Saw a quick blurb on the local news about Discount Tire now (?) or soon (?) to be offering nitrogen for tires.
I wonder if it costs much extra. Cool though!
As I understand it - nitrogen in tires = bigger molecule so it leaks less than air and also maintains a steadier -consistant- pressure for longer.
Question: would a normal air pressure gauge give an accurate reading of a nitrogen filled tire?

 

pressure is pressure and nitrogen does not expand or contract with heat gain or loss so thats why they are usin nitrogen i have been doin it for a couple years now

 

we use it at costco and ill let u in on a little secret. if they are charging you for it dont do it because its 73-78% of what u breath every day. (air) but yes ur pressures will remain a little more consistant and it will not seep out as fast. and your gauge will work fine.

 

I think one of the local places charges $3 a wheel to do it. Supposedly they inflate the tire with nitrogen, then suck it out, and re-inflate again, or something like that. A buddy said that's what they did on his Z06.

 

yes i work at costco as well in oak brook illinois. from what im told nitrogen is supposed to give you better gas millage, better handling, and its not supposed to to drop air pressure. the only thing i know is true is the drop air pressure. nitrogen is a denser moducle.

 

there was a story twop days ago on my local news about the same thing. dude they interviewed around here said it could get 4-5 miles a tank of gas more than regular air .

 

It was offered to me a couple weeks ago when I did a tire swap. At 3.something per tire, I couldn't justify the cost over the free stuff.

 

i got a coupon in today for 7 bucks a tire. some coupon huh? who doesnt charge for it?

 

The reason they charge for Nitrogen is because it has to be bought and tire shops cannot produce it. Although I can't see paying $7.00 per tire for it. I use it in the Chemical Plant I work at all the time.

 

that is incorrect. we have a seprate filter/ tank set up in our shop this filters out the oxygen and stores nitrogen in the tank. btw costco doesnt charge for this as they put it in every tire they sell. but if u didnt buy them there i dont know who doesnt charge for it.

 

What happens when your out some where that doesnt have nitrogen?? say I got nitrogen n my tires,need pressure,and theres no nitrogen?? put regular air in?? and isnt this defeating the purpose??

And isnt the price....$3,then checks and fillups are free from there on out?? thats what I thought I heard,they are hyping this stuff around here on TV.

 

it defeats the purpose but it wont hurt anything beings the air u r breathing now is 70% nitrogen. i honestly dont think its worth the time and effort and i deal with it all day.

 

Yeah setting tire pressure when hot/warm is kind of annoying (so you run the right pressure when you drive the car). I'd rather it not vary so much.

 

I work at Costco as well and wanted to know about it.

I know our tire shop guys all use it, but none of them know much about cars anyways (hard to believe, isn't it?), so I don't trust them.

 

I herd about running N2 in the tires along time ago mainly, to help reduce the wear. Which I'd say goes back to the more consistant pressure. I, also, work w/ LN2('Liquid Nitrogen') in the plant and use to work @ an air seperation plant, as the plant operator. Which produced LN2, LO2 and Argon along w/ a varity w/ other industrial gases. And while it's true you may have a N2 generator in your shop. That seperates the oxygen(21.97%, I think) and nitrogen(74.something %) w/ the rest being make up of rare gases, in the air, there locally(in the shop). To have the 'pure' stuff(99.9999999...% pure = medical grade) trucked in. After the seperation process(either in buck, as a liquid(one gal = X SCF, I forgot the ratio but, it alot, I think it's like 320 scf = one gal, or something like that) OR in cylinders, @ a hi pressure, around the 21-2200psig mark. (Which is then regulated down to the desired pressure.) it costs and there is where you(the consumer) comes up w/ the extra charge and why.

WARNING: Pure Nitrogen, especially, in it's pure form(or any mixture of air w/ less than 19.5% Oxygen) WILL NOT support life!!! Nitrogen will dis-place the Oxygen and therefore, drop the % in the air your breathin.

DO NOT BREATH IT!!!

The ones (of you) out there, who work w/ the stuff(NITROGEN) most likely already know this. But, just in case, there's some (any) one else out there. Who is considering using this process/procedure for use in their tires and not informed. Be aware of the dangers assoicated w/ it's usage.

Then if, you do have to top off the pressure @ some point in time w/ reg. ol' air, @ say a gas station's air pump. All I see you loosin is some of the purity of the N2. Not a big deal, I wouldn't think, it may drop the pure to say 99.7, dependin on the amount needed. Provided the N2 fillin was of the pure stuff.

Either way if, it helps save on treat wear it maybe worth the extra cost, in the long run.

Good luck,
Don

 

after it gets thru our seperator and thru the machines ours ends up to being less than 4 % o2. its def not 99.9 like medical grade.