Nitrogen vs Air

Maybe we could all switch over to Helium. Sure, its molecular size is small, but think how much unsprung weight savings we could have. Besides, I hear that Helium is becoming quite rare these days, so we could save some from extinction in our tires, what?



Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. --- Oscar Wilde

Technical point...a bowl of water will 'vaporize' into the air without boiling.

At any altitude

There is H2O content in just about everything. Check anything to do with firewood
There will be comments of 'seasoning' and the water content. Ditto furniture.
Ditto building lumber. ETC, etc, etc on anything that will absorb
water (including adsorption)...they all have water content listed as
a percentage

Costco...that is what management has decided to do and my guess for marketing
purposes based on a tiny, tiny bit of real world truth.

Sister is s die-hard Costco tire person and only wants nitrogen because she
believes in their marketing...until she had a low PSI tire and wanted them to
air it up...normally she gets it done spot on, but that day they had a long line
of buyers with tires to be mounted. They told her to wait in line...she called
to say she was coming over to have me air it up...

bluepost wrote:


Airplane brakes and tires get VERY hot and it is not uncommon for them to catch fire and explode. When they do, you don't want a rush of O2 sweeping over the already burning brakes/tire material.

Incorrect statement

PRodacy wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:
'Dry' air is good for your tires. Any air that also has some water in it, the water will expand as steam when over 130F, and the tire pressure will increase.

By using nitrogen, you are assured that there is no 'added' moisture in the tire. However when they install the tires, what does the installer use? Soap and water to 'seal' the tire to the rim. Usually they are sloppy, and get some water into the tire sometimes.

So if you use a good air compressor, that is drained on a regular basis, you will be fine.

Good luck!

Fred.

You can't generate steam until you get to the boiling point of water, which varies between 212 degrees at sea level down to around 150 degrees at 14,000 feet. 130F is incorrect.

At 14000 ft it is closer to 180°F.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
'Dry' air is good for your tires. Any air that also has some water in it, the water will expand as steam when over 130F, and the tire pressure will increase.

By using nitrogen, you are assured that there is no 'added' moisture in the tire. However when they install the tires, what does the installer use? Soap and water to 'seal' the tire to the rim. Usually they are sloppy, and get some water into the tire sometimes.

So if you use a good air compressor, that is drained on a regular basis, you will be fine.

Good luck!

Fred.

You can't generate steam until you get to the boiling point of water, which varies between 212 degrees at sea level down to around 150 degrees at 14,000 feet. 130F is incorrect.

deltabravo wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:
Nitrogen has benefits in tires used for air craft or race cars. For a vehicle at normal speeds, it serves no practical purpose. It is a profit center for the tire seller.

If it makes you feel better, spend the money on it. It won’t hurt, but remember that it is not as easy to find 100% Nitrogen for bring tires up to pressure.

Costco doesn't charge for filling tires with nitrogen. The Costco stores I've been to always do a nitrogen fill.

So when I am on the road and have a low tire, I am going to drive around, on a low tire, in a strange town looking for a Costco. I think not.

Fuel for the fire (pun intended):

Oxygen leaks INTO a tire when it is filled with 100% nitrogen. Eventually, the inside gas will be about 7% oxygen. (depending on the pressure) regardless of where you start. (google partial pressure of gases.)

Dog Folks wrote:
Nitrogen has benefits in tires used for air craft or race cars. For a vehicle at normal speeds, it serves no practical purpose. It is a profit center for the tire seller.

If it makes you feel better, spend the money on it. It won’t hurt, but remember that it is not as easy to find 100% Nitrogen for bring tires up to pressure.

Costco doesn't charge for filling tires with nitrogen. The Costco stores I've been to always do a nitrogen fill.

One can easily calculate how, over time, topping up one's tires with an ordinary compressor will eventually displace, asymptotically the oxygen in one's tires.

Consider that the oxygen molecules leak faster than the nitrogen, so regular topping off the tire pressure will be replacing mostly the oxygen lost, with 78% nitrogen.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
'Dry' air is good for your tires. Any air that also has some water in it, the water will expand as steam when over 130F, and the tire pressure will increase.

By using nitrogen, you are assured that there is no 'added' moisture in the tire. However when they install the tires, what does the installer use? Soap and water to 'seal' the tire to the rim. Usually they are sloppy, and get some water into the tire sometimes.

So if you use a good air compressor, that is drained on a regular basis, you will be fine.

Good luck!

Fred.

Water boils into steam at 212 at sea level, in a 50 psi tire it takes closer to 280 degrees, at 80 psi over 310.