I finally figured out why my car's gas mileage was so bad

For the last six months, I've been annoyed that my SUV was only getting about 18 miles per gallon around town. I blamed the cold weather and short trips. Then last Tuesday, my brother was riding with me and pointed out a low thumping sound from the back. I checked, and sure enough, one of my rear tires was at 28 psi when it should have been 35. I filled all four to the right pressure, and my mileage jumped to 22 mpg on my next fill-up. Has anyone else had a simple fix like that for a nagging problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ben2mo ago

My old Civic ran better with slightly low tires, honestly. That extra squish gave me more grip on wet roads. Sometimes the factory numbers aren't the best for real driving.

emery_craig2mo agoTop Commenter

My old Corolla felt the same way, that soft tire squish just hooks up better in the rain.

jackson.kim1mo ago

Totally, my old Accord felt way more planted in the rain like that.