Nitrogen Gas In Tires

[corkscrew]

Does anyone here use nitrogen gas in their tires? Some of Bangkok's car wash places are offering nitrogen gas for tires. I have always used regular air and my tires have seemed fine on that ordinary gas (Hey, we breathe it too).

[cm-happy]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

[corkscrew]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

Do you suggest it for your every day driver?

[highchol]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

Do you suggest it for your every day driver?

Depends how much it costs and thus how much you would want to waste.

Remenber your school science days..air composition is approx 80% nitrogen.

From a safety point of view you would be better investing in a pressure gauge to check your tyre pressures are at the recommended setting.

This is a far bigger danger than the gas composition would ever be ( unless you filled em with hydrogen )

From a classic collectors point of view with 50 year old tyres and a car that spends 99% of its life indoors, there might be a case for pure N2 in your tyres.

For your average joe publics vehicle for daily use ...forget it.

[cm-happy]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

Do you suggest it for your every day driver?

Not neccessary for everyday driver, basically is just an appearance item. The tire will usually wear out prior to the cracks causing a tire failure in the sidewall, for everyday car.

[corkscrew]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

Do you suggest it for your every day driver?

Not neccessary for everyday driver, basically is just an appearance item. The tire will usually wear out prior to the cracks causing a tire failure in the sidewall, for everyday car.

That's what I figured.

[MarcoH]

Nirogen will prevent rubber from cracking. regular air contains small amounts of ozone which cause the rubber to crack.

I have a small collection of classic and antique cars in the states and ALWAYS inflate their tires with nitroge.

You can see the small hairline cracks on the side walls of tires

Do you suggest it for your every day driver?

Depends how much it costs and thus how much you would want to waste.

Remenber your school science days..air composition is approx 80% nitrogen.

From a safety point of view you would be better investing in a pressure gauge to check your tyre pressures are at the recommended setting.

This is a far bigger danger than the gas composition would ever be ( unless you filled em with hydrogen )

From a classic collectors point of view with 50 year old tyres and a car that spends 99% of its life indoors, there might be a case for pure N2 in your tyres.

For your average joe publics vehicle for daily use ...forget it.

We have been using Nitrogen in our zafira since day 1, now 4yrs and driving every day minimum of 120Km, dont see the different to normal air, but hey it's free for us as it's come together with new tires we got and life time refilling is free as well,,,

[PETERTHEEATER]

Does anyone here use nitrogen gas in their tires? Some of Bangkok's car wash places are offering nitrogen gas for tires. I have always used regular air and my tires have seemed fine on that ordinary gas (Hey, we breathe it too).

The main reason for using nitrogen to inflate tyres is that it is 'inert' whereas air will support combustion. The effect of air on tyre material - cracking - can be ignored at low pressures such as vehicle tyres. The tread will wear out long before the tyre is rejected for sidewall cracking caused by air.

Where tyres are inflated at high pressures as in military and commercial aircraft then nitrogen is always specified for reasons of safety such as when a tyre bursts due to heavy landing, fire etc. Also 'ozone' cracking of the tyre material can weaken the tyre and, at the higher pressures, is potentially dangerous.

If nitrogen is available for your car tyres, then use it.

[Crossy]

For everyday tyres, totally pointless unless it's free.

I fill my tyres with 80% pure nitrogen (air) and it works just fine

For that matter, how do you know you're not getting air anyway??

Just a thought, how can what you put INSIDE the tyre, affect how micro-cracks form on the OUTSIDE???

Edited May 3, 2007 by Crossy

[Khutan]

I replaced my tyres about a year ago on the trusty Issan, and I paid an extra 200B for the Nitorgen.

Their claim was the tyres would not be like a bomb and be cool. But as the tyres slowly deflate, I am not sure where to fill them as the garages only have air.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I replaced my tyres about a year ago on the trusty Issan, and I paid an extra 200B for the Nitorgen.

Their claim was the tyres would not be like a bomb and be cool. But as the tyres slowly deflate, I am not sure where to fill them as the garages only have air.

Just top them up with air!

[PETERTHEEATER]

For everyday tyres, totally pointless unless it's free.

I fill my tyres with 80% pure nitrogen (air) and it works just fine

For that matter, how do you know you're not getting air anyway??

Just a thought, how can what you put INSIDE the tyre, affect how micro-cracks form on the OUTSIDE???

There are three main mechanisms of tyre ageing. The first involves rubber becoming more brittle. Sulphur is used to link rubber molecules together during vulcanisation with the application of heat and pressure, giving the rubber its useful elastic properties and strength. As the tyre absorbs energy in the form of light, heat or movement the tyre continues to vulcanise. This ongoing vulcanisation causes the rubber to become stiffer and more brittle.

The second mechanism of tyre ageing is oxidation involving oxygen and ozone from the air compromising the strength and elasticity of the rubber and the integrity of the rubber to steel bond. Basically heat and oxygen cause cross linking between polymer chains (causing the rubber to harden) and scission of polymer chains (leading to reduced elasticity).

Thirdly, breakdown of the rubber to steel-belt bond will occur due to water permeating through a tyre and bonding with the brass plate coating on steel belts. This causes the steel to rubber bond to weaken leading to reduced tyre strength and reduced heat resistance. If compressed air used for inflation is not completely dry, tyre strength will be affected over time. Even unused tyres will become more brittle, weaker and less elastic with exposure to water, air, heat and sunlight.

[hakku]

and one more reason, nitro filled tires keep their pressure longer, nitro doen't expand and contract as much as oxygen en water when there are temperature differences, therfore your pressure will be more constant on a long distance drive and in principle your tyres will lose pressure slower then with air (but will still lose). It's said before, if you can get it, take it. If you want to know what you're getting, check where the line goes, should go to either a nitro bottle or to a nitro installation.

Safe driving

[Crossy]

Nitrogen in tyres - the fact sheet from the RACQ http://www.racq.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/racq_c...es_ENA_HTML.htm

Summary

While using nitrogen in passenger car tyres may produce some benefits in some applications, it is questionable if the average motorist will derive any measurable benefit from its use.

So, unless it's free, absolutely zero point for your average motorist, I'll continue using my 80% nitrogen mix