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Tires filled with Nitrogen

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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 07:11 AM
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Default Tires filled with Nitrogen

Hey everyone,



so I've always heard of nitrogen filled tires, some ppl say it's not worth it while some say they really liked it,

so I emptied the tires and filled them with Nitrogen for 2$ per tire.
the moment I got out from the shop I felt the "lightness" that I heard of,
first 2 turns the TRC kicked in, was really surprised.

but after 2 minutes of driving it felt just like it was before.

good thing is you can fill it with normal air if it leaked, and there is possible better fuel consumption(like I care).

just wanted to share,tires are OEM potenza's btw.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 07:28 AM
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I really, really doubt you felt a difference. Remember, "air" is 79% nitrogen. Nitrogen just isn't as affected by temperatures as much as regular air. Not that it makes any difference unless you're tracking your car all the time.

FWIW, my tires are all filled with nitrogen. Not by choice, it's just the tire shop I use only uses nitrogen. It made no difference that I can discern.

Originally Posted by A.C Milan
Hey everyone,



so I've always heard of nitrogen filled tires, some ppl say it's not worth it while some say they really liked it,

so I emptied the tires and filled them with Nitrogen for 2$ per tire.
the moment I got out from the shop I felt the "lightness" that I heard of,
first 2 turns the TRC kicked in, was really surprised.

but after 2 minutes of driving it felt just like it was before.

good thing is you can fill it with normal air if it leaked, and there is possible better fuel consumption(like I care).

just wanted to share,tires are OEM potenza's btw.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 07:43 AM
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of course you wouldn't notice a difference, cuz you haven't tried the normal air first to compare.
I've filled it after 40000km of driving on normal air.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by A.C Milan
of course you wouldn't notice a difference, cuz you haven't tried the normal air first to compare.
I've filled it after 40000km of driving on normal air.
And you're still imagining the difference.

As noted, your tires were -already- about 78% filled with nitrogen before you spent $2/tire...at which point it was about 95% nitrogen.

Consumer Reports tested the "less leaking" claim and found Nitrogen shows a real, but quite small, improvement over normal air. (Over a full year the nitrogen tires lost 1.3 lbs less pressure than the air filled ones).
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 09:47 AM
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Nissan GTR tires are filled with Nitrogen from factory.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 10:11 AM
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We have nitrogen air filled tires in the RX. It's been roughly 4 months since it's fill up and its still on the same PSI. Unbelievable.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 11:14 AM
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Um no, the tires don't come from the factory with nitrogen. So when I had the tires swapped, they filled them with nitrogen. Of course no difference.

I'm amazed that people think you could get better fuel consumption too. People will believe anything. I rate nitrogen in the tires up there with those tornado intake things people use.

Originally Posted by A.C Milan
of course you wouldn't notice a difference, cuz you haven't tried the normal air first to compare.
I've filled it after 40000km of driving on normal air.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 01:40 PM
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doubt it will improve mpg but will definitely help -- less pressure fluctuation from hot/cold weather.....
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 01:57 PM
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fill the tires with helium, it will make your entire car feel lighter and handle better. I'm positive that you will feel the difference.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 02:05 PM
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So the differences aren't readily measurable, but small difference is there....

Therefore I'll pass.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 03:19 PM
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The biggest difference isn't the nitrogen, its the lack of humidity. Dry air and dry nitrogen are almost indistinguishable. Humid air vs. dry nitrogen will have a very big difference in performance at the track because the dry nitrogen filled tire will experience far less temperature instability and pressure rise. Jet aircraft use dry nitrogen for tires, landing gear struts, and gas filled hydraulic accumulators because of the temperature extremes they experience in normal operation.

For the street, there's no discernible difference.
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Old Jan 10, 2009 | 02:58 AM
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Originally Posted by lobuxracer
The biggest difference isn't the nitrogen, its the lack of humidity. Dry air and dry nitrogen are almost indistinguishable. Humid air vs. dry nitrogen will have a very big difference in performance at the track because the dry nitrogen filled tire will experience far less temperature instability and pressure rise. Jet aircraft use dry nitrogen for tires, landing gear struts, and gas filled hydraulic accumulators because of the temperature extremes they experience in normal operation.

For the street, there's no discernible difference.
damn. u beat me to it.

nitro for car tires is only useful if u track ur car.

plain and simple.

learned that from johan van overbeek when he compared the Porsche GT3 RS to his GT3 racer in ALMS

What OP felt was prolly thin layer of grease/oil he picked up off the floor of the shop he visited? after a few minutes it'll rub off, tire temps pick up and u get better grip.

or total placebo effect

Last edited by nabbun; Jan 10, 2009 at 03:01 AM.
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Old Jan 10, 2009 | 08:56 AM
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Our cars are not Formula 1 machines that operate at critical thresholds. I filled my tires up in early September to spec. I checked them last week and each tire had lost six pounds, which is a rate of 1.5 psi per month. Big deal. We should be checking them monthly anyway at which time we can top them up. Nitrogen is one of those things that won't hurt, but completely unnecessary. It's a nice little profit center for those that peddle it. If you think your car drives better than go ahead, but it's all in your head.
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Old Jan 10, 2009 | 09:28 AM
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It looks like we have established that nitrogen is superior to air to inflate tires you have to make your own decision if you want to go the extra expense & hassel to obtain it.

TPMS sensors prefer nitrogen because of reduced moisture
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Old Jan 10, 2009 | 09:45 AM
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I agree with above posters about monthly tire pressure checks. A better investment for most is a small compressor to keep in the garage. It's always best and easier to check tire pressure in the comfort of your garage, first thing before the car is driven (so that you get true "cold" measurements).
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