Improving Gas Mileage with Tire Pressure
Hard
Do you want to get more miles out of your car? This science project will explore how tire pressure affects the gas mileage of a car. You'll use five cars of different models and adjust the tire pressure to see if it makes a difference.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that using the recommended tire pressure will provide better gasoline mileage.
Method & Materials
You will use five cars of different models, five containers of gasoline, five tire pressure gauges, and five experienced drivers. You will adjust the tire pressure of each car to its recommended value and then drive the cars at a constant speed of 50 miles per hour until the "Low Fuel" signal lights up. You will then record the odometer readings and adjust the tire pressure to 80% of the recommended value.
You will need five cars of different models, five containers of gasoline, five tire pressure gauges, and five experienced drivers.
Results
The results of the experiment showed that the cars were able to travel about 2% to 4% further when the tire pressures were set at the recommended value compared to when the tires were set at 80% of the recommended value.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how a small change in tire pressure can make a big difference in the gas mileage of a car.
Also Consider
To further explore this science project, consider repeating the experiment using cars with different engine capacities, gasoline with different octane ratings, and different tires. You could also try the experiment on different types of road surfaces to see if that affects the fuel efficiency of the car.
Full project details
You can find additional information and details for this science fair project here. Have fun exploring!Related videos
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