Nitrogen in your tires?

[SRTenly]

I'll admit I'm not the most knowledgable, but I just got this from the service department as part of their "specials":

Install NITROGEN in your tires!

It's ONLY $10.00 to extend your tire life up to 30%!

Never adjust your tire pressure again! And keep your tires running cool!

I've never heard of that...is that a good idea? Bad? I don't have the first clue...

[FloridaRT]

Race cars use Nitrogen in their tires, and yes, it is good for your tires.
Worth $10? I guess so.................

The air we breathe is mostly nitrogen, about 70%, I think.

I think you would still have to adjust air pressure in your tires when the air temperature goes up or down (winter - spring).

Bob

[formerice]

I guess its good, but good old air is 70% nitrogen already. 30% more tire life that would be , hogwash. Actually hydrogen would make the car faster and handle better, but it would go flat every couple days like a helium balloon. That would be a neat experiment, fill a tire to 35psi with various gasses, weigh it. Then see how long it holds 35psi.

[2005rtmag]

Bottled nitrogen tends to moisture free. It's a tiny bit lighter. And not having the oxygen probably tends to keep the rubber from deteriorating as quickly. N2 is inert.

[Hemi RT]

Nitrogen doesn't expand when hot, that's why we use it on our stock cars. You can fine tune the stagger on the car when the tire is cold and it doesn't change due to heat buildup in the tire.

To put it completely in the tire, we fill it up with Nitrogen, roll it around a bit, drain it and re-do this 3 more times so we can get the most Nitrogen in as possible - therefore to displace as much air as possible.

Nitrogen will help slow down the deterioration of the tires but you have to make sure you do what we do above to make sure you are getting as much Nitrogen in the tire as possible.

[Super T]

That, and there's little to no moisture in it.

[CrAzYMoPaRGuY]

Nitrogen is almost 80% of air's ingredients. 79%, or close to.
Nitrogen's air molecules are larger, which is why the theory of tires not deflating as fast.
Nitrogen doesn't expand as fast with temperature as air does, which matters on a race car- tires get hot fast with high speeds and cornering.
Nitrogen is usually "dry"- used regularly by refrigeration companies to test lines because of the absence of moisture.

That's all I know.

[lowriderman3]

I have been using it for 5 months or more. Love it!

[skeletonizer]

I say scam.

Much like the tornado or (snake) oil additives.

Dry air is free. You can adjust your pressures without any real cost and your not encouraging retailers to focus on marketing shenanigans at the expense of providing quality products and services.

[lowriderman3]

^^Not a scam. Race cars even use it. To be able to check the air in your tires no matter how long you have run them, is worth it to me alone.

[Hemi RT]

^^Not a scam. Race cars even use it. To be able to check the air in your tires no matter how long you have run them, is worth it to me alone.

Yes MOST race cars use it EXCEPT NASCAR, they have to run ordinary compressed air like most of us use. Those that run it will find in really cold temp. that for a while the tire will flat spot when sitting extended times, this goes away shortly after rolling and doesn't have any adverse affect on the tire itself.

[skeletonizer]

^^Not a scam. Race cars even use it. To be able to check the air in your tires no matter how long you have run them, is worth it to me alone.

I am not saying that it doesn't do what they say. I am just saying that the 10 to 20 dollars is better spent on beer. At least then you get a measurable effect on your real world experience.

A: The tornado does indeed make the air spin through your TB, neat huh?
B: Them Nitrogen molecule thingys 'r big.
C: mmmmm... beer.

I choose C

[stevesrt8]

mmmmm....beer.

Oh, sorry. But he's right. All BS. BTW, any gas expands when heated, check your physics. Even Nitrogen.

The reason it helps is its lack of moisture. That's it. All the other bennies are snake oil.

But remember, if you think it's better, then it IS!

[2005rtmag]

stevesrt8 is right about the expansion. There would be no difference from air. It's physics like he said.
I thought Nascar used Nitrogen, but I could be wrong.

I'll continue using my home compressor. The water settles to the bottom of the tank and I have a water trap on the line. Works for me.

[lowriderman3]

Benefits of nitrogen...

• Better tire pressure retention – nitrogen migrates through a tire 3 to 4 times slower than oxygen. It may take 6 months to lose 2 psi with nitrogen compared to less than a month with oxygen.
• Improved fuel economy – a result of having the proper air pressure which lessens the rolling resistance. Under-inflated tires have a greater rolling resistance.
• Cooler running tires – tires inflated with nitrogen run cooler than tires inflated with regular air.
• Removal of oxidation – oxygen is a highly reactive element at high temperatures and pressures. Replacing the oxygen with nitrogen helps eliminate the oxidation that damages inner liners and belt packages.
• Improved retreadability – eliminating oxidation also improves the retreadability due to more flexibility in the tire casing. Less tire aging and tire cord rust could very well increase the number of retreadable casings and also increase the number of times a casing can be retreaded.
• Elimination of rim rust – since nitrogen is completely dry, condensation is eliminated which in turn eliminates rim rust.
• On-the-road reliability – tire failures can be significantly reduced which reduces down time and costly service calls.