Anning Nitrogen to your tires. - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

redassag00 · #16 06-06-2008, 12:38 PM

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/tires-nitrogen-.html

pawoSD · #17 06-06-2008, 11:36 PM

I go through a set of 80k rated tires every 4-5 years.....so I won't need interior-of-tire-lifespan-increasing solutions.

I put about 15-17k hard miles on my tires every year.

Hatterasguy · #18 06-07-2008, 12:11 AM

I just replace them every 4 years, they don't rot if you keep on top of them.

Cr from Texas · #19 06-07-2008, 12:41 AM

Never had one rot from the inside using the 78% stuff out of an air compressor.

"Air is a mixture of gases, 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen with traces of water vapor, carbon dioxide, argon, and various other components."

waybomb · #20 06-07-2008, 12:53 PM

A large bottle of N2 costs about 18 bucks. 6 bucks I tire? Come on by - I'll do it for $5 each! All day long if I could.

Emmerich · #21 06-08-2008, 02:35 AM

I should have said the wear from both sides. The rubber is manufactured with anti-oxidants in it to prevent the oxidation from the oxygen in the inside air. The anti-oxidants can and will be used up since there is no way to replenish them. Normally, the treadwear from the outside and the oxidation from the inside are racing towards each other. When the anti-oxidants are used up, the inside oxidation is greatly increased. This is why you see tires at a point that seem to wear disproportionately faster than they did early in their lives for a given mileage. For example the first 20,000 miles wore x amount of rubber but the second 20,000 miles wore 1.5X of rubber (numbers made up to illustrate the point).

A few years back studies on fleet truck tires (lots of miles) gained up to 50+% additional life when inflated with N2.

N2 also prevents rust of the metal components since there is no water vapor. Valve stems rust from moisture and this is what makes them leak, so you lose air and also MPG from that aspect as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Doe

Unless you drive more than 10K a year, in which case the tires wear from the outside faster than they could ever deteriorate from the inside.

Emmerich · #22 06-08-2008, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuan

Yeah but you want them to wear better on the outside.

They are not mutually exclusive and unrelated events.

Emmerich · #23 06-08-2008, 02:40 AM

Its not that you have N2 in there doing anything special, its that you *don't* have O2 in there causing oxidation (which decrease tire life). Any inert gas would work, I am guessing N2 is the cheapest (it is in air after all....) and I am not sure if thermal expansion between the gases is significant enough to worry about.

And rot probably isn't the correct term, when the anti-oxidating agents in the rubber are used up, outside treadwear is accelerated substantially. Basically the composition of the rubber changes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cr from Texas

Never had one rot from the inside using the 78% stuff out of an air compressor.

"Air is a mixture of gases, 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen with traces of water vapor, carbon dioxide, argon, and various other components."

t walgamuth · #24 06-08-2008, 07:47 AM

Is there a consensus at what air pressure the best mileage is achieved without damaging the tires? I just got new tires on my car and I am thinking of pumping them up a bit.

Tom W

Emmerich · #25 06-08-2008, 01:19 PM

There is probably not a single number good for all tires, but 36-40 is a decent range. The heavier the car the higher the pressure. The key is to make sure they don't lose pressure.

My new Jeep has tire pressure monitors, its pretty cool. I need to get some wireless ones for my car trailer. When I loaded up the 6.3 last weekend I had a low tire but it didn't show until I had a 4000lb car on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Is there a consensus at what air pressure the best mileage is achieved without damaging the tires? I just got new tires on my car and I am thinking of pumping them up a bit.

Tom W

Hatterasguy · #26 06-08-2008, 02:01 PM

I just check my tires every few weeks. You can probably get aftermarket pressure moniters, they replace the valve stems.

I currantly run 32 all around in my SDL, when I fill up the tank I'll pump them up to 36 and see if I get a mileage difference.