Forum Discussion
wolfe10
Nov 30, 2019Explorer
As already posted, there are a lot of untrue myths about using Nitrogen in tires.
But easiest to explain if you understand that there are really THREE common sources you can use to inflate your tires, not just two.
Nitrogen is one.
DRY air is another (like from an air compressor with an air dryer).
WET air (like from an air compressor with no dryer).
Nitrogen and dry air both follow the Ideal Gas Law. In layman's terms, they both increase PSI as temperature rises. VERY little difference.
Wet air-- well, water is not a gas, so it will increase PSI more rapidly than a gas for a given temperature rise. Ya, wet air, like that convenience store air compressor you put quarters in and water comes out along with air.
Is Nitrogen better than dry air-- maybe a couple of bucks worth.
Is either Nitrogen or dry air better than wet air-- absolutely!
But easiest to explain if you understand that there are really THREE common sources you can use to inflate your tires, not just two.
Nitrogen is one.
DRY air is another (like from an air compressor with an air dryer).
WET air (like from an air compressor with no dryer).
Nitrogen and dry air both follow the Ideal Gas Law. In layman's terms, they both increase PSI as temperature rises. VERY little difference.
Wet air-- well, water is not a gas, so it will increase PSI more rapidly than a gas for a given temperature rise. Ya, wet air, like that convenience store air compressor you put quarters in and water comes out along with air.
Is Nitrogen better than dry air-- maybe a couple of bucks worth.
Is either Nitrogen or dry air better than wet air-- absolutely!
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