Did you hear that John McCain wants his wife to participate in a "wet t-shirt/pickle-licking/other various sundry inappropriate things" contest? That's right. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The man needs to THINK before he speaks. Actually, it might be better if he just didn't speak at all...
Show of hands: How many of you out there check the air pressure in your tires? Of course you do! It can help with gas mileage, plus it's handy to know if you need to put more air in to avoid a flat tire. Well, according to John McCain, it's silly to check the air in your tires. Really, John? Oh, that must be because you have People to do that for you... He thinks this is so hilarious that he'll send you an "Obama Energy Plan" tire pressure gauge if you contribute $25 to his campaign. Not clear if it's an operational tire pressure gauge, but if it is, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of his "joke"? Ha, ha, John.
Think about it this way: Under-inflated tires make you lose about 1 mile per gallon to road friction. This translates to about 1 gallon of wasted gas per tankful. McCain may think this is funny, but for me (and probably for you, too, that's real money!). This simple, immediate, FREE action Obama and many others have suggested will save consumers about half of what McCain's gas tax "holiday" would without any other changes and without chipping away at funding for roads and bridges. So check your tire pressure. Oh, and save yourself around $23 (how much gas would that buy right now??) and head over to the auto parts store or Wal-Mart and BUY a gauge for around $2 (or even less!).
For more tips on fuel economy, check out this handy-dandy site put together by our friends in Washington! Click and Clack have some good tips, as well.
3 comments:
Ok, Mrs. Hotchkiss, I'm aggravated about MS politics tonight. Senator Wicker doesn't like Musgrove's "immorality". Blatant I think he said, and he said it cause Ronnie divorced Melanie and married Melody. Just thought I'd complain about something. Hope your ear gets better soon.
Hollis
Ok, I typed this and then lost it in cyberspace. Senator Wicker is lamblasting Musgrove for being "immoral", blatantly immoral I think, because Ronnie divorced Melanie and married Melody. Just needed to vent. I really like Musgrove and almost got stoned at a BHS football game casue I had on a shirt that said, "Teachers for Musgrove". Hope your ear is better soon.
Hollis
FYI - this isn't a political statement.
The 1.3 mpg figure is related to having *all four* tires underinflated by *10 psi* - my car is supposed to be inflated to 32 psi. So, for an average sedan, your tires would have to only be inflated 2/3 of the way to cause that kind of a reduction in gas mileage. Most people's tires are not underinflated to that extent. Further, to get an accurate cost, you would divide that 1.3 mpg figure by however many tires are low. Only one? Then your reduction (using the extremely high 10 psi figure) is only 0.325 mpg. On a 15 gallon tank, on a car that gets 30 mpg with properly inflated tires, this would amount to a difference of (450 - 445.125) = 4.875 miles. All four down to only 2/3? (450 - 430.5) = 19.5 miles.
Let's say you're only off by 5 psi (probably a more realistic scenario). Then you'd divide the above figures in half.
Should you check your tire pressure? Absolutely - but it's more of a safety issue than a gas mileage one.
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. I just get frustrated when figures get distorted.
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