Got Tires filled with Nitrogen.

[Treebasher]

Originally Posted by Oldfordowner

You mean something like the fact that ALL gasses expand and contract the same. The pressure of any gas in a confined space is directly proportional to the temperature. It appears that either some here didn't take physics or just slept through the class.

Interesting... So you are saying that air(a mix of gases) will expand and contract at the same rate as a pure gas? In your opinion why has Nitrogen technology been used in aircraft, military and race car technology for over thirty years? Not being an arse, just curious.

[gratefullife]

Originally Posted by Carbeaux

Good posts guys!

Haha I agree, great job guys. Didn't realize this was going to be such an in-depth conversation.

[Voodoo]

what happens if someone accidently puts air in a nitrogen filled tire? any side effects?

[Boost_Junkiee]

Originally Posted by Voodoo

what happens if someone accidently puts air in a nitrogen filled tire? any side effects?

Nope, except you mixed air with stuff you paid for to fill your tire with.

Just FYI, if you inhale nitrous you will hear a lot of wierd stuff. But not as weird as some of teh stuff I hear on these boards.

[Vegas04]

I maintain Self-Generating Nitrogen Servicing Carts in the Air Force and am a tech-school instructor over the same unit. As I understand it- nitrogen is used because it leaks less. Also, if you notice GM is using nitrogen to fill tires on SUVs leaving its plants now. If you look, you'll notice they use pale green plastic caps signifying the use of nitrogen. Probably this is done to decrease the likelihood of underinflation and rollovers on the highway.

[Treebasher]

Originally Posted by Voodoo

what happens if someone accidently puts air in a nitrogen filled tire? any side effects?

Lets be honest... what are the chances you'd ever get a tire filled with 100% Nitrogen? As said previously, the benefits of Nitrogen filled tires do not require that the gas inside be 100% Nitrogen. However, a lot of places now offer a free top off of Nitrogen, when you pay for the initial fill. Every little bit helps I guess...

Also, I've read Nitrogen’s coefficient of expansion is .8, as compared to air’s 1.0. So, there’s only a 20% difference in the reaction to temperature changes. If that means that I don't have to fill my tires at -20 F, so my tire light doesn't chime and turn on, I'm happy.

Voodoo, I'm sure I don't have to tell you about those temps...

[Lurchdubious]

Originally Posted by RangerNewbie

The max psi on the tire or the recommended pressure by the car manufacturer?

max psi on the tire.

[54warrior]

I used to help a guy with his Dirt Late Model, and he tried using the nitrogen a couple times. It supposedly weighs less (reducing unsprung weight-minimal) but the purpose was more because of the temperature effect. The tires on these cars would come off the track at 180+ degrees. Regular air could expand up to 2 lbs over the course of the race. Then when you consider that the car was set up with 10#LF, 12# RF, 6#LR, 9#RR and not all tires heating up the same, it can really screw up the setup, especially for longer races. The nitro filled tires would maintain the same pressure throughout.

That was my understanding of it anyways.

[blkbelt65]

sounds good, let us know how it works out.

[odbrs]

Here a tire shop says that you get as much as 25% to 30% more life of your tires with nitrogen. Also claims that you get better gas mileage because it makes the tires cooler and you get less resistance. That’s what I know so far so I would give it a shot…

[Carbeaux]

Originally Posted by odbrs

Here a tire shop says that you get as much as 25% to 30% more life of your tires with nitrogen. Also claims that you get better gas mileage because it makes the tires cooler and you get less resistance. That’s what I know so far so I would give it a shot…

The nitrogen might take longer to heat, but it's going to heat up none the less. You can't enclose a gas in a finite space like a tire and expect it to stay cooler than any other gas unless it has some outside influence to make it stay cooler.

[Ridley]

There is no difference at all between air and nitrogen, when being used in auto tires. Air, or nitrogen, or any gas for that matter, expands the same, heats the same, and will change pressure the same. The ONLY difference, is that nitrogen is DRY and doesn't contain water vapor. Water vapor is what causes the fluctuations in tire pressure. Using a good air dryer on your compressor will do the exact same thing. The other argument is that it leaks out faster, which is also BS. Oxygen, actually leaks out slower than nitrogen, because it's a larger molecule. Whats left is 1% trace gas, that even if it leaked out completely, would only reduce the pressure of your tire starting at 50psi down to 49.5psi. All the bs about better gas mileage, longer wearing tires, yada yada is simply a scam, designed to get you to fill your tires for 20$ with gas that costs them about a buck.

[kartman]

Mine have a mix of Nitrogen, CO2 and compressed air.

[chunko]

Dear Tom and Ray:

I recently heard about filling tires with nitrogen gas to maintain pressure and lengthen tread life. Since the air we breathe is 78 percent nitrogen, I fail to see how much benefit you actually get from changing from air to nitrogen. The creators of this are selling it as a safety issue. I'd hate to be scammed into paying for premium air. I'm seeing Starbucks-style gasoline boutiques in our near future. What do you guys think? -- Rob

TOM: My first thought is, I'm putting all my money into Airbucks!

RAY: Like many sales pitches, the nitrogen idea has a molecule of truth in it. You're right that normal atmospheric air is about 80 percent nitrogen already. The rest is made up of oxygen, argon, water vapor, cat dander, bad breath and coal-plant particulates. And the truth is, atmospheric air is absolutely good enough for filling your tires.

TOM: Pure nitrogen has a couple of advantages. One is that it expands and contracts less under hot and cold temperatures than a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and water vapor. That can be an advantage if you're in, say, a race car driving at 200 mph around a track for 500 miles -- where tiny differences in tire pressure and handling can really matter.

RAY: Nitrogen also doesn't support combustion like oxygen does. So it's unlikely to fuel a fire started in some other part of the car if a tire explodes. Of course, there's already plenty of combustible air all around the car, regardless of what's in the tires.

TOM: And finally, both the oxygen and the small percentage of moisture in the atmospheric air can contribute to degradation of the inside of your tires and wheels. But think about it: The outsides are exposed to the air all the time, so what are you worried about the insides for?

RAY: So, none of these advantages is important to the average driver. They just don't matter enough to ever think about. And they certainly don't matter enough to pay for, Rob.

[Blackbeauty]

So what is Amos & Andy's take on it?