Nitrogen in tires

[JCH]

Any one use nitrogen in tires instead of air, any benefits to it?

[HemiX2]

Yes, to the first question, and maybe to the second. I run nitrogenated tires on both my vehicles. I also have the tires siped which, IMO, helps considerably with traction and wear reduction. The problem I see with "normally" serviced nitrogen is that you are not getting 100% pure nitrogen. The only way to do that is to evacuate the tire (like you evacuate and A/C system) and fill it with 100% nitrogen. A second tire stem in the wheel could allow for this. As is at the local nitro. service center, they let out as much air as possible and then re-service with nitrogen. I am not saying there might be some benefit to it for street use, but I still get ~4-6 PSI fluctuation between cold and hot tires. If the nitro. was 100% there would be almost no change in pressure. I think the only reason I keep doing it now is because it's free. I paid $20 for each vehicle, and after that all reservicing is free forever. Bottom line, if it helps one iota, I'll take it.

[Iexpedite]

If you check your tire pressure regularly, there is no benefit.

We use nitrogen at work for our large truck tires. The pressure is supposed to stay consistent during temperature fluctuations. I don't notice a difference between our large trucks and small trucks which are filled from the air compressor. If you check pressures every couple of weeks (at least), you should be fine. Nitrogen does not relieve you of the need to check your tire pressure. I would spend my money elsewhere.

[HemiX2]

I pretty much agree ^^^. With the "slightly" increased amount of nitrogen in the tires, I find I don't have to check the pressures quite as often. I do about once every 3 months now, instead of about once a month before. The only way I'd ever do it again on another vehicle is if I got the same deal I did on the ones I have now, or had a way of insuring I was getting 100% pure nitrogen.

[mcrews]

I am on my second set of Kuhmos with nitro. My Infiniti Q45 Sport has a an air pressure monitor system. During the 40k on the first set, the pressure did not fluctuate 2psi. I ran 43psi for the entire 40k miles. I am now on my second set and have the same experience.
As a note of support to the previous poster, when I discussed nitro w/ my tire guy, he said the only install it during the initial installation of new tires.
(I buy 2 sets of tires a yr.) He didnt charge me for the nitro.

[guudasitgets]

Nitrogen is dry, it holds no moisture so then it does not hold as much heat as regular compressed air. Maybe thats why it fluctuates less. One poster said if he had 100% nitrogen he wouldn't see any change is pressure. That is false. You can't change physics. If something is heated weather it's air or Nitrogen, it will expand. Don't know how sensitive his guage is but pressure will go up. We use it in race tires because it doesn't hold heat like compressed air does. Nitrogen also leaks slower, possably the size of the molecule has something to do with that, I can't remmember exactly but I think thats why. For what you'd be looking for it's really not worth the trouble. Your not splitting hairs on tire temps like we do at the track.

[NeilBlanchard]

Air is over 78% nitrogen, and oxygen makes up almost 21%, leaving a little less than 1% for argon and then just the trace elements:

Atmospheric chemistry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, whether the ~22% of air that is not nitrogen makes a difference seems close to nil.

[CapriRacer]

Barry's Tire Tech

[JRMichler]

Oxygen molecules have molecular weight 32, nitrogen molecules 28. Since the molecular weight is almost the same, the molecular size is almost the same, and the permeation rates will be almost the same.

[HemiX2]

Right on, Neil. That's why the only way of insuring 100% nitro. is to purge all the air out of the tire. The way they do it at all the places I know of makes very little difference in the %age over regular old air.

CapriRacer, thanks for posting the reference. Good and interesting reading, Consumer Reports Study, too. The folks that serviced my tires sure didn't do it the way the Study did. I know when I first decided to try nitrogen my concerns were pressure change due to ambient temperature changes and less (hopefully) need to frequently check pressures. Where I live the ambient temps. change quite a bit from morning to afternoon/evening, and I was hoping for more pressure stability. I haven't noticed any significant change in pressure fluctuation when using nitrogen, as opposed to compressed air. Knowing this now, if my nitro. servicing wasn't free, I wouldn't do it again.