Nitrogen
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Nitrogen
The weather change has some of the nitrogen in my tires leaking out. Is it worth buying a few of these?
Just put air in your tires like a normal person, and add/remove when necessary. Buy a $15 Walmart air pump you plug into the cigarette lighter and an analog tire pressure gauge to dial it in perfectly. I bet someone put regular air in your tires a while ago and that's why it's fluctuating so much.
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As you probably already know, nitrogen molecules are larger and therefore will not be lost as quickly through the tire's carcass as regular air. But, the reality is - there's not much difference between using nitrogen and regular ol' air.
The regular air we breathe is 78 percent nitrogen and the rest is oxygen. The nitrogen in your tires is never 100%, so if it is say 90% - 95% nitrogen it only has about 12% - 17% more nitrogen than the air we breathe. That said, most people do not find it worthwhile to use nitrogen in their tires.
The regular air we breathe is 78 percent nitrogen and the rest is oxygen. The nitrogen in your tires is never 100%, so if it is say 90% - 95% nitrogen it only has about 12% - 17% more nitrogen than the air we breathe. That said, most people do not find it worthwhile to use nitrogen in their tires.
Last edited by bclexus; Dec 17, 2019 at 10:35 AM.
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From Consumer Reports:
Should you use nitrogen in your tires?
Some shops may try to persuade you to fill your tires with nitrogen instead of regular air in order to get better fuel economy and longer tire life. Sometimes the nitrogen service is free, but it can also run $3 to $10 per tire. We say, save your money.
The claimed benefits are based on the fact that nitrogen molecules don't leak through a tire's sidewall rubber as easily as regular air (which, by the way, is made up of about 80 percent nitrogen). Therefore, the tires will retain their recommended pressure longer. The reality is that if you check and maintain your tires' pressure on a regular basis, you'll get the same benefits that are claimed for nitrogen.
When we tested nitrogen-filled tires versus tires inflated with regular air, we found that all of the tires lost pressure over time. On average, nitrogen did leak more slowly, losing 2.2 psi over the course of a year versus 3.5 psi for air. But either way, you still need to check your tire pressure regularly to maintain it at the recommended level. So, why pay for nitrogen?
Moreover, if you are losing pressure due to a slow leak, rather than normal leakage through the tire's sidewall, nitrogen won't help. If you commit to using pure nitrogen and need to top off a tire, you'll need to go to a nitrogen-filling location or tire shop.
Bottom line: Using pure nitrogen in your tires won't harm your tires, but it provides little benefit on passenger cars.
Some shops may try to persuade you to fill your tires with nitrogen instead of regular air in order to get better fuel economy and longer tire life. Sometimes the nitrogen service is free, but it can also run $3 to $10 per tire. We say, save your money.
The claimed benefits are based on the fact that nitrogen molecules don't leak through a tire's sidewall rubber as easily as regular air (which, by the way, is made up of about 80 percent nitrogen). Therefore, the tires will retain their recommended pressure longer. The reality is that if you check and maintain your tires' pressure on a regular basis, you'll get the same benefits that are claimed for nitrogen.
When we tested nitrogen-filled tires versus tires inflated with regular air, we found that all of the tires lost pressure over time. On average, nitrogen did leak more slowly, losing 2.2 psi over the course of a year versus 3.5 psi for air. But either way, you still need to check your tire pressure regularly to maintain it at the recommended level. So, why pay for nitrogen?
Moreover, if you are losing pressure due to a slow leak, rather than normal leakage through the tire's sidewall, nitrogen won't help. If you commit to using pure nitrogen and need to top off a tire, you'll need to go to a nitrogen-filling location or tire shop.
Bottom line: Using pure nitrogen in your tires won't harm your tires, but it provides little benefit on passenger cars.
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Many Costco tire locations have a "do it yourself" air pump w/ nitrogen. Just set the psi desired and top away.
For what it's worth, my nitrogen filled tires seem to be more stable during temp changes and lose a little less air over time.
For what it's worth, my nitrogen filled tires seem to be more stable during temp changes and lose a little less air over time.
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I agree with you and here in Texas you get big temp swings which mess with my tire inflation. I'm sticking with the N2.
Last edited by DAVEB1980; Dec 18, 2019 at 09:26 AM.
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FWIW, there's not theoretical advantage to Nitrogen vs Air for temperature swings unlike for leakage. However, there's often less moisture in Nitrogen pumps so that would indeed be a difference.
N is for nitrogen but it comes in molecules of two atoms so N2
N is for nitrogen but it comes in molecules of two atoms so N2
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From: #BBNine
Nitrogen (N2) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that makes up 78.09% (by volume) of the air we breathe. ... It is commonly thought of and used as an inert gas; but it is not truly inert. It forms nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide with oxygen, ammonia with hydrogen, and nitrogen sulfide with sulfur.
78% of air is already nitrogen.
78% of air is already nitrogen.
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