What is more friendly to the environment (Gas vs. Tires)

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

for some reason that (and other garbage incinerator plans) is unpalatable to the general public (OMG YOU CAN'T JUST BURN IT !!!!!!11111)

Yup, they'd rather stuff it into a stinky landfill, hogging up that land, stinking up the area, and letting it still release greenhouse gas as it decomposes underground. At least some landfills are collecting the gas and burning it for energy these days. When I was little and went to the RI central landfill with my dad they had 20 foot wide pipes coming out of the ground with fire coming out of them to burn off the gas, now they have a small power plant converting that stuff into electricity.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by theholycow

How do they get the steel cords out of them before using them in playgrounds?

I didn't know they actually are using them in asphalt pavement...I read about it when the technology first came out and haven't heard about it since.

As a guess, magnets.

A Dirty Jobs episode was at an used tire plant. Some were shipped to other countries where it is legal to retread or regroove them. Some are trashed. Most are burned at a cement plant for heat and power. The unburned residue is used as clinker in the cement.

As to the OP, I figure drivers who take turns fast, and don't identify as hypermilers likely have other driving behavours that are unfriendly to tire wear and gas consumption. I also count anyone going beyond taking it easy on the pedal to save gas a hypermiler. Maybe not with the capitol H, but still a hypermiler.

[Lorena_Palin]

Do they even still use tires in playgrownds anymore? I remember I was like the last generation in my area to have a wood-and tire aspestos filled playground. They got got rid of all the wood and tires one year before I left elementary school.

Depends on your region, but I know there are all these people in arizona with those "earth ship" houses where they pack old tires full of dirt for isolation. I watched a documentary on it, looked pretty cool. Anyone doing that could take the tires off your hands, and it would help them build a more efficient home, so you'd be making them work for the environment even when they are "trash"

http://www.earthship.net/

Originally Posted by Erdrick

I had my tires down to the wear bars (if I remember correctly) in my mini kei car in Japan. That is from less than 10,000 miles of driving over two years. I pumped them up hard and cornered like it was a Porsche. Usually squealed them around turns. Then again, the Mitsubishi minica costs around $6000 brand new so....

do you know how hard it would be to ship a kei car over here and get it registered?

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Originally Posted by Lorena_Palin

I remember I was like the last generation in my area to have a wood-and tire aspestos filled playground.

I sure hope you didn't mean asbestos...

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

The number of things you're NOT allowed to do with tires here is annoying, like those earthship houses, no way to get 'em through building codes, can't use old tires for landscaping either, or boat fenders...

[theholycow]

Seriously, you can't use them for boat fenders? What possible reason could there be for that? They seem perfect for the job.

[imzjustplayin]

Have we calculated the environmental benefits of LRR tires vs. hard compound tires that take a long time to wear down??? I mean I can sort of see the benefit of LRR tires but if we're inflating our tires to sidewall already, shouldn't one of the benefits of an LRR be significantly reduced? The only things I heard that LRR tires have are less tire flex, less aggressive tread pattern and less tread squirm but wear quicker.

So I have to wonder which tire is overall better for the environment; the one having a "nicer" tread pattern (one of the benefits of LRR) and therefore better fuel economy but wears out quicker or the tire with an aggressive tread pattern but worse fuel economy and takes longer to wear down? How much CO2 and other pollutants are outputted from the production of a tire?

[trollbait]

I was under the impression that LRR tires used a harder compound, while performance, and other sticky tires, used softer. Quicker wear would seem to imply more friction between the tire and road.
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires have a 65k mile treadlife warranty. Michelin's gas saver tire didn't have a treadlife warranty, but neither do their regular all season tires.
Without standardized labeling, we are at the mercy of the manufacturer, and what little independent testing is done, as to what is a LRR tire. Some are advertised as saving gas. Others not so advertised come back as LRR after testing.

After about 6 years, you have to worry about tires failing do to oxidation of the rubber. If you are concerned about pollution of tire production and disposal, get tires that will last that long for your use. Preferably a LRR model.

[palemelanesian]

Originally Posted by *************

Is it detrimental to the environment to wear out tires faster for the sake of better fuel economy? Should fuel economy come first before the life of a tire? I was thinking about all those people who take corners at a high rate of speed in order to improve their fuel economy and whether the benefit from improved fuel economy was an improvement to their overall environmental profile.

Consider another option: slow down before the turn, to the point where there is no extra wear on the tires. That saves both tires and gas.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by trollbait

I was under the impression that LRR tires used a harder compound

Hmm...I had guessed the opposite.

Without standardized labeling, we are at the mercy of the manufacturer, and what little independent testing is done, as to what is a LRR tire. Some are advertised as saving gas. Others not so advertised come back as LRR after testing.

Agreed. The lack of data is very frustrating, and is part of the reason I believe it's more productive to look at a tire's cost per mile of treadwear than to worry about its RR.

After about 6 years, you have to worry about tires failing do to oxidation of the rubber.

I believe that that concern, while valid, gets far too much attention and priority, probably due to sensationalism in news reports.

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Consider another option: slow down before the turn, to the point where there is no extra wear on the tires. That saves both tires and gas.

How would slowing for a turn save gas? I save gas by not discarding my momentum; I carry it through the turn and avoid having to re-accelerate.