Nitrogen Tire Inflation

It definitely has some good sides to it. But the cost probably isnt worth it for normal daily driving. If you had a specific use for it, then it would be good.
 
Plus the fact that you almost have to Vacuum the "air" out before introducing the nitrogen. The more "air" left in the tire the less it is of ANY benefit. Maybe if you put tubes in and then fill with nito.



Brian:nixweiss
 
Race teams use it because it doesnt expand/ contract as much with heat build up in the tires...so the pressure stays more constant...thus not altering the setup of the car because of increasing tire pressure as the tire gets hotter
 
We use it in aviation due to the fact it contains no moisture. It also is ever so slightly more tolerant to temprature change. For automotive use its total bunk. I have used it mysef but only because its free, charge me a buck and I would say no.
 
There are some reasons to use it for personal vehicles. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a gimmick too. The main problem is not the gas that is used (air or nitrogen), the problem is the moisture in the air. The moisture in the air will expand when heated much more so than the air itself. So going highway speeds on a hot day can cause relatively large pressure changes in your tires. This is why I don't use the air compressors at gas stations anymore. Most never drain the water out of their tanks. I use my own compressor.



Nitrogen also escapes more slowly through the tire than air does (tires typically loose 1 lb of air pressure per month).
 
I use nitrogen at work on aircraft since its "required".... well for high pressure situations I make sure to use it, since the "more" air crammed into a tire means the more it will fluctuate with heat. Also of course is the moisture situation. When u use nitrogen, you know your always getting the same contents of air without moisture. When you use compressed shop air, you have no idea if it contains oil, water, rust, or anything else. But honestly in my car using only 35 psig I really don't care if its nitrogen or shop air. Especially knowing that I would have to pull a vacuum on the tire before filling with nitrogen to get the full potential of pure nitrogen gas without any contaminated outside air in it.
 
gto78 said:
I use nitrogen at work on aircraft since its "required".... well for high pressure situations I make sure to use it, since the "more" air crammed into a tire means the more it will fluctuate with heat. Also of course is the moisture situation. When u use nitrogen, you know your always getting the same contents of air without moisture. When you use compressed shop air, you have no idea if it contains oil, water, rust, or anything else. But honestly in my car using only 35 psig I really don't care if its nitrogen or shop air. Especially knowing that I would have to pull a vacuum on the tire before filling with nitrogen to get the full potential of pure nitrogen gas without any contaminated outside air in it.
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This is correct. If you switch to nitrogen, you have to purge the existing air to get the full effect because the air that is left behind after simply draining them will be the most moist. Tire shops that provide nitrogen have (or should have) machines that purge the existing air.
 
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