Nitrogen Air Tires , Pro and Con .......

[lexusrottie]

The local service dept. of my Lexus dealer just call me about the advantages of inflating my tires with Nitrogen Air.
This is the first time that I have heard about this.
I could use you guys input.

 

[cary]

The only potential advantage is that pure nitrogen has no moisture in it. It is not worth paying for, if they want to put it in for free, fine, but otherwise, don't waste your money. There is no actual advantage.

Tires - Nitrogen air loss study: Consumer Reports Cars Blog

 

[lexusrottie]

The only potential advantage is that pure nitrogen has no moisture in it. It is not worth paying for, if they want to put it in for free, fine, but otherwise, don't waste your money. There is no actual advantage.

Tires - Nitrogen air loss study: Consumer Reports Cars Blog

Just went to the Consumer Reports site. If it is free I might considered.
Thank you for your advice.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Costco does it when they install tires. Compared to refilling after the trail with my CO2 tank, I have noticed that the nitrogen fills stay at pressure much longer.

 

[njpaguy]

Nitro

It keeps the tire operating temperature cooler. Champ Car and F1 race teams use nitro and custom nitro blends to inflate their tires.

 

[cary]

It keeps the tire operating temperature cooler. Champ Car and F1 race teams use nitro and custom nitro blends to inflate their tires.

Can you please provide some evidence to support this because I have never seen any beside speculation. Race teams use nitrogen because it doesn't have moisture and provides slightly less and a more consistent pressure change as the tire heats up, which is important when you are dialing pressure in to the .25 of a pound.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Can you please provide some evidence to support this because I have never seen any beside speculation. Race teams use nitrogen because it doesn't have moisture and provides slightly less and a more consistent pressure change as the tire heats up, which is important when you are dialing pressure in to the .25 of a pound.

It's well-known that nitrogen-filled tires maintain correct pressure much better than air-filled tires. Besides auto racing, nitrogen is used in airplane tires, as they undergo tremendous heat build up at landing (tires are exposed to high altitude cold, then are shocked into high temps as the wheels touch down).

Here's an article w/ references to papers on nitrogen vs. air:
ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES FOR HIGH PURITY NITROGEN INFLATION

Note that you have to use 95%+ pure nitrogen. Look at the section on NHTSA tests that show the inside of the tire oxidizes due to the O2 and moisture, resulting in tire strength loss. There is also mention of the moisture INSIDE the tire migrating out and affecting the tire casing, weakening the tire.

The only disadvantage I can think of is (1) cost and (2) inconvenience (you need to keep a nitrogen cylinder at home or take the vehicle to the tire shop just to inflate tires, and those nitrogen cylinders store nitrogen as a gas, so they're under quite a bit of pressure).

OTOH, tire rubber only lasts like 5-6 yrs due to environmental conditions and inflating w/ air. So if you drive an average of 12K mi/yr at a reasonable speed (say 75mph) and say a set of tires last 50K mi, you can drive about 4 yrs between tire changes, and you probably won't notice a difference. I recall talking to the driver and owner of a moving truck (18 wheeler) who moved my stuff from CA to AZ during the summer. He said he had to stop in the desert and wait 1hr+ for the tires to cool down. I mentioned nitrogen to him (he had not heard of using it), that it maintains tire pressure, was used by racing teams & aviation, and that it might mean that he didn't have to stop as often. He was pretty interested. In his case, $10/tire for nitrogen vs. down time every day would definitely be cost effective.

 

[lexusrottie]

^^^ Thank you Jim
A very interesting article , when I get the new LX I am taking the Nitrogen route.
This coming Monday I need to service my LX470, I will find out how much the dealer will charge.

 

[brownbear]

Almost all Aircraft use nitrogen. Main reason I was told is nitrogen has less pressure fluctuations with given temperature changes.

 

[cary]

Almost all Aircraft use nitrogen. Main reason I was told is nitrogen has less pressure fluctuations with given temperature changes.

My recollection of Boyle's law is that gases all change pressure at the same rate in response to temperature changes when in a confined environment. The only problem arrises when you have compressed air with moisture which can become solid water and cause pressures to vary slightly more. This is not an issue with street cars.

Taken from an article on the internet, so take it for what it is worth:

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is ambivalent about the use of nitrogen. The Rubber Manufacturers Association says it it's a good thing– when it's free. Michelin goes a step further. They recommend nitrogen only for tires used "in high risk environments” like aircraft landing gear and racing.

A quick look at a few of the nitrogen generator manufacturers' websites can give you an idea what may be driving some of the interest in swapping tire gasses. N2 machines can operate for as little as 25 cents an application. The generators themselves go for as little as four grand. After the first 200 or so nitrogen fill-ups, these things are more profitable than pretzel carts.

 

[Dougal]

Costco does it when they install tires. Compared to refilling after the trail with my CO2 tank, I have noticed that the nitrogen fills stay at pressure much longer.

You think your tyres which contain maybe 85% nitrogen hold pressure better than tyres inflated with air which is 80% nitrogen?

It's a con. The only proponents of the system are those making money from it. Like Jim_Chow's link to "nitrogentyremachine.com".

 

[Trevor]

It keeps the tire operating temperature cooler. Champ Car and F1 race teams use nitro and custom nitro blends to inflate their tires.

I use a 78% nitrogen blend in my tires. It works great.

 

[Jim_Chow]

I think if you either drive at high speeds for a sustained period of time or don't drive much at all (like a garaged show-car), the nitrogen is worth it. For the rest of us who drive 12K mi/yr and change tires every 4-5 yrs, I doubt it makes a difference. What I do try to do (since I have my own compressor for airing up and live in the desert) is to inflate my tires on days with low humidity. At least this minimizes the amount of moisture introduced into the tire.

 

[Dougal]

I think if you either drive at high speeds for a sustained period of time or don't drive much at all (like a garaged show-car), the nitrogen is worth it. For the rest of us who drive 12K mi/yr and change tires every 4-5 yrs, I doubt it makes a difference. What I do try to do (since I have my own compressor for airing up and live in the desert) is to inflate my tires on days with low humidity. At least this minimizes the amount of moisture introduced into the tire.

If your compressor has an air tank, make sure you drain that regularly. That makes a big difference.

 

[MoJ]

I use a 78% nitrogen blend in my tires. It works great.

Agreed...nothing but the best for my tires.

 

[chimyz]

As I read the posts it sounds gimicky to me.
I'm not seeing any advantages for the intended application of this vehicle.

 

[aedgington]

Nitrogen is much more stable. Not a gimmick.

That's why we paintballers have been using it for the past decade...

 

[chimyz]

I just think it's gimmicky for the landcruiser.

 

[Jim_Chow]

If your compressor has an air tank, make sure you drain that regularly. That makes a big difference.

It has a 5 gal tank. I drain it after each use. Who knows how often the local gas station drains the compressor tank feeding their "air".

 

[Dougal]

Nitrogen is much more stable. Not a gimmick.

That's why we paintballers have been using it for the past decade...

More stable than air which is almost 80% nitrogen?