Did not relize that Aircraft and Racing cars to name but two..used Nitrogen to inflate their tyres, rather than compressed air.

I noticed its now available from certain Tyre Outlets for Joe public to use i.e purchase. The claim is an improvment in comfort of ride..fuel saving ..tyre life and safety...personally I can't see it should make any difference if you keep your tyres correctly inflated.

Any one tried it?

UKKen.

 

ken,
gryfan here from canada. the other advantage of nitrogen is that it does not leak through the side walls as easily as air.the sensors will not tell you your tires are low ...as often. also i believe that nitrogen does not have as high a moisture content as air ....and thus is easier on the pressure sensors. this is what i have been told....can't verify either idea.
cheers from the colonies!
gryfan

 

I went through two winter season's with Nitrogen in the tires. I was told it would be more stable. My issue was when our weather changes, Fall to winter, winter to spring I was always getting a low pressure tire warning light. The first change , Oct, Nov, Dec I was fine, no warning light but that spring it came on again. Following weather change I got lights so it is apparently the same as air. We also found that it fused metal caps to the valve stems. The fix for that is to use a silicone spray, loosen them and tighten occasionally and if you do get one that siezes up carefully heat the cap with a cigarette lighter and unscrew carefully. We went through this on my daughters Audi. the shop literally ripped one of her stems off with pliers trying to get a cap off then tried to charge her for a new stem. I had to show them how to remove a seized cap and then told them we were not paying for their service reps negligence.
I am back to air in my car now. The trouble it takes to find someone who has nitrogen if you get a light is a real PIA, air pumps are at almost every gas station. Nitrogen is no better than air. My 2 cents on the subject.

 

Air is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% argon, so that only leaves 2% for other gases.
Filling your tires at the gas station with a compressor that may or may not have a moisture separator on it, is the reason some tires end up with visible water in them..
The main advantage of nitrogen, an inert gas, is the low moisture content, nitrogen is used industrially and moisture is virtually totally removed during its processing. The absence of oxygen which (naturally) causes oxidization is also good.
If nitrogen passes through rubber less easily then it is a very minor benefit.
In cold weather you would not notice any difference in the frequency of the TPMS light coming on. If it comes on then you need to put air in your tire(s) period.
An initial fill with nitrogen is good if done cheaply enough. After that top ups with air will be fine in my opinion as you will only be adding a small percentage of air which is mostly nitrogen anyway.
Like many things on the market nitrogen is hyped, benefits yes but your choice.

The comments expressed above are solely the opinions of the author who takes no responsibility for the content, which may or may not be utter rubbish.

 

[quote=patpur] .........We also found that it fused metal caps to the valve stems. .............[quote]
Nitrogen is an inert gas and will not cause oxidization, oxygen will cause it and oxygen with salt from the winter roads will cause it even faster.
If nitrogen actually caused this fusing where is the nitrogen coming from? The valve would have to be leaking to do it.
Some shops will put green plastic caps on your valve stems, replacing your fancy ones with the Chrysler logos on them. The technician will keep them .... no thanks.

 

The Audi came with metal caps and Nitrogen new. Yes there are green plasic caps, they look like crap on a nice set of wheels. I used the metal cap however every week I loosen the caps and tighten them and a shot of silicone on the cap occassionally. We didn't see any leaking from the stems on my daughters car. She did get a nail which is what they were fixing when the ripped the stem off.

 

I am still skeptical about nitrogen in a street car. I have used it in the past in a race car where 1/2 pound difference makes a big difference in handling. Nitrogen maintains a more constant pressure as the tire heats up and is about the only reason it is used in race cars.

 

The consensus from other forums is that nitrogen in tires is mainly hype, that is, if you check the air pressure in your tires regularly (at least once a month), there is no real advantage to nitrogen over air.

However, if you live in an area where temps fluctuate (like here in Mich), and you don't check your tire pressures (like my oldest daughter), then it may make sense to use nitrogen for tire pressure stability (like she does in her Jeep).

Most local tire shops (e.g., Costco) and dealers here offer it for free.

 

I think gases expand virtually at the same rate and raise the pressure in tires predictably in a given tire as the temperature goes up. Nitrogen is dry while air can contain moisture and this will affect expansion.
A burning tire will explode and it is better that an inert gas be released as this will dampen flames not feed them. It is also more convenient to have a gas cylinder on hand rather than a compressor ran by gas or electricity.
Nitrogen is good in street tires but not worth it if you have to pay for it. The ride will be just the same and no improvement will be noticed, but if you have paid good money to get nitrogen feel free to think the ride is improved.
Aluminum valve caps will seize to the stems if they have not been treated due to galvanic action. Salt will eat away the surface treatment and then the caps will seize.
Have you noticed how roughly the caps screw onto the stem even when new? It will not take too much damage or dirt between the faces to lock them solid.

 

I get my Nitrogen from the air around me. It's a heck of a lot cheaper, and performance is probably better due to the added oxygen, carbon dioxide and trace elements.

 

I've had the same issues that Pat had, going back to regular air.

 

I've been using Helium in my wheels for some time now. The Crossfire seems a lot lighter in the the turns and the tires seem to wear less.

On the flip-side, the tires do seem to make a real squeaky, high-pitch road noise going down the highway.

 

That's funny! I don't use nitrogen, I use nitrous! It makes the car really fast! someone will probably try to fill them with Pot smoke and then find their car weaving all over the road.