2000Firehawk

Over at http://www.gmpartsdirect.com they are selling tire/wheel packages with Nitrogen filled tires , instead of normal air ????

They claim a better ride & longer tire life ????

Anyone know if this is possible ???

Dave :cheers:

wrustywrench

why do this,,, what if they seep or you need to adjust pressure,,,hmmmm, I have heard abou this in racing somewhere,, but I forget,,,not for me...

V8_Club

I heard this too. But like wrustysaid the other issues may turn out to be more bothersome. Stick with Air. :thumbs:

Mitch Alsup

Its true:

Nitrogen filled tires have no oxygen inside, so there is nothing inside to corrode the rubber. So, if you get many years on a set of tires, the nitrogen can prevent premature rubber breakdown. I tend to go through 2 sets of tires per year, so long life is not the reason I use nitrogen.

Nitrogen in tires does not contain water vapor. So if you go to the road race track, the tires will not gain too much pressure as they heat up. So you can start at 34 PSI and end up with 40 PSI instead of starting with 30 PSI to end up with 40 PSI. In a real race, this can make you car handle better in the first 3 laps than the other guys who don't use nitrogen (i.e. before the tires heat up)

Tire pressure sensors will also last longer with nitrogen due to no water vapor and oxygen to corrode the sensors.

carpe dm

Yes, N is good for your tires. I just wish I could get it easily here! :smash: :yesnod: :)

GTC

It is used in racing applications all the time. The temperature buildup is much more predictable. I haven't heard of it used for daily drivers, though.

Nitrogen is probably better, but I'll stick with air because it is cheaper and easier. :yesnod:

BlackC5Vette

:iagree: Thats what I've heard too!

Rons2ndC5

I think I just found a new business opportunity.........High pressure Nitrogen in a can...........Think about it. :seeya

XTrooper

This might be helpful if you're using tires with an 80,000 mile warranty, but the tread on the tires we use will be long gone before we have to worry about the rubber breaking down.

I hear you can fill your tires with helium to lighten your car for drag racing! :crazy: :)


[Modified by XTrooper, 3:26 PM 12/10/2003]

Bill Dearborn

The rubber on the outside is still exposed to good old air so I don't know if having Nitrogen on the inside will help with aging. The advantage of using Nitrogen is that it is a single gas instead of a mixture of several gases and water vapor. This provides a known expansion rate for the tire as it heats up. That way you can take notes on performance of the tires based on temperature and pressure measurements and get results that are repeatable the following day. That is how NASCAR teams are able to add .5 lb to the right rear tire and predict what it will do to the handling.
Bill

0GmPartsDirect.com

2000 Firehawk
We corrected our site; nitrogen does not improve ride quality. One of our parts guys misunderstood the manufacturer of our wheel and rim packages. Hopefully this will clear up some questions about Nitrogen. By the way I just moved from Germany and nitrogen is widely used, just about every tire shop has Nitrogen for an option. We are moving our location to a larger warehouse and will purchase the Branick Nitrogen tire inflation system. Mainly to keep moister out of C5 and Cadillac air pressure monitoring devices.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT Nitrogen Filled Tires

What immediate benefit can be expected from Nitrogen filled tires?

Better Maintenance of Air Pressures
Because the molecules in Nitrogen are larger than the molecules in oxygen, Nitrogen migrates through a tire 3 to 4 times slower than oxygen.

Lower Fuel Consumption
Better air pressures improve rolling resistance and reduce the risk of running tires under-inflated.

Cooler Running Tires
Tires inflated with Nitrogen run approximately 20% cooler than tires inflated with air. Nitrogen is an inert clean gas that disperses heat quicker than regular compressed air.

What are the long-term benefits of Nitrogen filled tires?

Extended Tire Life
With cooler running tires maintaining better pressure, tire life can be significantly extended

Oxidation is Eliminated
With Nitrogen, there is no more oxidation of inner
liners, belt packages or air pressure monitoring devices (required in all motor vehicles effective November 2003).


Improved Retreadability
With the elimination of oxidation, there is no more loss of flexibility. Truck casings that start on Nitrogen have often had 4 or more retread lives.

No More Rim Rust
Nitrogen is completely dry. Condensation is eliminated.

On the Road Reliability
Tire failures are reduced as much as 80%... reducing costly down time.

Stronger Casings
Stronger casings = more retreads.

Thanks, Marc
TECH 1794 http://WWW.GMPartsDirect.com

:flag :flag

MTWallet

I filled mine with Helium, they are much lighter now! :lol:

rwj383

Filling a volume with any inert will accomplish keeping moisture out. He, N2, Ne, Kr, Ar, Xe will all accomplish this and be safe at same time. however, to truly eliminate moisture one has to pull a vacuum down on the tire, which is nearly impossible. BUT, you can drastically reduce the amount of water in the atmosphere by cycle-purging the tires several times with any one of these inert/noble gases. I work in the semiconductor industry by day and have plenty access to any of these gases. Those of you that have friends in the industry and want to fill the tires, hit them up!


[Modified by rwj383, 7:10 PM 12/11/2003]