Nitrogen filled tyres.
#1
10-11-2009, 02:43 AM
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 3,286
Nitrogen filled tyres.
When we fitted new tyre to my wife's Smart ForFour, we opted to fill them with Nitrogen insted of regular air.
Benefits supposedly are that there is less seepage through the rubber & therefore the pressure remains constant for longer, tyres don't overheat etc. etc. Downside of course is if you get a flat you can't just fill it with air. Need to find more Nitro.
My wife liked the idea so, at $5 a tyre I told the guy to go ahead. What the hell! let's find out what it's all about.
Anyone have experience with this? Will it be a good idea to us when I fit my new tyres next weekend?
Benefits supposedly are that there is less seepage through the rubber & therefore the pressure remains constant for longer, tyres don't overheat etc. etc. Downside of course is if you get a flat you can't just fill it with air. Need to find more Nitro.
My wife liked the idea so, at $5 a tyre I told the guy to go ahead. What the hell! let's find out what it's all about.
Anyone have experience with this? Will it be a good idea to us when I fit my new tyres next weekend?
#2
10-11-2009, 06:59 AM
Nitrogen tires are big around here. They started it a few years ago. Any new cars of the lot are filled with nitrogen. My parents both have new vehicles and both have nitrogen in their tires. As far as I know they haven't had any complaints. My mom filled hers with nitrogen since she got tired of topping up the air in her tires. As far as I know she seems to like it.
#4
10-11-2009, 08:28 AM
Complete waste of money. It is a a total scam. It's based on people not remembering their 8th grade science and chemistry.
The air you're breathing right now, this minute, at sea level is:
78% nitrogen
20% oxygen
0.9% argon
0.3% carbon dioxide
the rest is trace gases
How is it bad if it's compressed?
Tires not overheating is B.S. Heat is a result of friction between tread and pavement, NOT the gas contained in the tire. There may be some heat reduction if you filled your tires with freon, but not nitrogen.
The air you're breathing right now, this minute, at sea level is:
78% nitrogen
20% oxygen
0.9% argon
0.3% carbon dioxide
the rest is trace gases
How is it bad if it's compressed?
Tires not overheating is B.S. Heat is a result of friction between tread and pavement, NOT the gas contained in the tire. There may be some heat reduction if you filled your tires with freon, but not nitrogen.
#5
10-11-2009, 08:47 AM
B5Bee is right... Nitrogen will not cool off your tires. At least, not in a gaseous form. It may hold it's compression level though.
Alot of people don't realize that regular air compresses when cooled. They think their tires are a touch low in the morning, top them up, and when it heats up and builds too much pressure they either seep out of faults in the seaming, or cause it to be overinflated and damage the tires.
BUT freon would not cool it down. Freon is only cool AFTER it has been compressed and is in the decompression stage. Propane would do it though!
But I doubt anyone wants to put propane in their tires!
Alot of people don't realize that regular air compresses when cooled. They think their tires are a touch low in the morning, top them up, and when it heats up and builds too much pressure they either seep out of faults in the seaming, or cause it to be overinflated and damage the tires.
BUT freon would not cool it down. Freon is only cool AFTER it has been compressed and is in the decompression stage. Propane would do it though!
But I doubt anyone wants to put propane in their tires!
#6
10-11-2009, 10:15 AM
There's isn't anything pure nitrogen would do that plain old compressed air won't. Compressed air IS nearly 80% nitrogen. If you've got a slow leak, it's gonna leak until you fix it, no matter what the gas is.
#7
10-11-2009, 10:27 AM
My sisters pt has nitrogen tires and they seem to stay up for a longer period of time then my tires or my parents. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the molecule of nitrogen is bigger then the molecule of oxygen, thus smaller imperfections in the tire wont make a difference because the larger molecules cannot seep through? Just a thought.
#8
10-11-2009, 10:39 AM
I don't bother myself as I tend to check my tires a lot but it is recommend for those that do not check their tires a fair amount as well as those in a colder environment like here 
They say they will leak out slower which is true. I have a few friends that use Nitro and it's well worth it.
They say they will leak out slower which is true. I have a few friends that use Nitro and it's well worth it.
#9
10-11-2009, 12:54 PM
since air is almost 80 percent nitrogen already after the oxygen seeps out and you fill up now the air in the tires is over 80 percent nitrogen eventually it'll be only nitrogen left
BTW its tires not tyres LOL
BTW its tires not tyres LOL
Last edited by rriddle3; 10-11-2009 at 01:57 PM. Reason: CONSECUTIVE POSTS
#10
10-11-2009, 01:27 PM
basically the nitrogen has a heavier and larger molecule than oxygen, where most people believe or at least tend to believe that air is completely oxygen... which it is not as stated before...
but... The nitrogen (if 100%) would be beneficial to keep the tires at pressure, but is heavier... So if it could be achieved... I would want to look into tires that are more densely made to create less imperfections and holes so that one could use hydrogen, or helium, using these gases would decrease weight of the tires/wheel combo and decrease the rolling friction and hopefully increasing fuel mileage... (if i remember my physics correctly)
Off topic... why do we measure miles per gallon and not miles per $$
