inflating tires on rv with nitrogen, good idea?

Anyone use mountain air instead of city air? It's usually much cleaner with less pollutants. You may need to use a little more because it is thinner.

With the cold weather coming, it reminds me I need to change the summer air in my tires, to winter air... Sometimes I forget to do that! :-D


Dry nitrogen is very cheap, I always have a bottle to clean inside computers, keyboards and such. It is much better than that canned, compressed air (which is really gases, and a quick way to chill drinks and such!)

Once you pay deposit on the bottle and have a regulator, the dry nitrogen costs almost nothing... I get mine from Airgas and will put it in my tires if they are low...

Liquid nitrogen? Now you're talking! Fill the tires with liquid nitrogen!!! LOL

2112 wrote:

I can't believe this generated 4 pages!

depends on your settings..I have mine for 40 posts per page only 3 pages at this point;)

K3WE wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:

2112 wrote:
I can't believe this generated 4 pages!

Nitrogen discussions usually do create four or more pages.:)

If you unwove all the posts, it's about:

-One page of replies that say "Read the manual" (and forget about any knowledge as to why).

-Another page saying Nitrogen does not increase pressure when heated.

-One page of attempts to correct misconceptions.

-A page that says, I've always done it this way (or that way).

-A page of genuine, accurate discussion of fine points...

And this is different from any other subject discussed here? :h (Said with affection.)

I recall walking into the squad room at work thinking I might be able to add to the discussion there... ... Turning around, and walking out cause the level of mis-information in that room was way beyond my ability to cope with.

Why do I get that same, exact feeling here?

Statements like "My tires do not loose pressure over time"
Statement like Nitrogen maintains constant pressure no matter the temperature or altitude.

I mean, I am not sure when exactly I learned better than that but I very strongly suspect my age still had but a single digit.

First: As altitude goes up, the "outside" pressure on the tire, normally about 14.696 PSI at sea level) goes down, this is how a barometric altimeter knows how high it is. This means your 100 PSI tires may now meter out at a higher pressure all other factors being the same.

And all gasses ALL OF THEM, become more active when heated, and this translates into higher pressures.

So "Absolutely no change" is thus false.. HOWEVER had the person simply said "Less change" I could accept this.

Is there a benefit... Very likely yes.. Is it worth the cost, Very likely NO.

Dog Folks wrote:

2112 wrote:
I can't believe this generated 4 pages!

Nitrogen discussions usually do create four or more pages.:)

If you unwove all the posts, it's about:

-One page of replies that say "Read the manual" (and forget about any knowledge as to why).

-Another page saying Nitrogen does not increase pressure when heated.

-One page of attempts to correct misconceptions.

-A page that says, I've always done it this way (or that way).

-A page of genuine, accurate discussion of fine points...

intheburbs wrote:
***There is exactly zero benefit from running pure nitrogen***

Have you ever heard the rule that "Absolute statements are almost always wrong".

While Nitrogen follows the gas law pretty much like any other gas, The ideal gas law says nothing of it's ability to absorb heat (specific heat), nor it's ability to transfer heat.

There may in fact be an advantage to nitrogen "keeping the tires cooler" if it absorbs and/or transfers heat better than air...

...and then folks mention reduced leakage, reduced oxidation, and reduced water content.

Now, I tend to agree that for the purposes of RVing and pickup truck driving, I think this Nitrogen stuff is much more gimmick than a true, significant benefit, but I won't go so far as to say there's nothing to it whatsoever.

By the way, regarding the post just above...if I run straight CO2 in my tires can I get money from Al Gore since I'm taking greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere? ;-)

K3WE wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
...Nitrogen will also maintain a constant pressure regardless of temperature or elevation...

In high school chemistry class, the teacher taught me an equation which went something like

Pressure * Volume = number of moles * a constant * Temperature (PV = NrT)

I'm not sure I recall the name of that equation, but I guess it was something like the Universal except-for-Nitrogen Gas Law.

The problem is you did not realize that we are using Al Gore Physics and the Al Gore gas law which trumps any other laws.

PV=nRT is known as the ideal gas law. It was first stated by Émile Clapeyron in 1834 as a combination of Boyle's law and Charles's law.

Sport 45 wrote:
Are we supposed to think air inside the tire is more corrosive than the air outside the tire?

Yes, sort of. AT 30 lbs of tire pressure, compared to 15 lbs of atmospheric pressure, the oxygen concentration is 3X higher. IF the tire is degraded by oxygen, the rate of degradation would be 3X greater. In real life this is not much of a factor for the tire's lifespan - treadwear and exposure to sunlight are much more significant.

Arizona Kid wrote:
This from Bridgestone:
"Why do brand-new tires lose air pressure?
Air molecules are very small. And rubber, though it looks very solid, is, at the microscopic level, a sort of tangled, fishnet-like mass of long, stringy molecules.
Over time, air molecules can make their way through the maze of molecular chains and escape to the outside world. Basically, they go right through the sidewalls.
A truck tire can lose 2 psi per month, even when brand-new and properly mounted. That’s 24 psi a year, which would take any tire way below the run flat level. It’s another reason we place so much emphasis on regular inflation pressure maintenance."

I've never noticed that much loss in tire pressure and my Sprinter tires are inflated to 80 lbs in the rear and 60 lbs in the front.

Sport45 wrote:
Are we supposed to think air inside the tire is more corrosive than the air outside the tire?

The problem with air in the tire is how it got there. If you use compressed air to fill the tire, the air has moisture in it. Nitrogen is dry, so no moisture gets in the tire when filling with Nitrogen.

-Michael