Buddy says Costco now offers nitrogen in its new tires.
Allegedly over time the poundage does not fluctuate one iota.

Anybody checked this out?

 

...

 

So... accordingly, it would be useless for daily driving. Periodic tire maintenance is all we'll ever need.

 

But woudln't it help with less wear and tear on the tire because the tire doesn't expand and contract as much over the life of the tire?

I mean if you're paying $500+ for a set of tires, i'd take every advantage I could get to extend the lifetime of them.

 

Good point, but how many tires have you had that rotted before the tread wore down? Besides, tires are made to expand and contract by a few PSI during use. AFAIK, tires have been doing this since Mr. Goodyear vulcanized some rubber -- I'm not sure what drive there is for this 'advance' (although I would guess it's like a lot of things -- cost -- maybe Costco got a deal on compressed N2 )

Of course this might be important if you are moving your tires from extremes in ambient pressure or heat -- from the vacuum of space to the Jovian atmosphere. Does anyone know the expansion coefficients of air vs. 100% N2 and how much they differ? ...I digress

Maybe for a show car that's going to have the same tires on for 20-30 years, or for racing as cited above -- but apart from sounding cool it sounds like a gimmick to me.

 

One tire place near me used to do this and I ran Nitrogen in my Legend’s tires for years.
They charged something like an additional 2-3 dollars when the tires were mounted.
The extra cost was because I guess they need to “purge” the air the first time like when you fill an LP gas tank.
If you stopped back they offered lifetime pressure checks and “topping off” whenever you needed it.
It’s supposed to also prevent corroding of your rims from the INSIDE due to moisture in the air.

They offered this service for several years then stopped it all together due to lack of demand.
I guess it's gaining interest again.

 

Yea, could very well be a gimmick. I just want to get the wheel's in people's head's turning. That's the only reason why I asked if it would still benefit or not.

 

Supposedly the nitrogen particles are larger then air and less likely to weep through microscopic holes in the rubber & metal.
That’s another reason the pressure holds better and all the race teams use it.

 

Anyone who knows any chemistry will tell you that is complete crap. The main component of "air" is nitrogen, so this is crap. Besides the fact when you start talking about "size" differences in those molecules, the difference is not really enough to make any mechanical difference.
Also, most air compressors have a dryer unit attached to get most of the water out of the air they spew. Since the air is quite dry, there would probably be very little reason to use this in a street car. Both air and nitrogen expand with heat at the exact same ratio, since they are both gases. I really don't see any reason to use N2 instead of air, I think it is probably more of a gimmick.

 

Doesn't make much sense really. The air you are breathing right now is about 75% Nitrogen. Can't see how pure N2 would make a substantial difference.

 

From Ingersoll-Rand about their new Nitrogen Tire Filling System:
Nitrogen -- a dry, inert gas used by racing professionals and the U.S. military to inflate racecar tires and military vehicles, respectively -- leaks through a tire's rubber walls three times more slowly than oxygen. As a result, tires filled with high-quality nitrogen delivered by IR's system stay inflated longer, which allows them to grip the road better and provide greater control in all weather conditions.

 

The amount of air that leaks through rubber is negligible and with proper maintenance (i.e., checking inflation) this point is mute. And I don't see how the lack of leaking air would provide a higher level of grip. It might improve the length of the tire's life (although, as previously stated, the life of the tire normally ends due to tire wear not from rot) but I don't see how this correlates to the performance the tire provides.

 

I was never good at chemistry.
Besides, I’m not selling it…just repeating what was told to me and what was in the brochure they gave me.

Is it true that NASCAR, F1 Indycar & such use Nitrogen or is that BS too ???

 

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=2399797

http://www.irco.com/pressroom/newsatir/is/58711.html

http://www.alltiresupply.com/archive...-Tire-Sys.html

 

If you want to keep something in great shape, store it in nitrogen.

OTOH, there is a rather big problem that happens to people ALL the time when it comes to tire pressures. It's called changes in ambient temperature. Search on “Ideal Gas Law.

I have been called many times with a, "Why are my tires' pressures reading so low all of sudden?" When I ask if they just had a cold front move in, the answer is, "Huh?" So, I ask, "Is it really cold today compared with yesterday?" Answer (in 99% of cases): YES, How did you know?

So, where are you going to get the extra nitrogen to put in your tires when the weather goes cold? Better have a plan and/or get a tank of clean-dry nitrogen to keep around for pumping up the tires when the weather changes.

Nitrogen is great stuff, and with all high-technology pursuits, it has its use and place. However, if you are going to pay to have it put in your tires, realize that the tire's cold pressure (what you see in the AM before the car moves) will largely depend on ambient temperature. The air pressure you should put in your car is the COLD AIR PRESSURE. IOW, make sure you can get more nitrogen if you don't want to be wasting your money.

 

NASCAR, F1, etc: ==> YES and...

Airplane info and link: http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae192.cfm

 

since oxygen is only ~18% of atmospheric air, this is a moot point.

 

We have none of these problems in normal vehicle usage

 

I heard if you put 100 octane in your tires you will go faster

 

Where's the dyno?!?!?

 

I don't need no stinking dyno, I can FEEEL it

 

So if I have nitro in my tires and have a low tire and add plain air to fill it up will it explode like a nitrogen bomb...cool.
maybe hydrogen would be good too, lighter than air, better performance, mpg and less weight for the blimps we drive.

 

 

PV = nRT

 

YES
Ideal gas law
P=pressure
V=volume
n=moles of gas
R=universal gas constant
T=temperature

WOOHOO!!!!




God, I am such a fucking science nerd......

 

Just a question...but how do they get the original air out that resides in the tire when they first mount it? My thought would be that they seat the bead with the nitrogen, but there still is going to be some risidual air. Even if they tried to suck it out, I would think the vacuum would unseat the bead sucking the air.

 

some race specific rims have a dual valve system..one for bleeding and one for pumping...if you find a picture it'll explain everything...i couldn't find one but i'll try getting one for you later

 

but how many of you people have race specific rims have a dual valve system to make this worth the money?

 

Hmmm... and here I was thinking I could mount wings, rudder, and prop on my CLS. :captainobvious:

 

Dual Valve Rim Picture:



The following system is for purging tires with only one valve stem per rim. It uses repeated cycles; it basically removes the existing gas from the tire, then fills it up with nitrogen; the cycle is continued a few times to remove most of the water vapor and air.

Something else to consider, a lot of tires get water in them during install, etc. You've got to heat the tire up and purge it to remove the water inside.

Tire Purging FAQ

Movie
http://www.clparts.com/dloads/Tire_Squid_2002a.mov


NOTE: This is for information purposes only.

 

Ahh,
I thought the dual valve was so you can check pressure while you are filling it.