Nitrogen filled tires?

[rflagg]

Has anyone heard of this? Apparently from a friend of mine, he recently had his tires filled with Nitrogen which is supposed to help with gas mileage, and decrease wear on the tires. I didn't really know what forum to put this in, so I'll throw it out here. This is the first time I've heard of such a thing, anyone care to fill me in if it's true / useful / possible problems or side effects?

-m.

[miniracer]

This is commonly done with race car tires. The nitrogen does not expand with heat to near the degree that air does. A race team can regulate the tire pressures very closely during a race using nitrogen. I don't think it would do a whit for gas mileage or tire longevity.

[SpartanPrius]

Besides, your tire is already filled with 78 percent nitrogen...

[rflagg]

Originally posted by SpartanPrius
Besides, your tire is already filled with 78 percent nitrogen...

heh...a very good point. Sounds like my friend was probably taken, then.

-m.

[daniel]

The tire store where I always buy my tires (and always had my summer and winter tires switched before I got the Prius, with its all-season tires) routinely puts nitrogen in all tires. I find it hard to believe that it makes a difference, but they do not charge any extra for it, and they are a good store with excellent service.

Of course, if my tires get low I fill them at home with the same stuff I breathe.

[SpartanPrius]

Race teams use nitrogen gas since its relative density is comparable to ambient air (molecular weight of 28 versus approximately 29). More important is the lack of moisture which allows the teams to have a more predictable cold to hot inflation pressure response curve. In any event, for street applications this doesn't appear to offer much.

[Bob Allen]

How 'bout helium to make the car lighter and you giggle when you check the air pressure?

[bookrats]

Originally posted by Bob Allen
How 'bout helium to make the car lighter and you giggle when you check the air pressure?

Not to mention those times when you really, really want to sound like Donald Duck.

[DaveinOlyWA]

i dont see how nitrogen will keep air pressures more constant.

are you saying that nitrogen doesnt heat up like regular air?

or that friction is lessen in a 100% nitrogen environment?

[SpartanPrius]

Race teams use nitrogen gas since its relative density is comparable to ambient air (molecular weight of 28 versus approximately 29). More important is the lack of moisture which allows the teams to have a more predictable cold to hot inflation pressure response curve. In any event, for street applications this doesn't appear to offer much.

The advantage is that 100% nitrogen gas will always behave like 100% nitrogen gas. This removes the variable of moisture content affecting the tire's pressure response to an increase in temperature. Simply put, it makes the race team's life a little bit simpler by taking away a hard to plot variable. However, for those of us living in the real world, this amounts to small potatoes.[/quote]