Nitrogen Inflated Tyres

[R34 Sedan]

I went to have a tyre puncture fixed today, and they strongly suggested I have them inflated with nitrogen.

Does anyone know much about this? or have you tried it? If so, how have you found it performs?

[GoldZilla]

In a street car, it's not really worth it. The air we breath (and therefore gets pumped into your tyres) has quite a lot of Nitrogen in it anyway, so if they're making you pay for it, don't bother.

The main reason they add Nitrogen to tyres is so that the pressure stays balanced over a greater range of temperatures, so if you're not going out to regularly track-thrash your car, the tyres you're using will not really require it. With street driving, just remember to always check your pressures when the tyres are cold, and if you can't do that, then allow an extra 5psi or so over what your cold temps should be...

[R34 Sedan]

Yeah that makes perfect sense, and is pretty much what I thought.

They charge $30 for all 4 wheels, and if they ever need a top up, it's free for the life of the tyres.

[N1GTR]

Ive done this before just to test it out, to be honest i couldnt tell much of a difference, i think it was $7 per tyre.

Would i do it again? Yeah, only on track wheels/tyres

[FloydWestwood]

We use it on aircraft because nitrogen is an inert gas. It does not expand or contract with temp increases or decreases (but mainly because it's not as explosive as oxygen).

It's pretty much futile on cars. Probably only worthwhile on serious competition cars.

[mattymagoo22]

We use it on aircraft because nitrogen is an inert gas. It does not expand or contract with temp increases or decreases (but mainly because it's not as explosive as oxygen).

It's pretty much futile on cars. Probably only worthwhile on serious competition cars.

All gases will expand and contract with a change in temperature. Nitrogen is used because it is considered to have no moisture (water) in it, keeping a more consistent pressure, so its expansion with warm tyres is less than that of a tyre filled with normal compressed air.

[skins]

All gases will expand and contract with a change in temperature. Nitrogen is used because it is considered to have no moisture (water) in it, keeping a more consistent pressure, so its expansion with warm tyres is less than that of a tyre filled with normal compressed air.

I have nitrogen in my tyres. Cost me $34.50 and have had it in for 7 months now. The tyres haven't lost even 1psi of pressure since they did it.

[Crackfox]

My mate (who owns a ~50hp toyota paseo)swears by nitrogen filled tyres and was also strongly urged to use nitrogen to refill his tyres and thinks it adds about 40hp at each wheel. He has explained to me that the mechanic said using nitrogen will shed unwanted air weight in his tyres to optimise car performance and fuel consumption, need filling up slightly less often (but be alot more annoying to fill up), and provide more stable tyre pressure at the extreme operating temperatures the tyres would be at on his toyota paseo among other benefits. I didn't buy it though and have a sneaking suspicion that its just a gimicky upsell item (anyone in retail should know what this is) strongly suggested to each customer so that more money can be made.

Edited January 3, 2010 by Crackfox

[Kujotk]

i read years ago on a bob jane brochure that it keeps a more constant pressure than normal air and it does not tend to leak through the tyre wall as easy as normal air does.... i have no idea but thats what the brochure had.....

and if its $30 a set i dont see much of a risk either way, people have been using normal atmosphere air for many many years with no probs, untill some cluey bastard figured out a way to sell more of his excess nitrogen supplies.

If someone can use a light gas like helium to counteract some of the weight of the wheel that would be of much more benefit to racing..... if you could somehow keep it in the tyre longer because it is such a small molecule.... not to metion the potential flamability factor of a puncture lol.

isn't the atmosphere something like 70ish% nitrogen anyway?

[wagzilla]

I don't know about over there but here in the usa all the new cars come with nitrogen and new valve caps and if you get a service done they will fill your tire's for free...wooohooo!!!

Edited January 4, 2010 by wagzilla

[Kujotk]

I don't know about over there but here in the usa all the new cars come with nitrogen and new valve caps and if you get a service done they will fill your tire's for free...wooohooo!!!

i'd sure hope my next new car comes with new valve caps aswell