TLer03

Has anyone used this? Does it keep the tires inflated longer... or just an easy $8 plus profit for sellers?

silver3.2tl

iTrader: (1)

its a gimmick

9932

iTrader: (1)

its not a gimmick. nitrogen does not change pressure due to heat. we use it in the tires on the landing gear.
people with tire presure monitors complain that the light will be on in the morning, but by the time they get to work the light goes off. the air inside the tire heats up, takes up more space inside the tire cuz the molicules expand and that raises the pressure.

i filled my yoko's with nitrogen

01tl4tl

It has purpose for some drivers- I paid 5 per tire for the bike where tire temps change radically
for street drivers its not required but if you experience hot/cold air temp extremes then go for it

Its about the molecule size and the rubber,,wiki for more info

spoka

iTrader: (6)

Believe it or not 78% of the air your breathe is made up of Nitrogen.

100% of the time a knowledgeable mechanic will laugh in your face.

01tl4tl

we use it at the track for race tires, and in motorcycles- anywhere tire operating temp changes a lot
or in locations where day and night temp variations are great or really cold overnight.
During all those times your tires will stay at the pressure you set them on straight N

The differance between 78 and 100 percent is pretty dramatic

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I spent lots of time in the pits this year and last year with WERA and AMA pro racers. I didn't see anybody using nitrogen or the idea being discussed.

Good old air, made up of 78% nitrogen, is good. Just gotta keep an eye on the ambient temperature, humidity and barometric pressure to get the right setting of pressure.

In my opinion, the "green caps" are a total waste of money for the majority of the population. You just don't need to spend 10, 20 bucks on nitrogen.

As part of routine maintenance, you should be checking your tire pressure once or twice a month, anyway.

spoka

iTrader: (6)

I agree nitrogen in certain scenarios may be quite useful and checking your tire pressure as often as you change your oil should just be common sense.

To pay X amount of dollars to have someone fill your tires with a bit more nitrogen is a pure marketing strategy. Oh so many times have I seen guys at the (quick lubes) disregard green caps and just fill tires with air.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yeah nitrogen is pointless for a street car, and if you do have to fill it up with air, it would then be contaiminated anyways

but for certian applications it diffenetly is needed (like racing to minamize the change in pressures from tempetures)(but also commercial airlines, where they will fly in freezing weather and can't have any water inside frozen when they go to land; just think about the vibrations)


also GM recommends against it, because not too people have access to pure nitrogen, so once it is contaiminated all the benifits go out the window anyways

MotionEffects

Nitrogen in your tires are useful when you track your vehicle. For daily commuter car, its not beneficial. Although i did fill my tires with nitrogen and i just checked my tire pressure, i lost a total of 1-2 psi in 3-4 months. So if your lazy, it does help too.

silver3.2tl

iTrader: (1)

and i do laugh, a lot

01tl4tl

maybe its not legal in bike racing? like not running coolant- only pure water?
- it is legal in SCCA car racing and gets used to power air tools as well as inflate tires

For my bike they give free re-vacuum out of air and refill pure N if you ever have to put regular compressed air in on a trip. Car places should too afik
Why would you let a quick lube minimum wage goober anywhere NEAR your car!!!

It doesnt increase mileage IF your are keeping your tires at the right pressure,
and checking tire pressure should be every 3 tanks or 1 month, thats how fast O2 molecules can escape thru the rubber, several pounds worth, while Nitrogen will go 3-4 months staying constant pressure

If you have an injury or other difficulty getting down to check pressures- its a godsend

Edward'TLS

Agree. Tires used on airplanes will find benefit filling up with nitrogen.

For everyday driving, it's a gimmick and provides no real benefit at all.

R1L3Y

The nissan GT-R has nitrogen in the tires stock..........so therefore nitrogen in your tires must be super HXC JDM

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

normally if you do race on a track they would normally prefer if you only had water in your cooling system, it is a WHOLE LOT easier to clean up then coolant, and safier too for the other racers when it does happen to spring a leak

increase MPG, like what you said correct tire pressures do that
and nitrogen staying constant, it still fluctuates a little with ambient tempeture just not as much as normal air, so still worth it to check it at least once a month


for a DD definetly a gimmick, also let me see if i can find that gm tsb or something

it is also a car that is designed to go alot faster compared to our grocery getters (like most cars)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

not the tsb from gm, but a tech tip atleast published by them (so you can get there stance on it at least) :
http://www.gmfleet.com/pdf/TechTip_0...itrogenGas.pdf

01tl4tl

fries- I know about coolant in bikes at the tracks- have worked corner many tires at those events- 1 guy goes down and 3 follow- you have a fluid problem on track!

