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Keyword: nitrogen inflation
Nitrogen Inflation
Tire Information World : your friendly
independent source of tire help
 Nitrogen Inflation is it justified or just-a-waste of
money?
Nitrogen inflation may not be worthwhile for everyone's tires. The
main advantage of nitrogen inflation is lower operating
temperatures and better retention of pressure, and people using vehicles
in extreme conditions stand a good chance of getting more
life out of tires filled with nitrogen.
But what about the rest of us?
Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and
non-toxic gas that forms about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere.
The rest of the atmosphere is 21% oxygen and a few other
gases.
In the Blue Corner
The main claims for nitrogen inflation are:
-
A reduction of tire operating temperatures, reducing wear
and tear on the tread.
-
It improves the ride quality.
-
It increases the life of the tire.
-
Reduced tire pressure build up means cold tires are already at
full inflation pressure.
-
Better retention of air because the nitrogen will escape the
tire walls slower
-
Less wear or corrosion on wheels or rims because the nitrogen
won't react with the wheel surface.
-
Nitrogen inflation is less hazardous, heavy aircraft flying at
high altitude are at risk of tire explosion, so they use
nitrogen inflation. Vehicles on mine sites also use nitrogen
inflation for the same reasons.
In the Red Corner
The negatives are:
-
Nitrogen inflation can be expensive, commonly up to sixty
dollars for a full set of tires.
-
Once you use nitrogen you have to maintain it to get the
advantages.
-
Not widely available. A person might have to drive a
considerable distance to get a top up.
-
Questionable economy: When normal air is already 78% nitrogen
is pure nitrogen a sufficient advantage?
-
With Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems now required on new cars
in the US, is nitrogen inflation an advantage?
If you drive about 15,000 miles a year and can get your
tires inflated with nitrogen free, then why not do so and make your own
test?. Although you shouldn't have to add pressure to your tires
as often, it is possible to add air without causing any damage. The problem with doing this is that you would then
have to completely re-fill the tire with nitrogen to return to
the advantages of using nitrogen. If you can increase your tire mileage
by 5,000 miles, the nitrogen is doing it's job.
Companies like Costco have been giving free nitrogen to
their customers for some time. Tire Warehouses in the north
eastern US offers free top-up service to their customers.
Users who will likely notice the greatest financial
gains are people who have to maintain a lot of tires at once,
like truck companies, fleet managers, etc.
The rest of us could probably achieve gains by regularly
checking tire pressures and acting fast when
we see irregular wear patterns.
Checking your tires before you drive your car each day won't cost you
sixty bucks, which is the price some dealers are charging for filling
your tires with nitrogen and it's a good
safety habit to develop.
More Articles on Nitrogen Inflation
Here's a couple more articles to give you a broader picture
on the subject:
http://www.getnitrogen.org
http://www.toyo.com.au/TechInfoPDFs/TTT-176%20Nitrogen%20Gas%20Inflation.pdf
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