Quote:
Originally Posted by ConnClark
Helium filled basketball?
also this makes reference to F1 teams ordering an argon nitrogen mixture
http://www.messer.si/import/GfLdec11.pdf
Here is a quote from the royal society of Chemistry on argon.
"The most exotic use of argon is in the tyres of luxury cars. Not only does it protect the rubber from attack by oxygen, but it ensures less tyre noise when the car is moving at speed. "
Argon
EDIT: Additional link to bounce of ball filled with helium
Bouncing Basket Balls
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Well, I was hoping for a link to some test data. It just doesn't make sense to me that different gases would behave differently as a pressurizing medium. I could see it if the difference was between a gas an a liquid - or there were different forms of gases, like a plasma. I'm just not buying that a tire would behave differently just because it is inflated with a different gas.
I did do a quick look up and found that Nitrogen has a thermal conductivity 50% greater than Argon, which is why Argon would be used as an insulator in double paned windows - and maybe why F1 teams would use it in tires (to try to retain the heat in tires on a cold day - or conversely, to prevent the pressure build up due to brake heat).
So maybe it would help RR by retaining the heat, but I am really struggling with this being a significant factor.