Ntrogen in tires

[jfount]

One of my co-workers just bout a brand new Cmary Solara, convert. etc.
They charged him $10.00 a tire to put nitrogen in them instead of oxygen. Thye told him they won't leak. Is this absurd, or legit. Any takers?

[Pipemajor]

Any tire will leak no matter what gas it is inflated with. Nitrogen supposedly doesn't leak as quickly as atmospheric air - plus nitrogen is friendlier to the rubber compounds than air which is 20% oxygen.

The benefits of nitrogen are a definite but probably not worth the extra cost. Just check your tires on a regular basis and you'll start saving $$ as well as having a safer vehicle.

[n00b]

If you've ever seen inside a tire, the only benefits of nitrogen are slower air loss and a more stable pressure expansion rate. No tire will ever have 100% nitrogen in it because when the tire is mounted onto the rim there is already air in it.

[Eye8Pussies]

if you track your car as well, then it can be beneficial...otherwise, not really for a street car where you won't heat up the tires much

[marc780]

I've been meaning to do that as soon as i find that spare tank of nitrogen i have lying around someplace. But in the meantime i intend to pump the tires full of helium because i figure that should increase my m.p.g. (lighter = more horsepower right?)

[geoff5093]

Originally Posted by marc780

I've been meaning to do that as soon as i find that spare tank of nitrogen i have lying around someplace. But in the meantime i intend to pump the tires full of helium because i figure that should increase my m.p.g. (lighter = more horsepower right?)

lol, i'd be interested to know if that would even make any difference, since wouldnt you need a lot of helium to actually make a significant difference in the weight?

[marc780]

lol, i'd be interested to know if that would even make any difference, since wouldnt you need a lot of helium to actually make a significant difference in the weight?

I think it depends on the chill factor. I'll ask bob the oil guy, surely he would know? Bob knows all!

SERIOUSLY NOW i didnt think anyone would take my reply seriously. Before this goes too far i wanna say i was just making a (sarcastic) point. I wasn't sure if jfount and his nitrogen addled friend were serious, making a joke, or simply very gullible. $10 for nitrogen in the tires? Why? Moreover, one little nail in the tire, and kiss goodbye 10 bucks worth of nitrogen.
If the tire shop guy asked me about that i'm sure i wouldnt be able to keep a straight face as i quickly replied "Hell, no!"

The lesson is clear isnt it? Nowadays thousands of people are screaming for our money every second of every day, everywhere, on TV, the net, billboards, radio, everywhere! (Just look underneath these words you are reading now and - oh, never mind, you get the idea).
CAveat emptor is every bit as valid a saying as when it was first uttered 2000 years ago!
I'm still waiting for the guy who is screaming at me to GIVE me money to do something! And waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

[Pipemajor]

Originally Posted by marc780

I've been meaning to do that as soon as i find that spare tank of nitrogen i have lying around someplace. But in the meantime i intend to pump the tires full of helium because i figure that should increase my m.p.g. (lighter = more horsepower right?)

The MythBusters crew on TV did an episode testing helium inflated items such as "Would a helium inflated football travel further?" The many tests they did were pretty inconclusive.

Also helium filled tires would be very hard to keep inflated, right?

[marc780]

Quote:
Originally Posted by marc780
I've been meaning to do that as soon as i find that spare tank of nitrogen i have lying around someplace. But in the meantime i intend to pump the tires full of helium because i figure that should increase my m.p.g. (lighter = more horsepower right?)



The MythBusters crew on TV did an episode testing helium inflated items such as "Would a helium inflated football travel further?" The many tests they did were pretty inconclusive.

Also helium filled tires would be very hard to keep inflated, right?

We are talking car tires and not the tires on the Space Shuttle Columbia or something. Gas station air is fine for me, always has been, always will be until they come up with something better tires that use something else. Please read my posts above. Helium? Nitrogen? I'm sure somewhere someday somebody is going to try to put hydrogen inside their tires and then when they get a blow OUT, the car will then blow UP and the person will get a (probably posthumous)Darwin award at least. (I WAS JOKING about helium in tires BTW). The End.

[Mike Gerber]

When you spend $10 a tire for notrogen, what are you going to do every month or so when you check your tires and discover you need a couple of pounds to bring the tires back to the desired pressure? Pay another $10 per tire? I'm pretty anal about proper tire pressure, but I wouldn't part with $10 per tire. I really don't see any value that equals $10 per tire.

Mike

[Pipemajor]

I'm one of those who gets incensed when I need to add a few lbs of air to a tire, run over to a service station only to find a machine which demands 25¢ or 50¢ to top off the tire. To avoid that indignity, I bought my own compressor (which I use for other purposes).

Even with the <9k miles we drive each year, we need a set of tires every 6, 7, or 8 years. In that length of time, the tread wears out before the carcass rots from exposure to O2.

Nitrogen may have benefits but really not worth what it costs IMHO.

[Mike Gerber]

"I'm one of those who gets incensed when I need to add a few lbs of air to a tire, run over to a service station only to find a machine which demands 25¢ or 50¢ to top off the tire. To avoid that indignity, I bought my own compressor (which I use for other purposes)."


I also have my own air compressor, but for pumping up the tires with a few pounds of air, I use a hand pump. That way I am assured of not getting any moisture pumped in to my tires. Many pumps at service stations have water in the lines that condenses in their underground lines, especially overnight as the temperature drops. My 14' wheels and tires take about 7 pumps per pound and my 16" wheels and tires take about 10 pumps per pound. To me it's worth the little bit of effort and I don't have to go anywhere to do it. I even take a hand pump with me on road trips.

Mike

[Tommy]

"tell ya what...ill put in 78% nitrogen for $5 per tire. And for an additional $20, ill top off your blinker fluid."


Probably one of the lamest scams in the book. The air your breathing right now is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and a few trace gases and water vapor. If you think $40 is worth 22% more nitrogen, then go for it.

there are no proven benefits in automotive uses, and the reason they use it on aircraft is because it doesnt support flame, ie - if your tire gets so hot it can combust if o2 is present, but whens the last time that happened to you?

[toyomoho]

Nitrogen also prevents oxidation of the tire material from the inside. However most automobile tires wear out from tread loss long before internal oxidation problems occur. Nitrogen is also used in some tires because it is a dry and contains no moisture that may cause a problem.