Nitrogen in your tires???
LS7 Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,173
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From: HOUSTON
Originally Posted by Greed4Speed
Air is mostly nitrogen.
Interesting... so 3% of anywhere b/w 15-20 mpg (most of us) = ~.45-.6mpg increase. I could probably get more mpg back from taking it easy for a change! And at $2-$10 per tire??? Woof! Really, I don't mind airing up my tires once every season at the Shell around the corner! You have to keep in mind that those gas wastage figures are probably 50% women... lol No offense to any of you car-smart ladies out there! 
Originally Posted by nickdotcom
that reminds me of the time we had 2 girls come get an air check and the front tires were at 70+ pounds, everyone was surprised they didn't burst
When I checked it they were at 90psi
Originally Posted by UTEvo8
Werd. When using air in calculations we always use 71% Nitrogen and 29% Oxygen. Thats pretty much the standard give or take a little bit. I've never really compared the sizes of pure oxygen molecules vs nitrogen, but a quick glance at the periodic table would make me think oxygen would be "larger" since it would have fewer shared electrons, and it's heavier. :dunno:
Originally Posted by nickdotcom
that reminds me of the time we had 2 girls come get an air check and the front tires were at 70+ pounds, everyone was surprised they didn't burst
ive been told it rides smoother with nitrogen
i work for a dealership that does nitrofill and i put it in my tires for free. you need at least a 95% mixure of nitro. it help reduce leakage and other stuff but it also prevents moisture in the tire so your pressures don't change as the tires heat up or cool down. with the nitrofill people you also get a year of roadside and a year of free fillups. and i think it cost about 50 bucks.
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Originally Posted by white man
- a 2% increase is pretty marginal to me (even if you get 30 mpg, that would mean you'd see a .9 mpg increase)
- if one monitors their tire pressure once in awhile, why couldn't you get the same tire life with plain jane air? It's the tire pressure that dictates the treadwear, not the fill substance. If you keep your tire pressures at what is desired, you should have the same tire life regardless of which substance.
- $20-40 for nitrogen fill = 25-50 pumps at the corner store, if not free (I usually only need to fill mine 2-3 times a year).
- smoother ride probably due to placebo effect
- even if it is "lighter" I highly doubt it has any real world benefit, the weight differential in a plane jane air tire and a nitrogen tire can be considered neglibible. If it were a 2-3 lbs difference, that might do something for you.
just some thoughts
Originally Posted by nickdotcom
that reminds me of the time we had 2 girls come get an air check and the front tires were at 70+ pounds, everyone was surprised they didn't burst
It begs the question: the girls would have blown up or the tires?
I have heard about the whole nitrogen thing from many long haulers over the years. The difference is the rating of the tires - if you are driving a V rated tire then you *may* get better wear, mileage, handling but an H will be so negligble it wouldn't be worth it.
Guess how many cars on the road drive on H rated tires?
Benefit in a passenger is the same as a commercial fleet,airplane, etc.
Nitrogen will leak out of the tire slower due to its larger molecules. This results in less maintainence which results in less $$$, also helps prevent tire failure due to excessive wear caused by under inflation.
The reason nitrogen is used as a tire fill in race cars is not due to the nitrogen not heating up as the tire does, but because if you use pure, or close to pure nitrogen, the expansion rate can be better quantified. For example, if you know your tires are going to heat up to 200 degrees, you can calculate pretty accurately how much of an increase in pressure will result from the temp increase from ambient. If the tire was filled with regular air, your estimate of the increase would be much less accurate, due to the other unknown impurities in the air.. Oxygen, moisture, dust, etc.
Nitrogen will leak out of the tire slower due to its larger molecules. This results in less maintainence which results in less $$$, also helps prevent tire failure due to excessive wear caused by under inflation.
The reason nitrogen is used as a tire fill in race cars is not due to the nitrogen not heating up as the tire does, but because if you use pure, or close to pure nitrogen, the expansion rate can be better quantified. For example, if you know your tires are going to heat up to 200 degrees, you can calculate pretty accurately how much of an increase in pressure will result from the temp increase from ambient. If the tire was filled with regular air, your estimate of the increase would be much less accurate, due to the other unknown impurities in the air.. Oxygen, moisture, dust, etc.
Close by many ...
Nitrogen molecules are larger and permeate the tire at a slower rate. Maybe after 2 or 3 years of sitting without any air pressure checks, the tire might be down a few pounds.
