Nitrogen In Tires!!

[Puck]

I don't know if anyone here has tried this yet, but my wife has an '04 Pacifica and she just had nitrogen put into all of her tires. It supposed to make the tires last longer, and maybe it does. However, her Pacifica now rides like it has NO suspension!! Before the nitrogen it rode really well, but now it rides like a brick!! You feel EVERY little imperfection in the road. She's tried to get me to put it in my S500 tires, but I think I'll pass on that offer!! I think I'll just let my tires die a natural death!! She paid $40.00 to have that nitrogen put in, and the ONLY good thing about that is if she has a flat, they'll refill the tire for free. I guess if you live where the roads are perfect, nitrogen would be a good idea....but not in MS!!

[MB-Dude]

Originally Posted by Puck

I don't know if anyone here has tried this yet, but my wife has an '04 Pacifica and she just had nitrogen put into all of her tires. It supposed to make the tires last longer, and maybe it does. However, her Pacifica now rides like it has NO suspension!! Before the nitrogen it rode really well, but now it rides like a brick!! You feel EVERY little imperfection in the road. She's tried to get me to put it in my S500 tires, but I think I'll pass on that offer!! I think I'll just let my tires die a natural death!! She paid $40.00 to have that nitrogen put in, and the ONLY good thing about that is if she has a flat, they'll refill the tire for free. I guess if you live where the roads are perfect, nitrogen would be a good idea....but not in MS!!

Nitrogen is often used as a substitute for compressed air in manufacturing plants, although usually in emergency situations due to cost of the nitrogen. I've never heard of using nitrogen in tires in place of compressed air.

The only negative I can think of is that the nitrogen may dry out the rubber a little faster than compressed air. In the semiconductor plants I worked, we had anecdotal and subjective evidence that dry nitrogen dried out viton o-rings at a faster rate than compressed air. Thus, time will tell if the tires last any longer. However, I suspect the tires will simply wear out long before they deteriorate.

As for the rough ride, I suspect the tires are over-inflated. Check that each tires pressure is as specified on a tire pressure label; usually on the driver's door pillar or fuel cap lid. Nitrogen has virtually the same properties as compressed air in low pressure (less than 40 psi) applications. Remember, the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen.

[waybomb]

Another gimmick. In my life, I've probably mounted 1000 tires on rims. I have yet to have seen a single tire that went bad from the inside out.

BTW - I belive N2 is about 78% of our atmosphere.

[Dubyagee]

The nitrogen has larger molecules then O2. It will not leak through the tire as fast as O2 (All tires leak air). As far as the rough ride you need to make sure the pressure is set correctly.

[Matt L]

Air is not pure O2, or our tires wouldn't be happy for other reasons. Air is about 80% nitrogen.

Race teams use nitrogen for their tires because they also use it for their air tools; they can't run compressors in the pits.

Nitrogen is dirt-cheap. $40 to fill the tires with nitrogen is a huge rip-off. That's probably $.50 worth of the gas in there, and no extra work.

There will be no noticeable difference. The drier gas is slightly better, but even racers don't notice it. The difference you feel is probably over-inflated tires.

[waybomb]

Holy crap! I did not notice the $40 charge! We buy large bottles of compressed N2 for something like $13 a bottle, and that's high purity gas for food manufacturing. Could probably fill a few hundred tires with one bottle.

What did PT Barnum say??????????

[Chas H]

[quote=Matt L;1567952]Race teams use nitrogen for their tires because they also use it for their air tools; they can't run compressors in the pits.
quote]

The dryness of nitrogen is exactly why race teams use it to fill tires. That it runs their pit equipment is secondary. Water vapor is not an "ideal gas" and-in the context of race tires- expands in an unpredictable manner.

[forp]

Our local Costco uses nitrogen in all new tires. The reason is the moisture content. The moisture in the tires expands and contracts at a higher rate than dry air(atomospheric or from a bottle). If your compressor could remove all of the moisture, you'd get the same effect. The higher the moisture content, the more the tire pressure varies with temp. It is not snake oil but a good way to help maintain constant pressure with changes in temperature.
Dan

[waybomb]

I can't wait to see his wife drive the car at 180 mph and be concerned with the effects of some amount uncontrollable humidity in her tires. Bet that $40 investment pays off at the finish line............

[Matt L]

Originally Posted by Chas H

That it runs their pit equipment is secondary.

That it runs their pit equipment is why they buy it. If you already have it, why not fill the tires with it? If you have to pay even a dollar a tire, is it worth it?

[Chas H]

The $40 charge is the reason that any tire retailer uses nitrogen.

[waybomb]

What happens when you heat a gas, even a dry gas?

And then if you were to take the same volume, and add a little moisture, and heated it up to normal passenger tire temperature on a 90 degree day on the highway, how much higher would the pressure go?

Spend the money on a good gage and an alignment.

[Chas H]

Originally Posted by Matt L

That it runs their pit equipment is why they buy it. If you already have it, why not fill the tires with it? If you have to pay even a dollar a tire, is it worth it?

If another gas worked better than nitrogen you better believe they would use it-regardless of cost.

[Matt L]

Originally Posted by Chas H

If another gas worked better than nitrogen you better believe they would use it-regardless of cost.

You're trying to tell me that racers use logic for all of their decisions?

If they thought a dead chicken under the hood made them run a tenth of a second faster per lap, there would be chicken buckets under all of their hoods.

[Puck]

LOL!! If my wife can get that Pacifica up to 180, I'll buy you all a McLauren!!! Actually, after reading these posts, and learning how much nitrogen really costs, I think Chas H hit it right on....$40.00!!!! Oh well, live and learn, huh?