What are the facts about filling your tires with pure Nitrogen compared to normal Air?

 

the nitro has a more balanced pressure when heated,
the reg air will flux and greater fluxes depending on the orignal pressure

 

The only thing that matters is the humidity in the
compressed air, vs none in dry nitrogen. The stuff
you get out of a coin-op air pump at the Stiffy
Mart parking lot in Florida, is like mist. Bone dry air
is plenty good enough and will swing pressure only
as far as gas law says; water though, swings at
vapor pressure curve instead.

 

So is it worth paying for pure Nitorgen?

 

It keeps constant pressure longer since the molecules are larger and more compressed than normal air. It makes it harder for the nitrogen to escape.

 

Nitrogen is worth it(for me) only if it's free like at some dealerships, or very cheap, no more than $1/wheel. The main reason people are looking at nitrogen right now is because the molecules are bigger and are less apt to escape their rubber/polyester cage, and having your tires aired up properly will ensure that you get optimal fuel economy, and tire wear for that matter. Also with it being completely dry it helps keep the inside and bead areas of a rim from oxidizing which could lead to air leaks. If you go nitrogen the shop needs to change your valve stems and install green ringed cores. You can't see the ring unless you remove the core and therefore the air, but the green ringed cores are the only ones officially made to hold nitrogen. But I would assume you could get away with the other style. I've never tried it.

I voted nitrogen because nothing is worse than an oxidized wheel with a slow leak.

 

air pressure changes whether its cold or hot. so youre psi will move around depending on its temp. Nitrogen doesnt change its pressure no matter what temp it is. Thats the difference as far as I know

 

thats what i was trying to say, you said it much better.

 

I fill mine with helium. It's lighter than air, easier to

 

Isn't our atmosphere like 90% nitrogen anyway?

 

78%, duhhh, look at the first choice in the poll

 

I see. I'm sure that extra 22% of nitrigen is going to make a difference.

 

But the thing is can you mix the two? I dont want to carry around a nitrogen tank just to fill a tire after I drop them for the track...

 

Mix the two what? Nitrogen is in compressed air already, so adding one to the other won't do anything. Benefits are only found when putting pure nitrogen into your tires because it eliminates the pressure changes that oxygen goes through based on temperature. If you add compressed air to nitrogen you will simply have compressed air that is very rich in nitrogen thus reducing the pressure stability that nitrogen offers.

 

You should just call mythbusters and test the actual results if any.

 

The molecules are larger, so a tire wouldn't leak down as bad. That's about theo only benefit I can think of. A buddy had nitrogen put in the tires on his Z06 and hated it. Said the car felt alot less stable, almost squishy feeling in the curves. So he had it replaced with regular air.

 

I think that was a psychological effect. Nitrogen is a bit lighter than oxygen (and by a bit I mean it has an atomic weight of 14 versus oxygen's 16) but it is not more compressible, thus removing the oxygen and running only nitrogen should not have any sort of effect like that. Now, if he was driving a lot and he is used to the tires heating up and causing them to bloat, then he *might* notice the "mushy" feel as the fact that the pressure was not increasing to the hardness he was used to.

 

No clue. I didn't ride in with the nitrogen in the tires, so I don't have firsthand knowledge.

 

How much is it for green ring valve stems? Can you get then anywhere?

 

Got my Nitto 555's put on up in Sioux Falls, SD and they are way better than the stock F1's(that were 6 years old and almost bald). Then I went to the only Nitrogen fill station in town. I know its a rip off if it cost more than $1 per wheel but since this was the only shop in the whole place that had nitrogen I said Phuc it, and had them do it(quoted $2.50 per but then they charged me $4 per because I didn't buy the tires there(even though they quoted $2.50 )). I can pay to play. Also they told me that the red ring valves are good enough to use. They didn't even have green ringed valves. They did however give me green caps, ooooh! The sign in the showroom said,"Ask a service us about our new nitrogen fill, as used in Nascar, NASA, and Tour de France. A friend of mine told me that F1 teams do not use compressed air either but he was not sure exactly what they do use.