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Your observations as an engineer are valid , sometimes ya gotta wonder why anyone would post a comment that does not add to a thread and take a poke at you for the helluvit too..... fact, there is less tire pressure fluctuation in a tire when encountering temperature changes (Race car drivers use nitrongen in races), Fact- the higher nitrogen content leads to less permeability of the gas/air in the tire and therefore longer periods between having to top off the tire psi at Costco's tire inflation station.
Yes, but as an engineer did you go back and compare by completely draining the air and test the actual leakage and refill frequency with pure Nitrogen and regular air. If you just switched to Nitrogen and didn't go back and get valid data for non pure Nitrogen, then you didn't do a validation comparison test. Tires, valve stems , and everything continues to improve. What you experienced as better air pressure results is probably just to better tire technology and not Nitrogen.
But anyway I am glad you are getting better tire pressure holding using Nitrogen.
The only significance of being an engineer is that we tend to be a fairly fussy lot. I have a small Black & Decker compressor since I was/am so fussy about maintaining correct tire pressures so I sort of kept track of how often I would need to add air and how much. One of my vehicles has ultra low profile tires and I defintely noticed that topping off was less often after the nitrogen. The other vehicle was more typical sedan with Michelin tires and it also seemed that need to fill was less frequent with nitrogen in the tires. I did not make a scientific study of this but merely my impressions.
Now that we have settled the question about benefits (or not) of nitrogen in the tires, we can move on to the always fun subject of the benefit (or not) of K&N air filters. Let the games begin.
The only significance of being an engineer is that we tend to be a fairly fussy lot. I have a small Black & Decker compressor since I was/am so fussy about maintaining correct tire pressures so I sort of kept track of how often I would need to add air and how much. One of my vehicles has ultra low profile tires and I defintely noticed that topping off was less often after the nitrogen. The other vehicle was more typical sedan with Michelin tires and it also seemed that need to fill was less frequent with nitrogen in the tires. I did not make a scientific study of this but merely my impressions.
Now that we have settled the question about benefits (or not) of nitrogen in the tires, we can move on to the always fun subject of the benefit (or not) of K&N air filters. Let the games begin.
All one needs to do is go to the Tirerack website (which probably knows much more than a computer worker) to see that there are valid benefits. As the saying goes, "Opinions are like...... "
So, the main reason nitrogen is no longer a "fad" is that there is an inherent cost associated with offering it to customers, not that there are no solid benefits to using it if its available.....
Fellow engineer here. I too am a fuss pot when it comes to proper tire inflation. But living in Ontario Canada we have temperature swings here throughout the year that demands tire pressure adjustments at times almost weekly. Nitrogen filling around here is almost completely gone, except maybe Costco. With the price to buy the equipment in the first place plus the price dealers were charging for the service was exorbitant and needing adjustment as the season's change made it a pain in the but to head off to your nitrogen provider constantly.
Just a side note. A black tire sitting in direct sunlight as apposed to the opposite side of the car that is in shade, could have 1 psi or more difference in pressure (with regular air), just from (Ideal Gas Law) thermal expansion. I always confirm pressures with the sun down or a grey day and the car having sat for at least an hour so that all 4 tires are at same conditions. Keep in mind the real end game is to observe the tire pressure when it has warmed up from being driven, so after 10 minutes of highway speeds (or the true operating temp) what is the tire pressure? That's what the engineers are trying to get to. Then they walk that back to the cold temp and arrive at the fill pressure they post on your door sticker.
"What are the effects of temperature change on my nitrogen filled tires?
The pressure in nitrogen filled tires will change when the temperature changes, just as it does with air filled tires, because nitrogen and oxygen respond to changes in ambient temperature in a similar manner. For example, when your vehicle is parked it will lose a similar amount of pressure for every 10 degree change in temperature, whether the tires are filled with nitrogen or air.
The calculations for this change are based on the Ideal Gas Law. A good rule of thumb is this: For every 10 F degree change in temperature, the pressure will change by 1.9%. If a tire is filled to 32 psi at a temperature of 75 F degrees and the temperature drops 10 degrees, the tire pressure will drop to 31.4 psi; a difference of .6 psi. If a 100 psi tire is filled at 75 F degrees and the temperature drops 10 degrees, the tire pressure will drop to 98.1 psi; a difference of .9 psi.
These fluctuations will occur as the temperature rises and falls no matter what the inflation gas. Fortunately, tire manufacturers are well aware of these conditions and design their tires and recommend their cold inflation pressure accordingly.
However, nitrogen does not contain the moisture and other contaminants found in compressed air so, as you drive and the tires heat up, nitrogen filled tires will fluctuate less in temperature and pressure than air filled tires while driving. The bottom line is, you will still see pressure changes with nitrogen but, overall, your tires will run cooler and at a more consistent pressure than if they were filled with air.
For more information please see the Effects of Temperature on Pressure which shows the expansion rates of dry air or nitrogen, in both a truck and passenger tire, as the temperature increases. It also shows how the vapor pressure of water increases as temperature increases and includes a brief explanation."
The only significance of being an engineer is that we tend to be a fairly fussy lot. I have a small Black & Decker compressor since I was/am so fussy about maintaining correct tire pressures so I sort of kept track of how often I would need to add air and how much. One of my vehicles has ultra low profile tires and I defintely noticed that topping off was less often after the nitrogen. The other vehicle was more typical sedan with Michelin tires and it also seemed that need to fill was less frequent with nitrogen in the tires. I did not make a scientific study of this but merely my impressions.
Now that we have settled the question about benefits (or not) of nitrogen in the tires, we can move on to the always fun subject of the benefit (or not) of K&N air filters. Let the games begin.
Sorry, just want to confirm your conditions here. You have your tires filled with nitrogen then when the pressure dropped you just used your compressor to fill with regular air to top up to correct pressure? In that case you would be destroying the 'pure nitrogen' environment inside your tires by doing that and thus your future readings would be from just plain air being in your tires.
Just to clarify this endlessly entertaining subject, once nitrogen was in the tires I NEVER topped off with air. Always went back to the local tire shop for nitrogen but now the only local source is Costco which is a bit of a hassle but still okay.
Nitrogen costs and has minimal benefit. Some tire stations charge $5-$10 to fill tires. New Dealers charge around $100 or more. There is profit to be made if the dealer or tire station wants to pursue it. CR and TireRack don't recommend Nitrogen filled tires.
As one can see, the goal by some is to be the one w the last word...... never admit one is wrong, in Fact, as mentioned previously,
the reason Nitrogen for inflating tires is less available than it once was is that it is expensive to offer and most drivers won't pay for it. Costco offers it as part of the membership and thats why many of us have chosen to use it.
Given a choice between using Nitrogen in our tires or not, I choose Nitrogen for its attributes..... the next thing that is gonna be argued is which Lexus color is superior
. Have at it...time to find something better to do than argue w that proverbial " ............apple in the barrel"
Last edited by Lexicon1; Nov 30, 2024 at 02:51 AM.
Reason: clarification
Nitrogen in tires ......one last time...
