Filling Tires with Nitrogen

That makes sense, of a sort. Freon destroys ozone. Ozone causes rubber to deteriorate. Hmmmm

That is complete BS. It won't improve mileage, and according to Boyle's law (PV=nrT) all gasses respond to changes in temperature the same way.

The real reason to use Nitrogen is because it is inert. It won't cause oxidation or degradation from inside the tire. Also, since Nitrogen is a much larger molecule, it tends to "leak" slower than atmospheric air which has a notable concentration of smaller atoms.

Its BS, and a complete waste of money.

What's your opinion on CO2, Curtis? Cyclists insist that it leaks through the tube faster than air, which is relavant because we sometimes use CO2 inflators as a portable 'air' supply. Yet, some formula 1 teams do use CO2 in tires. I suspect they have better research facilities.

Chai, yes it would take 1,904 miles (probably MUCH less now) but your tire are good for about 40,000 miles meaning you would make money in the long run!

Tires - Nitrogen air loss study
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/tires-nitrogen-.html

Filling tires with nitrogen rather than air is becoming a common practice in the replacement tire market. This service offers tire dealers another avenue for making money while also promoting safety. The claimed safety benefits often include the potential for reducing air loss compared to an air-filled tire. Maintaining proper inflation can help prevent tire overheating; promote optimum tread life; and reduce rubber aging and wheel corrosion. The use of nitrogen in large truck fleets and the commercial tire industry are well documented and support these claims.

Consumer Reports wanted to find out if nitrogen is worth the price, so we purchased a Nitrogen Inflation System and checked out how well the inflation held up over a one year period. We evaluated pairs of 31 tire models of H- and V-speed rated, all-season tires used in our tread wear test from 2006. We filled one tire per model with air and the other with nitrogen. The test was quite simple: fill and set the inflation pressure at room temperature to 30 psi (pounds per square inch); set the tire outdoors for one year; and then recheck the inflation pressure at room temperature after a one year period.

The tires were filled and deflated three times with nitrogen to purge the air out of the tire cavity. We also used an oxygen analyzer to be sure we had 95-percent nitrogen purity in the tire--the claimed purity limit of our nitrogen system, which generates nitrogen gas from ambient air.

The test started on September 20, 2006 and the final measurements were taken on September 20, 2007. The results show nitrogen does reduce pressure loss over time, but the reduction is only a 1.3 psi difference from air-filled tires. The average loss of air-filled tires was just 3.5 psi from the initial 30 pressure setting. Nitrogen-filled tires lost an average of 2.2 psi from the initial 30 psi setting. More important, all tires lost air pressure regardless of the inflation medium, so consumers should check their tires' air pressure routinely. No evaluation was done to assess the aging claim.

Bottom line: Overall, consumers can use nitrogen and might enjoy the slight improvement in air retention provided, but it's not a substitute for regular inflation check


Why are Americans so gullible. 80% of the air you put in your tires is nitrogen already.

It would make the car lighter and I could effortlessly float down the street.

I thought that's what the amphetamins are for.