Rolling Resistance Calculator
Work out rolling resistance instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
About Rolling Resistance Calculator
Rolling resistance is proportional to the load rather than to speed: F = Crr x m x g. A 1500 kg car with Crr = 0.012 loses about 177 N to its tyres whatever the speed, but the power that costs grows linearly with speed - 4.4 kW at 25 m/s. Aerodynamic drag overtakes it above roughly 60-70 km/h.
Formulas
Rolling resistance
F = Crr x m x g
Power
P = F x v
Worked example
With the default values below, Rolling Resistance Calculator returns Rolling Resistance Force of 176.52. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Vehicle massminimum 0 kg
- 1,500 kg
- Coefficient of rolling resistanceminimum 0
- 0.012
- Travelling speedminimum 0 m/s
- 25 m/s
Results
- Rolling Resistance Force
- 176.52 N
- Power To Overcome It
- 4,413.0 W
- Same Power In Kilowatts
- 4.4130
- Energy Used Per Kilometre
- 0.1765 kJ/m
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Rolling resistance
- 3Power
- 4Rolling Resistance Force= 176.52 N
- 5Power To Overcome It= 4,413.0 W
- 6Same Power In Kilowatts= 4.4130
- 7Energy Used Per Kilometre= 0.1765 kJ/m
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are typical Crr values?
About 0.006-0.010 for low-rolling-resistance car tyres, 0.012-0.015 for ordinary ones, 0.002-0.004 for a good bicycle tyre, and 0.001 for steel rail wheels.
Does tyre pressure matter?
Considerably. Under-inflation increases sidewall flexing and can raise Crr by 20-30%, which shows up directly in fuel consumption.