Industrial grade nitrogen is 99% pure. The other 1% is inert. But ... there is 0% moisture. Compressed air has a LARGE moisture content ... less in arid climates and more in humid climates. It's why we have to drain air compressor tanks occasionally.
It's not the gas itself, but the lack of moisture. A tire will generate heat from rolling resistance. Moisture inside the tires causes the air pressure to increase to higher pressures. I have seen pressures go from 30psi to 45psi using compressed air.
Nitrogen heats up as well, but not as much.
2 benefits ... it's predictable and one can start out on higher initial pressures. In a racing environment, I go into turn 1 with my tires closer to operating pressures and better grip. I typically start out with 25psi cold and come off track reading in 31psi
Finally, with a moisture laden environment, that is constantly being heated and cooled, it can cause wheel corrosion.
I have nitrogen in all my race tires, bike tires and trailer tires. Race tires for obvious reasons, but the bikes because I don't want a wide variance in air pressures for safety reasons. They are in the trailer tires because they sit stationary for long periods of time.
It also helps that Natwell Welding supply in San Antonio is one of my sponsors.
Nitrogen molecules are larger and permeate the tire at a slower rate. Maybe after 2 or 3 years of sitting without any air pressure checks, the tire might be down a few pounds.
Industrial grade nitrogen is 99% pure. The other 1% is inert. But ... there is 0% moisture. Compressed air has a LARGE moisture content ... less in arid climates and more in humid climates. It's why we have to drain air compressor tanks occasionally.
It's not the gas itself, but the lack of moisture. A tire will generate heat from rolling resistance. Moisture inside the tires causes the air pressure to increase to higher pressures. I have seen pressures go from 30psi to 45psi using compressed air.
Nitrogen heats up as well, but not as much.
2 benefits ... it's predictable and one can start out on higher initial pressures. In a racing environment, I go into turn 1 with my tires closer to operating pressures and better grip. I typically start out with 25psi cold and come off track reading in 31psi
Finally, with a moisture laden environment, that is constantly being heated and cooled, it can cause wheel corrosion.
I have nitrogen in all my race tires, bike tires and trailer tires. Race tires for obvious reasons, but the bikes because I don't want a wide variance in air pressures for safety reasons. They are in the trailer tires because they sit stationary for long periods of time.
It also helps that Natwell Welding supply in San Antonio is one of my sponsors.
Originally Posted by GrAmO
I used to work at this tire shop and some guy came in to get the air checked.
When I checked it they were at 90psi
When I checked it they were at 90psi
now thats funny! how much psi will it take to blow up the tire?
Originally Posted by SSilverSSurfer
haha im surprised the stick didnt bust out of the tire gauge, what store do you work at? im at 23....
ive been told it rides smoother with nitrogen
ive been told it rides smoother with nitrogen
it takes alot to actually blow up a tire, we get them pretty dammed high to seat beads on low-pros
Originally Posted by SSilverSSurfer
haha im surprised the stick didnt bust out of the tire gauge, what store do you work at? im at 23....
ive been told it rides smoother with nitrogen
ive been told it rides smoother with nitrogen
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Katy
I work in tire sales at Costco Wholesale & we use nitrogen inflation on all cars that are serviced, and have for the past 2 years. I have bought all of my tires there and they all have nitrogen and it works great. Someone stated before that the nitrogen will leak slower than regular air which is true as all tires naturally lose air over time and my personal experience is nitrogen inflation works very well but you should always check your air pressure regularly. The problem is that nitrogen is not used in the tire industry where it is easily accessible so if you have low air pressure and have to mix it with regular air you lose the benifits of it and have to have it changed out at your next service. If you have questions about nitrogen you should stop by any Costco tire center and they will have info on it and explain it for you or feel free to ask me.
Last edited by red92rsls1; Jan 12, 2007 at 02:30 AM.
Originally Posted by nickdotcom
im at 16
it takes alot to actually blow up a tire, we get them pretty dammed high to seat beads on low-pros
it takes alot to actually blow up a tire, we get them pretty dammed high to seat beads on low-pros
low pros SUCK to mount man, i feel your pain. i had some guy blame me for putting 110 psi in his 80psi truck tires. not only did i NOT work the last time he was in, but it was when we were using a backup compressor that did not exceed 90 psi because the main one threw the belt.