicle fuel consumption and the prospects for improving tire energy performance without adversely affecting tire life, traction capability, and retail prices.

The report reviews the technical literature and analyzes energy performance data from nearly 200 passenger tires on the market today.  National fuel savings from improving the energy efficiency of passenger tires by 10 percent are quantified and the implications for consumer spending on tires, motor vehicle safety, and scrap tire generation are considered.  Observing that consumers are given little, if any, information on the fuel economy effects of tires, the report recommends that government and industry cooperate to fill this information gap. 

A spreadsheet containing measurements of the energy and performance characteristics of the nearly 200 passenger tires examined in the report is also available. 

DEPS and TRB are divisions of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.

Report Summary as published in the July-August 2006 TR News.