Tires are made of a single rubber compound. Several polymers are used in a tire, depending on their performance characteristics. Well-engineered tires will overcome deficiencies in the vehicle. Even premium tires can show signs of premature or uneven tread wear and imprecise steering when vehicles have improper wheel alignment or worn suspension parts. Correct wheel alignment is a must and should be checked periodically.
Improper alignment causes excessive tire wear as well as increasing fuel consumption.
Regular tire rotation also promotes more uniform wear for all tires on a vehicle. An ultra-low rolling resistant tire provides outstanding fuel economy. A tire engineered for low rolling resistance would provide horrible fuel economy when it is run under inflated. Running tires 20 percent under inflated increases fuel usage by as much as 10 percent. That amounts to Americans wasting nearly 4 million gallons of gasoline daily.