rmunsey

Dealer is putting nitrogen in my tires for me. Anyone have an opinion on nitrogen vs air? First I have heard of this. BTW - for those of you who are in morris/union counties in NJ I have been very satisfied with Crown Cadillac for service. They work on a good amount of Vette's and XLRs. Have not found a good Chevy dealer in the area since Barnes/Summit Chevrolet closed.

01000001

rjwoerheide

Several threads on this recently. Might try searching.

The general consensus here seems to be that nitrogen is a waste of money and generally an inconvenience, in that if you fill with regular air (which is 70% nitrogen, anyway) you lose any potential benefits.

Dry, regular air is just fine

TRR

2008c6

I have nitrogen in 20" tires on my infiniti fx35. The only difference I see is I don't loose air. Tire pressure has remained steady for 6 months. Have not put in the vette yet. I do loose air pressure in the GY's (this may be just issue with GY's or run flats) so I may switch to N2 fill for that reason. There is a lot of disscussion on this issue on this forum.

If you have to add air to N2 filled tires the dealer should purge them and refill with N2 at no cost.

dvilin

talon90

If you do a search you will see that this topic comes up from time to time. Do not waste your time, nor your money on a nitrogen fill for your tires. The reason they gave away the first one is that they are going to charge you for subsequent fills.

The claims:

-Better MPG (no idea how they figure this)
-More consistant tire pressure (Nitrogen is still a gas and is still subject to the same laws of physics as other gases)
-Less maintenance, marginally better than conventional air.
-Less damage to the tires as it is dry. (Only applicable for long term storage.)

The reality is that nitrogen will still expand and contract as it heats up. It will still lose pressure over time. It will cost you money to fill and you will need to find nitrogen fill stations to use. If you put any air back in at all you will lose the dry benefit of the nitrogen. If it is free forever and it is convenient (fill stations on every corner nation wide then I'd consider it. Otherwise, simply pass. Air is 78% nitrogen to start with.

It is a complete and total waste of money for everyday driving. It's benefits come from:

- Long term storage.
- Automobile racing where even a fraction of a pound can affect handling.
- Aircraft tires as it doesn't support combustion.



Lots of threads on the subject:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

BEZ06

with what Talon90 says!!!

Bob

mrbill43

We take in nitrogen with every breath. Air is composed of:

1% Water Vapor and Other Gases – Escapes up to 250 times faster than Nitrogen
21% Oxygen – Escapes 3-4 times faster than Nitrogen
78% Nitrogen – The largest molecule in
air, dry, non-flammable.
Because of their large size, nitrogen molecules are the least permeable and stay in your tire longer.

It's not about the nitrogen. It's about reducing oxygen, water vapor and other gases.

By reducing the percentage of oxygen, water vapor and other gases in your tires from 22% to 7% or lower, your tires will maintain proper pressure longer than if you use “plain old air.” For example, with 95% nitrogen in your tires, they retain optimal pressure three to four times longer.

Proper tire pressure is a big deal.
Maintain it with nitrogen, and you'll see
these three primary benefits:


Increased Fuel Efficiency – Correct tire pressure keeps the manufacturer's recommended “contact patch” on the road. This lessens the rolling resistance and maximizes fuel efficiency. Read On...


Longer Tire Life – When it comes in contact with other materials, oxygen causes oxidation. Oxidation can make rubber brittle and cause it to lose tensile strength. In addition, at high temperatures and pressures, oxygen reacts and damages inner tire liners and belt packages; nitrogen does not. Read On...


Increased Safety – Under-inflated tires cause 90% of blowouts. Nitrogen provides more reliable pressure for reduced blowout potential. Read On...
Other benefits:

Improved TPMS Performance – If you have a new car, you likely are plagued by a flashing light telling you your tire pressure is low. For example, one woman's light was going off every four to five weeks. After inflating with nitrogen, her light didn't reappear for 53 weeks!


More Predictable Pressure Fluctuation – NASCAR teams use nitrogen so they can more accurately predict tire pressure fluctuation. Regular compressed air can fluctuate considerably when water vapor is present. Read On...


Longer Rim Life – Rim rust caused by condensation from water vapor and other gases can get caught in valves and create slow leaks in tires. Nitrogen is completely dry, so it eliminates the potential for condensation.
Why not eliminate all oxygen and water vapor?
What's right for me – 95% or 98%?

