Nitrogen in tires
 

:iono:I was reading an article in the Sept 09 Family Handyman magazine and ran across an article about "Making your tires last". In the article it made reference to tires that have green caps on the valve stems indicate that the tire is filled with nitrogen. Based on the article they do not recommend that you fill the tire with compressed air because it will negate the advantages of the nitrogen. Does anyone know if this will also cause damage to the tires. My 2SS has green caps on the valve stems so I am making an assumption that the tires are filled with nitrogen. Going to dealer tomorrow to check on this and find out what do I do when I get a low tire warning. More to come. Any thoughts from experts out there?:readthethread:

I have mine filled with 78% nitrogen. Very easy to find/refill.

It will not damage the tires. Adding "air" just diminishes the value of having nitrogen in there.

Waste of time. If you have it fine, but its not worth going out of your way to find.

:sm0:

You know...nitrogen doesn't leak out of the tires as quick as "air" does...so if you just keep refilling them, eventually, they'll be filled with 99.9% nitrogen, and won't deflate for a while...like mine. ;)

:sm0: That is awesome

Yep green caps means nitrogen...

lmao :thumbsup:




another advantage of using nitrogen is that you wont get water in side your tires, if you happen to use so old compressor that never gets drained of have a drier

The biggest advantage about Nitrogen in your tires is the fact that Nitrogen is not affected by temperature.

So can you put Nitrogen in any tires or do you have to have special components in the tire and wheel?

Huh? 78% :iono: Funny...Most wont get it.

Nitrogen fill at less than 95% is a waste..

Nitrogen molecules hold no moisture, less prone to temp changes and molecule is larger leading to less tire pressure fluctuation.

Beneficial? Never tried it..I prefer my 78% blend..much easier to access than time wasted waiting for a refill.

Nitrogen is a liquid below −195.9 °C
Nitrogen freezes solid below −209.9 °C
Liquid nitrogen boils at −195.8 °C

I'd say those cover "affected by temperature"

he is talking about temperatures that occur in nature, in which the car would be operating.

To the two posts above...If you look at the temperature differential, it is true that temperature differential does not affect nitrogen. Just depends on how statement is worded and application.

I am not a chemestry major, but the difference between the three elemental states (liquid/gas/solid) is key here.

Nitrogen also is supposed to help keep your TPMS in good working order.

not as easily affected, but still affected

your tires already have nitrogen in them...lol

but to go to a higher mixture of nitrogen... instead of the ~78% that is already found in the air you breathe and the air inside your tires now, you just need to deflate your tires and reinflate with nitrogen

:word:

Banshee,

"I am not a chemestry major," .... too funny it's chemistry

I have a 2LT, and from what I can tell it does not come with the Nitrogen in the tires. Is that correct? I recently noticed that my tires seem to be losing pressure. I just had the oil changed a week ago and the tire pressure was checked then and were all fine. Today the pressure measured cold as follows:

35 30
34 30

warmed up and reset they measured

35 32
34 32

I'm thinking about having the compressed air drained and getting Nitrogen put in them. Are there any drawbacks to having that done?? Sorry in advance for the noob question.

They should be 36 cold at the least for the 20's.. How much lower is it for the 19's if you have those.. Your tire pressure could be too low if you got the RS package. BTW, don't go by the built in tire pressure monitor, it is not accurate.. Use a personal digital one that you can buy for $10 or a little more for a better one.. After refilling mine to 36psi using a digital measure, the car read them all at 37 after a reset which was good. However turn the car off, turn it back on and it was all over the place 33, 32, 38, 39 the same day.. I did a digital reading and it was still 36 cold an hour later..

Sorry, yes I have th RS package so the 20 in wheels and the tire pressure should be 36 in all four. This is a little troublesome for me since the pressure was fine a week ago when I had the oil changed at 1300 miles :(. Since I'm getting them looked at anyway I thought I'd switch to Nitrogen after reading up on it. Are there any drawbacks to that?

I just saw your edit. The original reading was taken this morning with a new tire pressure gauge and not the monitor in the car. I did look at the monitor in the car, then reset it, and it was pretty accurate with the gauge.

There are no drawbacks to going full nitrogen except the hassle of getting nitro when you do need it. Using nitro will help eliminate the loss of pressure from dramatic temp changes. I always just use air because it is already 78% nitro and I always check my tires on all autos once a week anyway. I have my own compressor so it is really easy to take care of.

Thanks Silver!!! :)

You bet!

