Do you continue to use Nitrogen in your tires?

[trodecke]

My Camaro has the green caps on the valve stems which, as I understand it, means the tires were filled with Nitrogen, at least at some point in time in the past. While coming back from work last night I got the TPMS alert about low pressure in a tire so I started trying to find some place local that provides Nitrogen. I don't race this car nor do I really drive all that spiritedly that often but I would like to have the tires last longer.

Having said all that, I'm really just curious if anyone else continues to put Nitrogen in their tires or if you just top 'em off with good old air? I'm not really asking what should be done, just what you're doing now.

Thanks!

[CruisingSpeed]

So this is the first time YOU are filling your tires? I've had mine now for 14 months and haven't filled them up yet with 9,000 mi. What exactly is the nitrogen good for?

[JamesMyBoy]

My understanding is that nitrogen filled tires will not "naturally" decrease in pressure over time like normal air filled tires will. Something about air (which has a small percentage of nitrogen in it anyway) will slowly seep out of the tires over time, and pure nitrogen will not. I think I've read where nitrogen filled tires will not get as hot as air filled tires do also.

[Camarodriver2]

Air is 78% nitrogen.

[trodecke]

Originally Posted by CruisingSpeed

So this is the first time YOU are filling your tires? I've had mine now for 14 months and haven't filled them up yet with 9,000 mi. What exactly is the nitrogen good for?

Yes, this is the first time a tire has shown as being low. I've only had this car since April though, I bought it used. The low pressure alert has gone away (tire says it's at 32psi now). With that big of a fluctuation I'm wondering if the previous owner didn't put regular air in it at some point in time.

Yes, the others are correct. Pure Nitrogen is much more stable from a temp point of view. It's less prone to expanding and contracting with the temps. I believe it's also a larger molecule so it's less prone to losing pressure over time.

[trodecke]

Originally Posted by CruisingSpeed

So this is the first time YOU are filling your tires? I've had mine now for 14 months and haven't filled them up yet with 9,000 mi. What exactly is the nitrogen good for?

Yes, this is the first time a tire has shown as being low. I've only had this car since April though, I bought it used. The low pressure alert has gone away (tire says it's at 32psi now). With that big of a fluctuation I'm wondering if the previous owner didn't put regular air in it at some point in time.

Yes, the others are correct. Pure Nitrogen is much more stable from a temp point of view. It's less prone to expanding and contracting with the temps. I believe it's also a larger molecule so it's less prone to losing pressure over time.

[Scalded Dog]

Nitrogen is ALMOST like snake oil... a gimmick. It may have some very nominal molecular/ performance differences, but even those are debatable. As CD2 noted above, the air you breathe and normally put into your tires is almost 80% nitrogen to start with... and when you fill your tires with "nitrogen," that's not even an absolutely pure nitrogen, so if/ when you refill your tires with regular air OR nitrogen, it's only a slight change in the percentage of nitrogen density.

There is absolutely, positively no harm in airing your tires up at Jimbob's shop, using the ol' compressor that sucks up redneck- greasemonkey- shop- air and puts it into your tires.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by JamesMyBoy

My understanding is that nitrogen filled tires will not "naturally" decrease in pressure over time like normal air filled tires will. Something about air (which has a small percentage of nitrogen in it anyway) will slowly seep out of the tires over time, and pure nitrogen will not. I think I've read where nitrogen filled tires will not get as hot as air filled tires do also.

All gases will seep out through your tires, just that nitrogen apparently does so at a somewhat slower rate than some of the other components of "regular air".

The very biggest advantage of using a nitrogen fill isn't about the nitrogen itself - it's about moisture content, which should be very low as a consequence of the nitrogen separation process. A good shop with properly dried "regular air" would be virtually as good. But even this is more about how much your tire pressure rises as you drive - the greater the moisture content the greater the pressure gain over identical driving. Not that this matters in the least when you're checking 'cold' pressures . . . and if you're checking hot pressures you already know a thing or two about pressure rise due to driving.

As mentioned, air is already mostly nitrogen, and the nitrogen fills aren't 100% pure N2 (they're more like 95% - 98%).

I wouldn't ever pay for nitrogen, or drive out of my way to get it even if it was free (if nothing else, the gas to get me there and back wouldn't be free). But if you can get it for free and it's right on your way to some other destination there's certainly no harm in it.


(this has been discussed more than once all the way up to a forum for practicing engineers)


Norm

[ihada69L78]

A leading Consumer magazine addressed nitrogen in tires several years ago. They said it wasn't worth the money. Nitrogen filled tires did lose about 2 pounds less than regular filled tires in a year long test.

[Anthony @ LG Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Camarodriver2

Air is 78% nitrogen.

the only reason we use pure nitrogen in the race cars is that it is a 'dry' air and you want to kill as much moisture content in the tire as you can. In fact we will purge and purge the air from them until we get readings less than 0.5%. Moisture in the air inside the tire is the biggest cause for variations in pressure growth.

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=7510

Now I don't care if it is air, dry air, or nitrogen in tires, they are all going to vary pressure due to temperature, that is just a basic fact. Pressure and Temp are directly related.


With all of that being said, a daily driver is going to absorb moisture through the tire, and the air inside is going to get 'wet' over time. So if you are hot to trot about nitrogen in them, you are going to have to check moisture content on a regular basis.