The cars are allowed coolant but can still spin, usually when it hits your own front tire on the side of the next corner~ and not so much danger to other cars...more tire contact patch

I have worked the back of the Course Marshall truck- the guys with the grease sweep and brooms to clean up these messes and still leave the track useable for the next group
Have a basic understanding of slippery~

In the realm of cutting global warming: It wont hurt anyone to have correctly inflated tires all the time- if you check yours frequently -good for you
If you dont even think about the tires, get them vacced and Nitrogen filled,
stop by that shop/costco for a FREE top off when needed
It will pay you back in gas mileage compared to running 6 psi low without realizing it
Low profile tires always look low...

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

have worked corner many tires at those ???

for cars i think street legal cars are allowed coolant, but for like dedicated race cars, they only want water (and proably only allow water),

on cars, yes the tire contact patch is larger, but you are still pushing the limit of the tires, so any type of additional slippierness (sp?) will put you into the wall or if you are lucky enough to have a spacious track, into the runoff areas instead

yes costco has nitrogen, but what happens when you don't buy your tires there, or you don't even happen to be a member??? (i do happen to be a member there, but not every one is)

also with nitrogen you have to run higher initial pressures, (i think like 2-3 psi) because it does not expand as much, and if you happen to check your tire pressure card on the doorjamb, those pressures were decided on the expansion rate with air in the tires (for mine, i know it needs to be about 36 with normal air due to how the tires actually wear)

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

Oh so that's what the green caps are. Got mine installed at Costco with free flat repair and rotations for the life of the tires, so I'm not complaining.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yeah green caps mean nitrogen,

did't i mention something about that in your crash thread

01tl4tl

ooops stupid pudgey fingers and old eyes= worked (race track) corner many TIMES- a licensed race official with the white jacket and everything~

costco was mentioned in passing- not as a source for non members but a referance
that any costco will assist a costco customer

the factory spec pressure isnt correct for most people and aftermarket tires are often higher- factory is set low to give a cushy ride on those cheapazz tires

To determine correct pressure for your car: take the max weight allowed on each tire- determine actual amount of weight on tire, reduce pressure by same precentage below max and there you go
Example on a TL- general uhp tires- 50psi max cold at x weight- car actual weight with normal load = 80% of the weight max
reduce by 20% or 10psi in this example- then play with it slighly- often a psi or 2 more is optimal cold so 42-43 cold on `air` in this tire is perfect- probably 45 on N

You can read the tire temps across the tread with an infrared thermometer looking for even temp across- adjust pressure if center is high or lower than both edges
At the track in the street car a temp rise of 2psi on air in 20 minute session is normal

Long drives at speed generate heat in the tires- so those people will benefit too
overtemp in tires is a bad thing,,underinflated is a common coase of that tire failure

As long as the place is on your normal route for free check and top off for life- its a good deal for those who can use it best

01tl4tl

a car on track with 4 wheels hits a slippery spot from spill- it probably has 2-3 more wheels still on good contact with the road- drives thru the spill

the bikes- first guy doesnt see it and goes down, next 3 still cant see it and slide right off into the 1st guy
5th arrives and sees a pile of bikes on the course edge and wisely slows
2 tires suddenly turn to none~ vs a cars 4

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

i run higher then factory SPEC pressure and i am on factory wheels and factory sized tires, but yeah every tire design/pressure has a unique pressure that they like to run at, and the factory SPEC spec proably does have a bias towards comfort

and yeah you want even temps (or consistent temps across the tread) across the tire's tread, which also translate to how they are wearing, it should be consistent wear, and smooth wear (kinda hard to explain, but they may be worn like this: outer 12/32; middle 8/32; and inner 4/32; and they would still be correctly inflated [you just may have some additional camber added in [i just did 32nds for ease of fractions for people])



yeah it may have 4 tires on a car which are more forgiving, but you are still trying to turn as fast as you can, so you are pushing the limit of the tire's adhesion, so if you hit a slippy spot (especially with an outside one) it is definetly going to slid some (which also may put you off enough that you drop a tire off the track, then you get even more slidding , and that may just put you into a wall or run off area

but yeah i can see your thing about 2 tires on a motorcycle, in that if you hit a slippary spot, (especially while turning), YOU ARE GOING TO BE LAYYING THAT BIKE DOWN, where a car is alittle more forgiving, but can still be just as "dangourous"

timberland73

iTrader: (1)

I've got Nitro in my car and my wife's Impala SS. But it was free cause we have it at my dealership.