How a tire gauge can Save the World! (or at least 660,000 barrels of oil per day)

When I was growing up, my dad always taught me of the importance of keeping my tires inflated and changing the oil.

I suspect the latter was because I had a step-sister that blew her engine up because she never refilled her oil, and the former because he didn't want me stranded somewhere with a flat-tire, but nevertheless, the lesson was taught.

So when Obama came out with his whole "you too can help keep oil prices down by simply keeping your tires full of air" statement, I must admit I was impressed. It was certainly a little tidbit of information that I didn't know.

And look how cute the tire gauges have gotten now! Why, on a simple google search, I've found a plethora of stylish blue, orange, and even this fancy red one. Who wouldn't want to sport that on their dashboard, I ask you?


Obviously, the McCain camp disagrees with the brilliancy of the simplistic recommendation... the heckling and jeering that has come out of that camp in response to this statement (although, can his camp do *anything* but heckle and jeer anymore?) is pretty remarkable. They even sent out parcels containing tire gauges to the press corps ridiculing the statement.


I guess, on the surface, maybe it does sound a little silly. I mean obviously, there's no way that the act of simply keeping our tires inflated could save the amount of oil that offshore drilling would gain us right?


Wrong.

The U.S. Department of Energy says keeping your tires properly inflated and your wheels aligned could improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent.

If we're using 20 million barrels a day, then blowing up our tires would save something like 660,000 barrels a day. Starting, oh, tomorrow.

Hell, a simple tune-up can improve your gas-mileage by 4% - a possible 800,000 barrel per day savings if everyone bought in to the concept of... you know, basic maintence.


Whereas offshore drilling could produce a whole 200,000 barrels a day of additional oil (not to mention oil-company profits!) by the year 2030.


So who exactly deserves to get heckled here?

Time magazine says "the RNC is trying to make the tire gauge a symbol of unseriousness, as if only the fatuous believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil without doing the bidding of Big Oil. But the tire gauge is really a symbol of a very serious piece of good news: we can use significantly less energy without significantly changing our lifestyle."

"In other words: Obama is right."