nitrogen in tyres

[darrenjoe90]

been reading a few web sites recently about nitrogen and cant understand why we are not all using it in our tyres. there seems to be a lot of plus points and no bad points in using this. does anybody know any more info about nitrogen in tyres ?
had my tyres filled today at kwikfit for £5 but then only drove about a mile home so dont know yet if it feels better. the man at kwikfit said i will feel the difference.

have a look at this
http://www.getnitrogen.org/

[tonupkid]

Clever, but they still can't spell tyre :D
I can't tell the difference by the way, but then perhaps I was conned

[Conan_the_Librarian]

The only 2 advantages of nitrogen that will effect most drivers are the molecules are larger so tyres need less topping up as it doesn't leek out so readily and it expands less when heated.

Downsides are cost and availability.

[Architex_mA8tey]

The only 2 advantages of nitrogen that will effect most drivers are the molecules are larger so tyres need less topping up as it doesn't leek out so readily and it expands less when heated.

Downsides are cost and availability.

didnt you watch Jay Leno's video on the website that Darren linked to Mike???
Im sure there was more than 2 benefits, but that having said he didnt mention the price or ease of availablity :p

[Conan_the_Librarian]

Is that the Jay Leno video sponsored by Nitrogen suppliers?

[Architex_mA8tey]

Is that the Jay Leno video sponsored by Nitrogen suppliers?

umm. . . might be. . . who wants to know? :D

[darrenjoe90]

well i thought £5 for all four doing is not a bad price and as far as i know all kwik fits have it as well as a number of other outlets. Also its becoming more popular +++

[Adrian E]

think nissan specify it on the GTR?

Never tried it myself - presumably they don't create a vacuum before putting the nitrogen in, so don't get a perfect fill?

[tonupkid]

In theory (if I wasn't conned) I have nitrogen in all but the O/S rear.
No difference I can detect and no difference in temperatures during use.
I was conned wasn't I. He didn't put nitrogen in did he:(

Now I've got to try Kwik Fit, so I know. A fiver sounds so cheap, was that the lot or per wheel?

[Conan_the_Librarian]

A fiver sounds so cheap, was that the lot or per wheel?

My 'air' was free! Is that cheap or what?

[A8L Chick]

I use nitrogen, I have noticed the fuel economy is better. Makes a difference in my trade. Not so sure it would be that useful for vehicles that aren't used frequently.

[Architex_mA8tey]

I use nitrogen, I have noticed the fuel economy is better. Makes a difference in my trade. Not so sure it would be that useful for vehicles that aren't used frequently.

thats what I call gas lift suspension!! :p

[darrenjoe90]

In theory (if I wasn't conned) I have nitrogen in all but the O/S rear.
No difference I can detect and no difference in temperatures during use.
I was conned wasn't I. He didn't put nitrogen in did he:(

Now I've got to try Kwik Fit, so I know. A fiver sounds so cheap, was that the lot or per wheel?

its £1.50 per wheel or £5 for all four doing

[tintin]

I got Kwikfit to put Nitrogen in my tyres a while back - it seemed to give a small but definite benefit to ride and economy, but I notice it less now (either because I take it for granted, or because I was imagining it!!)

[Goran]

I just want to check if the numbers look right.
As per wikipedia, Nitrogen density = 1.251g/L
Air is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Air, 1% Argon, average density = 1.294g/L

I dont know if my calculation is right, a 245/45 18" tyre at 35psi holds 93l of air.
So, the weight of air in a tyre vs weight of Nitrogen in a tyre is:
Air = 93x1.294 = 120g
Nitrogen = 93x1.251 = 116g

Weight saved = 4g. but, because rotating mass is like saving 2.5x static mass, thats a saving of 10g.

I doubt anyone would feel that.

[tonupkid]

I'm uncertain running on curry emissions is better than nitrogen. Unless you're using is a fuel

[FireStorm]

im defintaely going to give this stuff a go when my drift car is back on the road.

when i say the back tyres get too hot to touch im not making it up :D

you cant touch the wheel as you will burn your hand its that hot.

i know the nitrogen wont cure the heat on tyre and wheel, but it will stop my wheels going to like 70-80psi during drifting :D

[Night Train]

Would the tyre pressures be the same as manufacturers spec when using nitrogen?

Also is there a different pressure required for faster driving, how's this affected by nitrogen or vice versa?

£1 per tyre here at ATS

[E.L.M.O]

Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur services use it in all their cars.

[Simon Wallwork]

FWIW, aircraft (well, large ones anyway) only use nitrogen for tyre inflation.

I think the reason is that N expands less when heated, thus the tp stays constant after very heavy usage. Aircraft wheels/ tyres get very hot and 'work' extremely hard. The tyres wear out quickly and get changed frequently.

It's not to do with leaking through the tyre (or elsewhere) because the pressure is checked and adjusted daily.


It might be because Nitrogen is 'drier' than air. Air's always got water in it.

I'll ask an engineer.:)

[Dezzy]

FWIW, aircraft (well, large ones anyway) only use nitrogen for tyre inflation.

I think the reason is that N expands less when heated, thus the tp stays constant after very heavy usage. Aircraft wheels/ tyres get very hot and 'work' extremely hard. The tyres wear out quickly and get changed frequently.

It's not to do with leaking through the tyre (or elsewhere) because the pressure is checked and adjusted daily.


It might be because Nitrogen is 'drier' than air. Air's always got water in it.

I'll ask an engineer.:)

It is because of moisture in the air. If air is used the moisture freezes and causes balancing issues with the wheels.

[Simon Wallwork]

Dezzy.

Must say the issue of wheel balance due moisture sounds spurious to me.

The reason we use N in aircraft tyres is because it's dry. No corrosion. That's a biggie on aircraft but less of an issue on a car I think. Steel wheels last quite well on cars!, at least internally.

The other reason for using nitrogen (in aircraft tyres) is that there's no oxygen in it. So if the tyres explode, or the fuse plugs let go (quite easy to do if a little careless handling the plane:Confused:) then there's that less oxy to burn.

The engineers have spoken.

What are the benefits on a car again though?