I can't wait to see you again, this time with that BEAUTY of a car you have! :)

Our atmosphere is 78% -82% nitrogen

I just rememberred my dad used to fill my pool floats AND car tires with FREON! Flat in the morning inflated in the afternoon! That was in the 70's you know. Can you imagine him getting away with now days?

..First thing that came to mind reading that was "Would be funny to do to a Prius driver that was acting high and mighty.":D

'You're killing the environment!'

'... And I just tripled your carbon footprint. Enjoy!'

Pull out your tire warranty paperwork. Anything other than air put into the tires voids your warranty.

Lol. well that's definitely a drawback :)

Costs money for minimal to no gain.

Nitrogen in the tires does not void the tire warranty. Good grief! Air is already mostly nitrogen. That is talking about tire sealants, liquid products and the like.

Not to mention, you get a flat, all the air is gone, prove it was 95% nitro over 78 - 82%.

Yep and no special components needed :thumbsup:

Talked to my dealer and he confirmed. Stated if I ever have to put air due to not having access to nitrogen was not a problem. He said simply bring the car in as soon as I could and they would remove the contaminated nitrogen/air from the tire and fill with pure nitrogen free of charge. Sounds like a plan to me. Free is good.

Now call Pirelli and ask the same question.

From Pirelli: What Is Not Covered By The Warranty?
P-Metric tires used on commercial vehicles or used in commercial applications.
Tires transferred from the vehicle on which they were originally installed.
Tires on any vehicle registered and normally operated outside the United States of America or Canada.
Tires which have been recapped, or retreaded, or regrooved.
Tires used in racing or other competitive events.
Tires improperly repaired or with repairs not conforming to Rubber Manufacturers Association standards, or with section repairs, or with self-vulcanizing plug only.
Tires which have been modified by the addition or removal of material or any tire intentionally altered to change its appearance.
Tires injected with liquid balancer or sealant or in which anything other than air has been used as the support medium.
Tires with weather cracking which were purchased more than four years prior to presentation for adjustment (If no proof of purchase date is available, tires manufactured four or more years prior to presentation for adjustment).
Tire unserviceability caused by tire operation in excess of tire/wheel manufacturers' specifications and recommendations.
Ride related anomalies after the first 2/32" of treadwear.
Tires which are mis-applied due to insufficient speed rating, or undersized, or oversized tires.
Tires which become unserviceable because of a mechanical irregularity in the vehicle such as misalignment, defective brakes, defective shock absorbers, or improper rims.
Tires damaged by fire, chemical corrosion, vandalism, wrecks, chains, theft, run while flat, underinflated, overinflated, or abused during servicing.
Flat Spotting caused by improper transport or storage.
Tires which become unserviceable because of road hazard injuries (e.g., nails, glass, metal objects) or other penetrations or snags, bruises or impact damage.
Tires damaged from improper mounting practices.
Tire dealer/retailer services (e.g., mounting, dismounting, balancing, tire rotation, or wheel alignment).
Mileage warranty is not applicable to tires fitted as Original Equipment.
Tires removed in pairs or sets where no abnormality exists in multiple tires.

Info from Aircraft world. We use N2 to inflate acft tires, it is stable (expansion), hold little water vaper...Now with that said acft tire go from neg degrees F to upwards of 150-200 degrees when the acft lands. Normal compressed air is fine for your car. Unless you are flying (Real flying) Normal driving is just fine...racing is another story. Hope this helps..

Oh, and by the way, the P-Zero tires on the Camaro's from the factory have "NO TREADWEAR WARRANTY" at all. I called Pirelli. The replacement tires "19" you buy aftermarket have a 45,000 mile treadwear warranty and filling with Nitrogen does not void the warranty.

When the dealer was prepping my Camaro for delivery they put nitrogen it the tires - no charge. The machine deflated and inflated all 4 tires at the same time and does it 3 times to get all the air out. I had him leave the green caps off though, they didn't look good on a red car IMO.

Looks like if you THINK about Pirelli tire you pretty much void the "Warranty" :sm0::sm0: Good luck with anything other than road hazzard warranties with tires either way!!

The real reason that for racing Nitrogen is preferred is becuase well it is put into the cylinders is completely devoid of moisture. Dry air is just as stable as nitrogen, the problem is air from a compressor is never devoid of water vapor. Water vapor is the cause of the majority of change in tire pressure when the tire gets hot. Composition of air is mostly nitrogen already so why would it be more stable than 95% nitrogen, the next largest make up of air is oxygen which is just as stable with tempature.