nitrogen filled tires.....how do you add?? is air OK?

I change the air in my tires annually along with changing the muffler bearing. Never had a failure of either since doing so.

Only advantage I see to nitrogen is that the supply is dry. Reduces moisture in the tires. That said, I just use my trusty air pump and check pressure often.

Let me pass on something I learned in "Tire Collage"

A little trade secret that lets you get 97% nitrogen from plain old air.
All you will need is a three stage air compressor,a tire valve stem removal tool and beautician grade cotton balls-Dry (something to do with static electricity)apparently cotton balls block some oxygen molecules! (Who'd of thunk)
yeah, you just remove the valve stem and blow compressed air thru the cotton ball and wallah!!
word of caution,, you should only attempt this during a waxing moon phase (something to do with gravitational pull).
Another safety warning,,Always ground your work,vehicle or tire (something to do with magnetic fields and silver fillings in your mouth) Also, do NOT wear a self winding watch or have credit cards in your wallet!
A little secret the Tire professor passed on to us was chewing gum!! Yep seems it has something to do with bias ply tires and the sun!!!
Well I hope this helps some of you alls that feel the need to fill your tires with nitrogen, and hopefully it will save hundres of dollars in tire replacements!
Good Day!

Let me pass on something I learned in "Tire College"

How do they purge the air that exists at atmospheric pressure when the tires are initially mounted? That's right, they don't.

I've had several new vehicles that came with Nitrogen. I live in a rural area, where we still use air. I do not find any advantage in using the Nitrogen. I just use my regular compressor and air tires. I wouldn't worry about it.

This was in the paper's executive summary:

The result of oxygen permeation is generally considered to be oxidative degradation, or aging, of the rubber materials that make up the tire.

The effect of nitrogen inflation gas is shown to forestall the increase of oxygen concentration through the tire for about four years.

Bottom line, if you need the insides of tires to not start aging before 4 years of use, nitrogen fill may be helpful for you. If you wear off the tread before 6 years nitrogen is of little benefit.


Scientific illiteracy leads to one falling for media hype, marketing spin, and internet myths. Perhaps society should make the effort to read these types of articles.

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.

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).

austinjenna wrote:

It's also a good idea to remember to R&R the muffler bearing(s) when you change the seasonal air.

I dont even do that anymore. I paid my mechanic 1K to install permanently lubed muffler bearings so I don't need to do this annually now. It will save me a lot of money but hey if you want to be the suckers that keep lubing them up every year then go for it. Now who will be laughing...huh....who...

1K to install lubed muffler bearings that's a great deal was that done at CW?