Nitrogen in tyres

Johnny Girth

Johnny Girth

Johnny Girth

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20 Oct 2004
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This isn't a thread about the benefits - there aren't any really for normal road users.

If only I'd known that when I got the tyres last changed instead of getting suckered in. Ah well. Anyway the tyres are looking very low and I need to get the pressure checked. Will I just be able to pump them up with "normal air" or am I gonna have to get new tyres or something? As normal air is about 78% nitrogen I'm guessing it won't make a bit of difference. Correct?
 
Just got tyres changed today, they filled them with Nitrogen for £1.25. One thing though they didnt ask whether i wanted it.
 
saitrix said:
Just got tyres changed today, they filled them with Nitrogen for £1.25. One thing though they didnt ask whether i wanted it.
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Yep the did the same for my F1's, umm they didn't ask i want normal air tbh....
 
What's the point of nitrogen? I'm not flaming, just never heard of it being specifically put in tires before!
 
Garage said up to 25% less tyre wear. Up to 5% higher MPG, and maybe slightly better handling. But who knows what it accually does.
 
IIRC, its doesn't expand with heat, so your tyre pressures are more stable when pushing hard.
 
Unluckyalf said:
Curious, not heard of filling them with Nitrogen before.
Wonder what else you can fill them with? Helium??
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Haha, they should start dishing out helium in the air machines at garages.

[squeeky voice] Pump 4 please........and some 20p's for the air machine[/squeeky voice]
 
AFAIK, F1 teams and the like use pure nitrogen in their tyres, so there is a benefit. I think it is to do with expansion/heat issues as well.
 
Nitrogen might have beneficial mass properties which make it heat at a different rate I guess, but it certainly will expand under a temperature increase. I am genuinely interested in what it does, anyone got any good links?
 
Good old Google :)

Why fill my tyres with Nitrogen?
Why would you want to do this? The benefits of Nitrogen filling are as follows:

Improved comfort of ride
Improved safety
Increased fuel savings
Improved life of tyre

Nitrogen has long been the accepted gas medium for filling aircraft tyres, racing tyres and heavy mining and construction vehicle tyres. Nitrogen is used for safety reasons and to ensure that tyres are always at a constant pressure. Compressed air, the traditional medium for inflating car tyres, contains both oxygen (21%) and nitrogen (78%).
The rubber tyre is like a membrane, through which oxygen permeates three times faster than the nitrogen. The result is that the oxygen slowly leaks out through the rubber walls, and the under-inflation leads to higher tyre wear with a consequent decrease in safety and comfort, and higher fuel costs.
 
Last I heard about this was the theory that oxygen can permiate rubber and leak out (which is why balloons eventually go down by themselves) whereas nitrogen doesn't. So if you fill up with air eventually the 20% or so oxygen will make it's way through the tyre leaving you with low pressure.

Fill with nitrogen and you shouldn't need to top up the pressure unless you get a puncture.

That's the theory, the fact is you should regularly check you tyre condition/pressure regularly regardless and of course every time you top up your pressures you replace some of the original 20% oxygen with 80% nitrogen air. If the original premise is correct you very quickly end up with nitrogen in your tyres regardless and it's free ;)
 
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