Question: Tire filling logic !

[killain]

What is the benefit of filling your tires with nitrogen ? I was watching 'Goss Garage' and the host was taking about filling your tire with nitrogen , ( I don't know exactly what he was saying) but it was about your tires, and I have no idea about how the heck you'd even find a place to get nitrogen to inflate your tires ?

 

[timfitz63]

A lot of car dealership service centers and tire retailers will offer pure nitrogen -- at additional cost -- to fill your tires.

My personal take is (and I'll be the first to admit that I have little to base this on other than some engineering background and a lot of gut feeling): pure nitrogen is not worth the extra expense.

The sales pitch for pure nitrogen centers mainly on claims to increase your gas mileage. That's a bit misleading because any tire that is properly inflated will perform the same, whether it's inflated with air, or nitrogen, or any other similar gas. And most people hear the sales pitch about better gas mileage and forget that air is already 78% nitrogen anyway. Personally, I see no scientific basis for the claims that tires inflated with nitrogen perform better than those inflated with air.

Save the extra cost; pick up a tire inflation gauge (if you need one); and simply check the pressure in your tires regularly, and keep them at the proper level.

 

[Tuna]

Check out tirerack's take on this here:
Tire Tech Information - Clearing the Air About Nitrogen Tire Inflation=&

Their conclusion for those that don't want to read the whole article:
---->
Overall, inflating tires with nitrogen won't hurt them and may provide some minimal benefits.

Is it worth it? If you go someplace that provides free nitrogen with new tires, why not? Additionally we’ve seen some service providers offering reasonable prices of about $5 per tire (including periodic adjustments for the life of the tire) to a less reasonable $10 per tire (with additional costs for subsequent pressure adjustments) or more as part of a service contract, which we believe exceeds the value of nitrogen’s benefit.

Rather than pay extra for nitrogen, most drivers would be better off buying an accurate tire pressure gauge and checking and adjusting their tire pressures regularly.
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[99mallett]

Nitrogen (N2) is one of those things that just hasn't caught on that well. I was in the custom motorcycle business when the tire companies started promoting the use of it.
It started because N2 is used in commercial and airline tires, (and race tires) which have more stress and much higher pressures.
The advantages of it are that it is supposed to increase tire life and handling. N2 is more dense and dry than standard air and does not expand/contract at the same rate. Thus, you are supposed to be able to increase your tires' pressure by approximately 10% (33-34 psi cold instead of 30 psi cold for example) since they won't expand as much and over inflate when warmed up. Also, since N2 is denser, it won't "creep" out of your tires when they sit for a long time, or when the temperature gets colder. Since it is dry, it is supposed to reduce tire rot and rim deteriation.
I have found most of this to be BS in actuality. Our car, truck & motorcycle tires just don't get used hard enough to warrant it.
Many of the tire stores have N2 compressors, and offer it at a minimal charge. If you need to 'top off' your air and you introduce regular air, you 'contaminate' the N2 and have to flush and refill the tire with N2.
I'd save the aggrevation and money.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I have found most of this to be BS in actuality.
.

It's BS because all the supposed 'scientific facts' are not facts at all- just myths and misunderstanding. This issue was thrashed here recently and the depth of confusion was just amazing.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com.../123159-nitrogen-corvette-tires-good-bad.html

 

[LLC5]

What is the benefit of filling your tires with nitrogen ? I was watching 'Goss Garage' and the host was taking about filling your tire with nitrogen , ( I don't know exactly what he was saying) but it was about your tires, and I have no idea about how the heck you'd even find a place to get nitrogen to inflate your tires ?

As a street driven passenger vehicle it is nothing more than a marketing scheme, exactly the same as siping your tires, unless of course it is done for free, which is unlikely as it would defeat the purpose of the installer having it there in the first place. I believe that 'Goss Garage' mentions that nitrogen would/can/should deter H2O damage to the TPMS sensors, I have yet to find one damaged from water damage myself and I have done a fair amount of them. Nitrogen will not hurt anything, but I sure wouldn't pay money for it on a steet driven vehicle. Good luck with either choice.

 

[killain]

Nitrogen in tires ?

As a street driven passenger vehicle it is nothing more than a marketing scheme, exactly the same as siping your tires, unless of course it is done for free, which is unlikely as it would defeat the purpose of the installer having it there in the first place. I believe that 'Goss Garage' mentions that nitrogen would/can/should deter H2O damage to the TPMS sensors, I have yet to find one damaged from water damage myself and I have done a fair amount of them. Nitrogen will not hurt anything, but I sure wouldn't pay money for it on a steet driven vehicle. Good luck with either choice.

I have to agree with all of you, If I want better mileage out of my DD, (A 2002 Chevy Cavalier) I use synthetic oil and I bump up the tire pressure to 31PSI. But I do the same in my 03 50th anniversary coupe. 1 extra pound equates to 34 pounds hot, and 30PSI cold and pumped up to 31 in the tires get them to 33 PSI hot. But the extra pound in reality is mostly in my mind. I get 29MPG to 31MPG in the Corvette on the turnpike at 68 MPH, Everyday consistently. So I watch Goss Garage, but I think the host has some strange ideas.

And as far as regular air in the tires, I just replaced all four tires and the 4 TPMS just because they were close to ten years old and I always had a PITA trying to get a consistent readings from all 4 of them. But if you look at them,wiped clean, there's no rust or and other visible defect with them I could see, they were the original equipment and needed chaging. No tears or rips in the red sealing they are wrapped in. So just because some 'Expert' say this does this and that, you need to take it with a grain of salt. I remember back in the sixties, STP was always recommended to increase your engines life and cut oil consumption, Yeah right, All it ever did was thicken up the 10W/30 oil in my engine. I could of put in 10W/40 and had the same results. Automotive reality has come light years since the sixties.

 

[Hib Halverson]

(snip)

Rather than pay extra for nitrogen, most drivers would be better off buying an accurate tire pressure gauge and checking and adjusting their tire pressures regularly.
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Captain Tuna gets the Monday evening "Beacon of Reality" Award.

 

[timfitz63]

Captain Tuna gets the Monday evening "Beacon of Reality" Award.

... Uh ... ;squint:

... Save the extra cost; pick up a tire inflation gauge (if you need one); and simply check the pressure in your tires regularly, and keep them at the proper level.

 

[TooFast]

I use AIR, from my compressor in my garage and check pressures with a dial gauge.

 

[jrose7004]

Nitrogen is all smoke and mirrors.

 

[Tuna]

I've seen farm tractor tires partially filled with water to aid traction. I wonder if that will work on the Vette!
:L

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I've seen farm tractor tires partially filled with water to aid traction. I wonder if that will work on the Vette!
:L

Dunno, take it out in a field, hook up a plow and let us know! :L

 

[Tuna]

Dunno, take it out in a field, hook up a plow and let us know! :L

I think I'd need a set of sand-drag tires. You know, the ones with the big paddle tread!
You got a spare set in 19"?

otfl

 

[catbert]

I was reading that nitrogen is standard fill for (some?)large passenger jet tires. I wouldn't imagine the airlines would buy into unsubstantiated claims. Especially when it costs them big bucks.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I was reading that nitrogen is standard fill for (some?)large passenger jet tires. I wouldn't imagine the airlines would buy into unsubstantiated claims. Especially when it costs them big bucks.

Here you go:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...en-corvette-tires-good-bad-2.html#post1069506