Nitro-Nize your tires??

[FroSSty]

What do you guys think of using Nitrogen to fill your tires up? Belle Tire is now doing a promo to use nitrogen instead of air...See here

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

I'm sure Ken will chime in, but I think this has been discussed on here before. I forget what the consensus was though.

[fastTa]

Nitrogen is readily found already in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is approximnately 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and 1% of other trace elements. So the majority of the air already in your tires is already Nitrogen.

The advantage to using pure Nitrogen is as follows. Nitrogen is nearly unaffected by changes in outside temperature and it does not leak out of tires nearly as easily as air does. This means that your tire will maintain proper air pressure more consistently and over longer periods of time. This also means less overall tire wear, a safer tire with better handling, and better fuel economy.

Pure Nitrogen is also non-hygroscopic....meaning that it does not absorb moisture or water. This helps to prevent any oxidation that may occur to your tires as when regular air is used.

Most popular tire chains are using or are starting to use Nitrogen.

[wolfdogs]

been used on the racing circuit for years. there is a ton of info on the internet about it if you do a google search.

it bleeds out, on the average, 3 times slower than regular "tire air"...its non-corrosive to your rims due to the lack of moisture (as stated). Trucking companies that have switched over to it claim an overall average of around 12% better mileage from thier tires, and 76% better chance of retreadability...

i run it.

[Performin Norman]

I think it is much less affected by temperatures if memory serves me correctly. Therefore tire pressures vary much less with nitrogen.

[Red20170]

I knew the the aircrew guys would pump up the tires on the harrier with nitrogen. Never thought about a car tire.

[Injuneer]

Nitrogen and air behave very similarly with regard to change in pressure with change in temperature. They both follow the "perfect gas law", in that for a fixed volume, pressure varies directly with the absolute temperature. There are minor differences in "compressibility factor", but this isn't something that would come into play at the low pressures used in auto tires.

Nitrogen is produced by ogenic separation from air. In the process, the water that was in the air stays with the air, and does not end up in the nitrogen fraction. As a result, nitrogen is "dry" and unlike air, does not have any water vapor in it. It is this that accounts for nitrogens lower sensitivity to temperature changes. In high concentrations, water in a cold tire (filled with air) can condense and become a liquid. When the water heats up, it changes phase and vaporizes, occupying singificantly more volume, and inreasing the pressure in the fixed volume more than it would have increased if the air was "dry". Without the water vapor, "dry" nitrogen follows the perfect gas law, and does not increase/decrease pressure at the same rate "wet" air does.

As far as the other benefit, reduced oxidation of the internal components of the tire carcass, air obviously loses, because of the fact that it provides oxygen to oxidize the rubber components as it permeates through the carcass. Nitrogen is inert and does not interact with the rubber. The question is.... is this important to automobile tires, with a "finite" life, vertually never used for "recaps" any more. Truck tire carcasses are recapped repeatedly. They need to last longer than auto tires, so nitrogen has a payback. Its not likely the life extension is important with car tires, because the tires are generally discarded after the tread is gone, or removed after a few years with low mileage because the tread had dried out and hardened, and started to crack from the ozone that attackes the outside of the tire.

Because it works in truck tires and aircraft tires, does not mean it is cost effective or offers any performance benefits for a street car.

[wolfdogs]

Nitrogen and air behave very similarly with regard to change in pressure with change in temperature. They both follow the "perfect gas law", in that for a fixed volume, pressure varies directly with the absolute temperature. There are minor differences in "compressibility factor", but this isn't something that would come into play at the low pressures used in auto tires.

Nitrogen is produced by ogenic separation from air. In the process, the water that was in the air stays with the air, and does not end up in the nitrogen fraction. As a result, nitrogen is "dry" and unlike air, does not have any water vapor in it. It is this that accounts for nitrogens lower sensitivity to temperature changes. In high concentrations, water in a cold tire (filled with air) can condense and become a liquid. When the water heats up, it changes phase and vaporizes, occupying singificantly more volume, and inreasing the pressure in the fixed volume more than it would have increased if the air was "dry". Without the water vapor, "dry" nitrogen follows the perfect gas law, and does not increase/decrease pressure at the same rate "wet" air does.

As far as the other benefit, reduced oxidation of the internal components of the tire carcass, air obviously loses, because of the fact that it provides oxygen to oxidize the rubber components as it permeates through the carcass. Nitrogen is inert and does not interact with the rubber. The question is.... is this important to automobile tires, with a "finite" life, vertually never used for "recaps" any more. Truck tire carcasses are recapped repeatedly. They need to last longer than auto tires, so nitrogen has a payback. Its not likely the life extension is important with car tires, because the tires are generally discarded after the tread is gone, or removed after a few years with low mileage because the tread had dried out and hardened, and started to crack from the ozone that attackes the outside of the tire.

Because it works in truck tires and aircraft tires, does not mean it is cost effective or offers any performance benefits for a street car.

your'e more patient than I am for posting like this..LOL

good post, but thats why i refered the poster to google, there is a ton of stuff out there, including what you posted......where nitrogen really benifits is in mom's suv, cause mom does not check the tire pressure......

[fastTa]

If I fill up my blow-up doll with Nitrogen, do you think she will last longer?

[FroSSty]

...I am guessing yes...cuz..uh I wouldn't know but my friend...George told me it will...

[fastTa]

Maybe it will also keep her from getting too fat when it gets hot outside.

[Steel2686]

If I fill up my blow-up doll with Nitrogen, do you think she will last longer?

I fill mine with helium. I'm not really sure why.