Comments on: Pump up your tires to save Alaska http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/05/08/pump-up-your-tires-to-save-alaska/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:27:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Erich Vieth http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/05/08/pump-up-your-tires-to-save-alaska/#comment-23491 Erich Vieth Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:04:11 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=154#comment-23491 <a href="http://www.eia.doe.gov/" rel="nofollow">EIA </a>estimates that about 10.4 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from ANWR, just over a year of American consumption. Saudi Arabia alone has about 260 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. <a href="http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2008/08/18/oil_myths/index1.html" rel="nofollow">Here's the story.</a> EIA estimates that about 10.4 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from ANWR, just over a year of American consumption. Saudi Arabia alone has about 260 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

Here’s the story.

]]> By: Edgar Montrose http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/05/08/pump-up-your-tires-to-save-alaska/#comment-109 Edgar Montrose Tue, 09 May 2006 02:30:26 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=154#comment-109 While I agree with your sentiments, the studies that you reference are suspect. Assuming that the maximum pressure stated on the tire sidewall is the optimum value is like assuming that the top speed of your automobile is the optimum value. The optimum inflation pressure is a complex function of load, surface, speed, and other factors. In general rolling resistance is reduced as inflation pressure is increased, but there is a point of diminishing returns. See <a href="http://gaia.csus.edu/~grandajj/me143/ME143_Tires_1.pdf">http://gaia.csus.edu/~grandajj/me143/ME143_Tires_1.pdf</a> ; particularly slides 9 and 10. This study showed that above about 25-30 psi the reduction of rolling resistance on hard surfaces was negligible. Furthermore, overinflation leads to decreased tire life (replacing tires carries an energy cost, too), and reduced traction and degraded control (replacing cars involved in crashes is especially wasteful of energy). While I agree with your sentiments, the studies that you reference are suspect. Assuming that the maximum pressure stated on the tire sidewall is the optimum value is like assuming that the top speed of your automobile is the optimum value. The optimum inflation pressure is a complex function of load, surface, speed, and other factors. In general rolling resistance is reduced as inflation pressure is increased, but there is a point of diminishing returns. See http://gaia.csus.edu/~grandajj/me143/ME143_Tires_1.pdf ; particularly slides 9 and 10. This study showed that above about 25-30 psi the reduction of rolling resistance on hard surfaces was negligible. Furthermore, overinflation leads to decreased tire life (replacing tires carries an energy cost, too), and reduced traction and degraded control (replacing cars involved in crashes is especially wasteful of energy).

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