Numerous studies have proven that nitrogen in tires reduces the volume of gases that escape more quickly and cause damaging oxidation. However, research also has shown that nitrogen purity beyond a certain point does not provide additional benefits. In fact, with a nitrogen purity above 93.4%? in passenger tires, oxygen actually begins to migrate back into the tire. You can get all the benefits of nitrogen with a purity level between 93-98%.

talon90

Nitrogen is still a gas and is still subject to the laws of physics PV=nRT. It will still expand and contract thermally. It will still vary the pressure of your tires on the highway vs. the backroads.

If you can get it for free and if it is convenient to get, then by all means have a ball. If you add just a couple of pounds of air to the car on a road trip or vacation you will basically need to start from the top again and purge and refill the tires. This will not likely be free everywhere. Frankly, that will be the day that I pay to have my tires filled or when I have to drive around town looking for a nitrogen fill station. It has value for race cars and aircraft. The benefits you touted above (very nice marketing presentation I might add) are simply overstated by the source and offer no real world advantage that would make additional travel or expense worth it for a nitrogen fill. For every study that you can cite showing how beneficial nitrogen is, there is a equal number of studies that show inconclusive data and no clear advantage.

mrbill43

Touchy........Corvette owners will spend thousands of dollars on mods but are worried about spending a few cents on nitrogen in there tires, in most areas you have to pay to put regular air in your tires at a service station.. I’m just making a counterpoint to your observations on nitrogen use………Don’t take it personal, we all have our own opinions and are free to choose what we whish to use.

johnodrake

Well said. I have my own fill station in my garage. I don't have the time or inclination to run over to Curry's every time I want to adjust the pressure in my tires.

C-INRED

So if you get nitrogen, will you go back to whoever puts it in every time you need your pressures adjusted? They will still leak some...just more slowly. And won't you still need to adjust pressures seasonally as ambient air temperatures change?

Having to go to your dealer or whomever seems like an inconvenience to me and you're probably less likely to do it in a timely manner...which means you will negate the benefits of the nitrogen maintaining proper tire pressures.

Personally, I think I'll just adjust mine with air every month or so in my garage.

Vette_DD

No, just being practical. Every service station on every block has air that you can put in your tires, but there are very few that have nitrogen, no matter the price.

Actually, Talon90 was being kind with his rebuttal. Here's how often it's come up lately. mrbill43, if 25% of the people in these threads combined think it's a good idea (outside the track), I'll pay for all your nitrogen for the next 10 years.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2104186

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2043592

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...light=nitrogen

obxchartercaptain

This is better than ANYTHING on TV this afternoon

SSTEVEGS

...but then again, I think most of today's TV is just plain awful. I think I'll pass on the nitrogen for the tires. I've never thought regular air was all that bad. My new '08 I picked up at the Museum on March 3 now has 7500 miles and the air is still at 29psi cold and 32 when on the road. I've not added any air yet.

Easy Rhino

The most over-debated for the least value thread.

If you makes you happy, have at it. If you think it's a waste, don't do it.

Maybe we should propose a Nitrogen forum just for this area.

KB9GKC

[QUOTE=mrbill43;1566743189]We take in nitrogen with every breath. Air is composed of:

1% Water Vapor and Other Gases – Escapes up to 250 times faster than Nitrogen
21% Oxygen – Escapes 3-4 times faster than Nitrogen
78% Nitrogen – The largest molecule in
air, dry, non-flammable.
Because of their large size, nitrogen molecules are the least permeable and stay in your tire longer.

It's not about the nitrogen. It's about reducing oxygen, water vapor and other gases.

By reducing the percentage of oxygen, water vapor and other gases in your tires from 22% to 7% or lower, your tires will maintain proper pressure longer than if you use “plain old air.” For example, with 95% nitrogen in your tires, they retain optimal pressure three to four times longer.

paz

Gimmick. Air is 78% N2. If N2 leaks more slowly than other gases, then as a tire leaks it concentrates N2. After a few cycles of leak/top-up/leak/top-up the gas inside the tire should be approaching 100% N2. Then if it still leaks you've got a nail in tire!

mrbill43

Wow.......I really don't even use nitrogen I was just trying to get a rise out of this ridiculous topic…….I guess it worked…………….:r ofl: