BCSnob wrote:
Go read:Nitrogen Tire Inflation: When Does the Tire Really Need it?
If you put no more than 10,000 miles on your tires every year and/or live in hot regions filling with nitrogen may help prevent tire separation due to internal oxidation of the rubber as your tires approach 6 years of use (use = mounted on rims and under pressure).
That engineering paper is a lovely read - if you are an engineer, lol. Needs an executive summary at the beginning that simply says "yes it's a good idea".
Roger from RVtiresafety.com (retired tire engineer banned from the forum) has a good tech. article on nitrogen in his blog that he summarizes by saying in part:
would it be better to inflate with Nitrogen than air? If there was no cost and you could somehow have N2 available all the time, my answer is yes. I don't want to carry around a tank of Nitrogen to inflate my tires. Even if I was given the tank and regulator for free, hauling it around will take up space and cost me fuel, most likely much more than I might theoretically save with the almost magic properties attributed to this "Wonder Gas". He goes on to say that if you are concerned about moisture, get a small inline desiccant filter like the one Harbor Freight has like in the photo ($8). You can make these portable by the use of the right adapter fittings so you can air up anywhere.
If you have ST tires and want to make them last longer, take proper care of them. Will cost nothing - correct air pressure, avoid potholes, stay below 65mph, etc.
