I recently saw an advertisement for “Fuel Efficient Tires” and have been trying to figure out if this is just a marketing gimmick or if somehow its true.

The ad claimed that Michelin HydroEgde tires would save about $130 (or 33 gallons of gas) over the lifetime of the tires. For Michelin Latitude tires (for SUVs) you would save $300 or 77 gallons of gas. I just couldn’t understand how this could be.

After doing some research, the way they do this is with the tire technology… namely producing a tire that:

  • weighs less
  • reduces rolling resistance

This is done by creating the tire from a different compound that produces the desired results. Usually, this means the tire wears out sooner, but the savings are still very real, and research is beginning to yield these fuel-efficient tires that last as long as regular.

Who knew?