[ccharlie]

Tires have nitrogen in them. If pressure is a few lbs. lower than it should be can you just add "air" rather than nitrogen

 

[dsulli37]

Yes.

Air is 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.

I am sorry you got sucked into the nitrogen scam.

 

[ccharlie]

They were originally going to charge me $49 and I said no. Later I had some issues and asked them to put Nitrogen in for free and they did. I really do not know the advantage of having the Nitrogen, but the valve stem caps looked better than the oem plastic.

 

[Narg]

Air is 78.09% nitrogen

That has always cracked me up.

Nitrogen is quite cheap normally, which makes it worse. If I understood correctly, it costs the dealer about $0.50 per tire. Using it for tires does have a valid reason, 100% nitrogen is very light and super low mass. This allows the tires to rotate easier. I haven't seen any studies on the effects, so there is not any proof if it does help MPG or anything for that matter. So, while the idea is sound there's no proof yet.

Whats even more funny is pure Nitrogen is flamable. Hope you don't get in a wreck! ACK!

 

[gearhead]

I was under the impression that nitrogen filled tires weren't as prone to variances in pressure due to ambient temperature changes, or heat from road friction, as regular air filled tires are?
i.e. they maintain their pressure year round so you don't have to pump them up in winter or let air out in summer.
Hmmm...

 

[grometsc]

I was under the impression that nitrogen filled tires weren't as prone to variances in pressure due to ambient temperature changes, or heat from road friction, as regular air filled tires are?
i.e. they maintain their pressure year round so you don't have to pump them up in winter or let air out in summer.
Hmmm...

You are correct....Also a benefit is wear on tires due to the mentioned factors you talked about. I would never pay for nitrogen on my personal car, the benefits are rarely seen for your daily uses, if you wish go ahead, no harm done, but little gain. In FL the very huimid climate, adds moisture into your tires. If the local place you are getting air from has water flowing out of all the hoses, connections and the drip legs if they have them (or strainer)...I would pay for the nitrogen. If you can get properly "dryed" air from your local shop (using air dryers on the compressor system with a properly designed setup), your not going to see much of a benefit vs +95% nitrogen. I cannot tell you have many times I've seen this at shops, you do not want the water/oil into your tires

My .02.....I do work for Bridgestone, and opinions are mine

 

[Roesterman]

Read this about nitrogen.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/NitrogenTireBenefitsSeemOverblown.aspx

 

[inphoenix]

That has always cracked me up.

Nitrogen is quite cheap normally, which makes it worse. If I understood correctly, it costs the dealer about $0.50 per tire. Using it for tires does have a valid reason, 100% nitrogen is very light and super low mass. This allows the tires to rotate easier. I haven't seen any studies on the effects, so there is not any proof if it does help MPG or anything for that matter. So, while the idea is sound there's no proof yet.

Whats even more funny is pure Nitrogen is flamable. Hope you don't get in a wreck! ACK!

Actually Nitrogen has a DOT designation for transport of "Nonflammable gas" It will not burn or support combustion. It is frequently used to inert systems that contain, or have contained, flammable liquids or gases. "Michelin recommends the use of nitrogen when inflating all aircraft tires. Nitrogen provides a stable, inert inflation gas while eliminating the introduction of moisture into the tire cavity." "Nitrogen is more stable pressure-wise under temperature extremes, won't leak out through the rubber matrix (nitrogen molecules are too big to fit through, just like your car tires and another reason why Costco now fills your car tires with nitrogen), and is not flammable (inert) should the tire blow or overheat." also "Many race car teams use nitrogen instead of air in their tires because nitrogen has a much more consistent rate of expansion and contraction compared to the usual air. Often, a half pound of pressure will radically affect traction and handling. With track and tire temperatures varying over the duration of a race, the consistency of nitrogen is needed.

Nitrogen pressure is more consistent than normal air pressure, because air typically contains varying amounts of moisture due to changes in the relative humidity on race day. Water causes air to be inconsistent in its rate of expansion and contraction."

In the end people can argue this one all day long with merits to both sides. I've run Nitrogen for about 5 years now and I can tell you that with Phoenix heat and road temps, my tires last longer and hold a constant pressure longer. After over 160,000 miles of driving on Nitrogen filled tires I'll take it every time, but I won't pay high dollars for it. I can get it cheap at other places. A good Nitrogen generator is $5000-$7,000 plus $400-$800 for an air dryer. This is why some places charges for it are outrageous. My dealer has it so I just get filled there for free.

 

[Narg]

Shoot, if I could get it for free you bet I'd use it. I'd never pay for it though. Our 'Nox came with it as the dealer normally does this to the cars it sells. On month 2, one of the tires went flat. So it was a waste, oh well...

 

[gearhead]

Going from winter to summer (yesterday got over 81 F here in SW Ontario), I've seen our tire pressure vary by about 4 P.S.I. (around 30 kPa) so we're not going to sweat it, but I will call the dealer to see what the tires are filled with.

I'll ask around town about the cost to convert to nitrogen.
I'm surely not going to deflate all the tires just to fill with nitrogen, not when we only vary by such a relatively low P.S.I. from winter to summer.

I think I put in a couple P.S.I. last December, so come June I'll prolly let it back out.
We have lab quality air with desiccant and condenser dryers where I work so thanks for the advice, I'll pump up there.

 

[SuperMat64]

Nitrogen have good benefits, but maybe not on all tire sizes/cars...

I've always putted nitrogen in my tires for years... And thrust me it worth it ! Even if the "air" is composed of 79% nitrogen the % that they add is a big benefit.

Exemple #1 : They werent able to balance my tires correctly on my 06 Maxima 18" 245-45-R18... When i was starting to drive the morning i had a big whobble in the steering wheel when i was hitting about 70-80kph until the tires get hot, 15 minutes later they were ok. 6 times i've returned to the dealer to have them to correctly balance the front wheels... They even recalibrated their balancing machine... and i've always had this problem until i've inflated my tires with nitrogen.

Exemple #2 : On my Terrain... 19" tires 235-55-R19... When i picked-up the car i've drived like 500km and i was sensing a lot of the rough asphalt... like a grinding sound if you understand what i'm trying to say but maybe not, in the usa you have much better roads than us . Then Inflated with nitrogen the ride is a way much smoother and quieter. I saw the big difference in the very firsts km i've done after that.

I also put nitrogen in my winter tires... When i put them back at winter, they did not lost a psi... when i was using just "air"... i had to put back 4~5 psi each time. Now, i put them back on the car and drive away.

I dont know where you live for the garage asking 50$ to inflate them with nitrogen... but here in Quebec, Canada, This is about 3$ per tire.

There are also way less temperature variation in the tires when inflated with higher % nitrogen when you start to drive than when the tires get hot.

Maybe there is not advantage with tire size of 60 and more... but with 55 and smaller there is a gain of quality, stability and comfort.

Sorry about my english errors, english is not my primary language.[/color]

This is my opinion based on MY experiences... If you never had nitrogen in your tires, stop talking if you've never tried it.[/color]

Thank you for reading and have a good time [/color]