Nitrogen filled tires
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Elder User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 826
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From: The Sunshine State
Nitrogen filled tires
I went to put air in my tires on my 08 250 and when I removed the valve caps they were marked nitrogen. The guy down the road wants 1.00 per tire to fill with nitrogen. Will topping them off with air cause any harm to the rubber.
Frmr Ford Trans Engr
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 24,740
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From: SE Florida
If air harms rubber, you better find a way to keep the outside of the tires from contacting air!
The nitrogen in tires is a scam. You don't get ANY benifits from filling your tires with nitrogen, other than you're lighter because you have less money in your wallet!
Just put air in them.
The nitrogen in tires is a scam. You don't get ANY benifits from filling your tires with nitrogen, other than you're lighter because you have less money in your wallet!
Just put air in them.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,077
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From: None of your business
Nitrogen inflation will not harm anything. However, it also does next to nothing in the general automotive world.
The ONLY benefit is very slightly slower leakdown time from the nitrogen atom being bigger than some of the other stuff such as oxygen in normal air. But since it still leaks down, it's a moot point.
For more info, there is a long discussion on Nitro inflation in this thread.
Mike
The ONLY benefit is very slightly slower leakdown time from the nitrogen atom being bigger than some of the other stuff such as oxygen in normal air. But since it still leaks down, it's a moot point.
For more info, there is a long discussion on Nitro inflation in this thread.
Mike
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: None of your business
Originally Posted by fordfish
Helium filled, better mpg's?
Mike
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 336
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From: Leander, TX
true, air and nitro mix will hurt nothing. nitrogen is used in advanced applications for it's resistance to hold moisture (won't rust rims inside etc.), which most have never had a problem with. but more notably, it doesn't react to ambient temp. changes like air. so when you have big swings in outside temps, you'll see very little pressure change in the tire. it is better to run one or the other, because once air is mixed back in, you've just lost the 1 or 2 benefits of the nitrogen. i would not pay extra for it. i know Costco clubs use only nitrogen now, and there is no additional charge for it. with that said, $1.00 per tire is actually not a bad price as long as you know what your getting and why your getting it!
Last edited by mastercaster; Nov 9, 2007 at 08:51 AM.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 601
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From: Chicagoland
I always wondered why no one was filling tires with argon. If nitrogen is good, then argon should be even better. It will be even less reactive and have a bigger atom. Argon is just as readily available as nitrogen, too.
I think one of the supposed benefits was that the nitrogen fill will not be as wet as plain air, especially the air that would come from a shop compressor. The other problem with air is that the 15% oxygen in it becomes more reactive once it is pressurized and can slowly pit and corode alloy and aluminum rims.
Calvin
I think one of the supposed benefits was that the nitrogen fill will not be as wet as plain air, especially the air that would come from a shop compressor. The other problem with air is that the 15% oxygen in it becomes more reactive once it is pressurized and can slowly pit and corode alloy and aluminum rims.
Calvin
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Senior User
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From: at Work
Originally Posted by BLK94F150
Doubt it as your rotating mass will not change and the amount of lift from the helium is dwarfed by the weight of any vehicle, especially a diesel SD.
Mike
Mike
I was just jokin' ...BTW Grandpa used to put that stuff in tractor tires for more weight, it's been a while since I was on the farm, probably am mistaken about that.
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Junior User
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Surprised no one has mentioned the only advantage that I have ever heard of for Nitrogen. It is used in some racing venues. By replacing normal air with some moisture in it and using Nitrogen we see less tire air pressure growth and can therefore start with a higher starting pressure allowing us to have better initial handling for the first couple of laps. I can't imagine that being much of an issue with truck tires. Yes they may get to 130 degrees or so and see some slight air pressure gain. But I am talking 230 degrees in our racing tires and 10 pounds of pressure gain. Even 10 psi in our E rated tires is not a big deal.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,751
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From: So Oregon
If you were towing heavy, for a considerable distance, wouldn't the nitrogen have less of a fluctuation in temperature? Wouldn't this keep the tire from larger changes in pressure and heat, making the tire last longer. The reason I bring this up, I've driven hundreds (closer to a thousand) miles in one day at the max vehicle weight/max rating for the tire and had a blow out. The tire was d*mned hot and "crumbled" away. The inside of the tire became powder-like. I think the number of miles driven with that load caused it to overheat, eventhough I was within the rating of the tire. Also, I drove from sea level to the highest peak on Interstate 5 on the west coast. I'm wondering if the pressure made the difference and I think nitrogen does not change pressure as much.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 601
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From: Chicagoland
Originally Posted by Ace!
Also, I drove from sea level to the highest peak on Interstate 5 on the west coast. I'm wondering if the pressure made the difference and I think nitrogen does not change pressure as much.
Now, whether this is an issue that will be noticable on the street is another matter. If the shop throws it in for free I wouldn't mind, but I'm not going to pay for it.
Calvin
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 18,423
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From: iowa
We use nitrogen in our semi tires with the company I drive for and you can see a difference between it and air at hot pressure, with cold pressure at 95 air will have a hot pressure around 105+ nitrogen tires will see 97-98psi and as I recall that is the ONLY benefit in non racing applications. Supposedly keeping a more constant pressure from hot to cold is supposed to help wear patterns stay even and make the tires last longer (don't know how that really works on an OTR truck cause once the tires get warmed up they pretty much stay warm all day)
Now what the shop did tell us is if we have to add air, fine go ahead just let them know so they can replace it when the truck gets back. For the most part it doesn't make much of a difference except in duals applications but since we run super singles really doesn't affect much. In Duals applications there can be the difference of tire size when one tire increases air pressure and the other does not. Thus the trucks with Dual drive tires do NOT have it at our company.
Now what the shop did tell us is if we have to add air, fine go ahead just let them know so they can replace it when the truck gets back. For the most part it doesn't make much of a difference except in duals applications but since we run super singles really doesn't affect much. In Duals applications there can be the difference of tire size when one tire increases air pressure and the other does not. Thus the trucks with Dual drive tires do NOT have it at our company.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Leander, TX
yeah, when i stated "advanced applications", i was meaning racing. nascar, nasa, commercial aircraft and others do use nitrogen. we ordinary folks will really not see the difference as far as performance or monetary return.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,751
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From: So Oregon
So MPrice, the tires would have had the same pressure and been at the same internal heat regardless of the gas in them? Then how can they say that nitrogen doesn't fluctuate pressure as much as "air"?