Nitrogen inflation?!

Father Ted said:
Interesting, wonder why it makes a difference, air is 78% nitrogen anyway.
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Nitrogen is less subject to pressure variation with heat, less likely to leak (as it requires a bigger gap to leak through) and as it's purified does not contain water vapour and so theoretically reduces corrosion.

However, whether any of that is relevant to 99% of road car applications is certainly up for debate.
 
I had it done once, didnt notice a jot of difference.

I think people have it done for track days to keep the pressure stable im not sure though.
 
Normal air contains water vapour, which shrinks and expands depending on temperature and thus alters the tyre pressure. Nitrogen does not.
 
I think we've had this debate here before. I remember it being relevant only to planes or other more extreme applications. If they're charging you for it, don't bother in my opinion. Just another way to squeeze a bit more from you. Nitrogen is cheap for them to buy.
 
NathanE said:
Normal air contains water vapour, which shrinks and expands depending on temperature and thus alters the tyre pressure. Nitrogen does not.
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Nitrogen expands as it's heated just like every single other gas. The only advantage to using a pure gas is that it expands in a more predictable fashion than atmospheric air with an unknown water content.
 
NathanE said:
Normal air contains water vapour, which shrinks and expands depending on temperature and thus alters the tyre pressure. Nitrogen does not.
Click to expand...

That's incorrect. Nitrogen does change pressure in proportion to temperature. Another reason would perhaps be to eliminate oxygen from inside a tyre, which can corrode things, but what's the point if it's surrounded by it on the outside too?! It's a cash cow for almost any application.
 
The "does not" referred to the fact that pure nitrogen does not contain water vapour. Not that it defies physics by never contracting or expanding in relation to temperature ;)
 
NathanE said:
Normal air contains water vapour, which shrinks and expands depending on temperature and thus alters the tyre pressure. Nitrogen does not.
Click to expand...

Nitrogen itself still changes volume/pressure with temperature though, it obeys the gas laws same as any other gas. Dry air would be no different.

The lack of oxygen allegedly reduces degradation of the rubber in the tyre, though this must be a negligible effect over the life of the average tyre.

EDIT: too slow :p
 
I guess the Internet proves, once again, that if something can be misunderstood then it most probably will.

:)
 
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