Nitrogen Tire Service

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Jim

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Calling all the experts. What is the deal with Nitrogen in the tires. My new to me truck came with it, but I see it is a $52 dollar service :shock:

What happens if the tire goes low? Do I just fill it with regular air?

https://www.getnitrogen.org/
 
Nitrogen is an inert gas, In other words, it will not allow organisms to grow i.e. Bacteria. Therefore, it will reduce rott of the rubber from the inside "SUPPOSEDLY" They started this because of the racing teams started using it due to no heat expansion and in the process they found other uses for it. The Military has used Nit. in the aircraft tires for years to keep moisture from freezing the inside rubber at the altitudes they fly at.

As for servicing, You have to go to a station that uses Nitro charging system. You CAN use compressed air, however when you go back for servicing, you need to tell them so they can purge the tire and re charge it with Nitro.
 
Nitrogen is cheap.For a large bottle(like an oxygen bottle used for welding)is only $35.That's for 2000 pounds pressure.The biggest reason is as stated the pressure doesn't change.Just a new gimmick in my eyes.
 
I've always thought this was just a profit gimmick for the dealers/tire stores. When's the last time you looked at your tires and thought, if only there was something better than that crappy old oxygen to put in there. Maybe there's an advantage in performace cars, but if oxygen is good enough for me, it's good enough for my Taco.
 
$ Gimmick - take the $52 and buy lunch and a tire guage. Save some quarters for the air machines and just check them every 3 months or so - especially in winter.

When is the last time you heard someone complain because their tire rotted from the inside out?
 
Nitrogen just has better stability in heat/cold, 52.00 is a joke... It will hurt nothing to fill them with air.. You can buy a small nitrogen setup for 200 bux or so, thats 4 tire fillups.. Nitrogen doesn't hold moisture either, it is the same gas used in shocks..
 
Do you still have to change the winter air for summer air like we do now?

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Compressed air is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and 1% other gases; so using compressed air is pretty close to full Nitrogen anyway. The Nitrogen molecule is bigger than the Oxygen molecule and will not seep out through the tire as quickly, is more stable over a wider temperature range than Oxygen (about 1 PSI over 10 degrees); the BIG reason though is that Nitrogen from a cylinder is DRY. It is the moisture in the compressed air that causes so much havoc. Water vapor that condenses, evaporates and maybe freezes inside the tire causes all kinds of bad things; bio growth, wildly fluctuating pressures and tire breakdown are just the biggest concerns.

There is nothing wrong with using old fashioned compressed air in modern tires, the drier it is the better obviously. Racing tires don't use just Nitrogen but a specialty mix of gasses primarily Nitrogen and Oxygen in specific ratios to keep gases from migrating, look up Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures for more on why this happens. However, they run on the ragged edge of performance where it makes a difference; at those pressures, temperatures and speeds it makes a difference, for most of us it just means less pressure checking.

So if you need to add air to your tires go ahead, and try to use the driest compressed air you can.

Here's a cool thing to consider tho: If you add 100% Nitrogen to your tires eventually the mixture of gasses will equal the ratio of atmospheric gasses, that is 78% N2, 21% O2 and 1% Other gasses. Even though Nitrogen will not migrate OUT of the tire, other gases will migrate into the tire causing a rise in pressure, maybe not measurable with a tire gauge, but it will be there none-the-less. Dalton's Law of Partial Pressure at work...

Sorry that is so long winded, but my job involves working with gasses...
 
Another good reason for using nitrogen is that it is a non-flammable gas. So. if your truck is on fire and it burns a hole in the tire the gasses in the tire will not feed the flames. That is another reason aircraft use it. LOL
 
If my truck is on fire enough that the tires catch, I don't want anything left but a pile of ashes and molten metal. :lol:
 
524100599_c98b0d70b9.jpg
 
Just another way of getting your $s,in this KNEE-JERK society we live in today.The way THEY talk about it around hear,if you don't use nitrogen your not politically correct.Not doing your part to save the planet.
 
like said before notrogen molecules are bigger and wont leak threw the rubber as fast as air

if you add air to the nitrogen in your tires it defeates the whole purpose. Theres no need to nitro in your tires if you check the psi every so often
 

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