Nitrogen Filled Tires-$40!!??

RHSCTJ said:
so if your tires are fully inflated whether it be air hydrogen or farts you will get the same mpg. i mean, how much does the volume of air in a tire actually weigh? you could get a better mpg gain if you hit the gym and lost 5 lbs.
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It was a joke.
You can't hold He in a tire, it will just leak out b/c He stays un-bonded (at normal temps) and the single-molecule is so small it fits through almost anything... even those cool Kevlar balloons...

However - based on the pricinples - it could (in theory) actually help.
He has weight of ~4, while typical air is ~29. IOW, only 13.8% of the weight. that's a considerable drop relative to what's around it (air), so you get a lifting effect (why balloons fly, eh?).
Now of course you still have the weight of the rubber, wheels, yada yada... but the wpoint is, the total weight of teh rotating mass of the tire has decreased. If I had the time I could probably guestimate it, but that's starting to verge on work :huggy:
Not much, a fractional bit, but on rotating mass it dosn't take much. This is especially true as your tire gets larger...
 
RatLabGuy said:
It was a joke.
You can't hold He in a tire, it will just leak out b/c He stays un-bonded (at normal temps) and the single-molecule is so small it fits through almost anything... even those cool Kevlar balloons...

However - based on the pricinples - it could (in theory) actually help.
He has weight of ~4, while typical air is ~29. IOW, only 13.8% of the weight. that's a considerable drop relative to what's around it (air), so you get a lifting effect (why balloons fly, eh?).
Now of course you still have the weight of the rubber, wheels, yada yada... but the wpoint is, the total weight of teh rotating mass of the tire has decreased. If I had the time I could probably guestimate it, but that's starting to verge on work :huggy:
Not much, a fractional bit, but on rotating mass it dosn't take much. This is especially true as your tire gets larger...
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Thanks for the lesson Bill Nye the Science Guy :flipoff2:

So can you make my car fly? Thats what your saying right?
 
Just another way to make money for shops. Good, clean compressed air works just fine. The hype is crap.

Racers and aircraft use nitrogen for reasons that don't apply to the everyday driver.
 
we use it in the race car tires at orange county and the difference in pressure before a run (tires at ~80-85 degrees with 16 psi left and 26 right side) and after a run (tires at anywhere between 160-220 depending on the left or right side) the pressure difference is they only change between 3-6 psi most of the time.
i think it has something to do with nitrogen doesnt expand as quickly as air like people are saying with the change in temp.
but i checked my tire pressure (air not nitrogen) the other week and it was still at 35psi all around, exactly where i set it at 3-4 months ago.
 
The only reason why one of my buddies uses it is because he gets it for free at his work. Otherwise he, as well as I, know that any "normal" consumer will gain absolutely no benefit from using it.
 
RenegadeT said:
[inhale Helium] the Helium filled wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round...[/inhale Helium] :flipoff2:
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You've been watching way to much Barney!
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.....swish, swish, swish,....swish, swish, swish.....the wipers on the bus go...................Damnit man:fuck-you:
 
Well nitrogen is more stable, and is used in high perf. applications regularly. But here is a question for you, how do they intend to pruge the air. Just pullin a vale setm then refilling with compressed N2 aitn gonna cut it.

Anyone else remember back in the early days when we had this debate and some dude chimed in from California and siad his dad had devoted his life savings to N2 filled tires and safety?
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Well nitrogen is more stable, and is used in high perf. applications regularly. But here is a question for you, how do they intend to pruge the air. Just pullin a vale setm then refilling with compressed N2 aitn gonna cut it.
Anyone else remember back in the early days when we had this debate and some dude chimed in from California and siad his dad had devoted his life savings to N2 filled tires and safety?
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You make a very valid point on that note. Something most of us including me didnt think of.
 
I used to work at a shop that installed a nitrogen filling system. They had a machine that would hook up to the valve stems and supoosedly suck out all the air and then refill with nitrogen. I think it is a waste of $.
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Anyone else remember back in the early days when we had this debate and some dude chimed in from California and siad his dad had devoted his life savings to N2 filled tires and safety?
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Must be that same tool who was whining about the bulges in the tires from LA.. :lol:

Back on topic, it's useful in race apps, but for street vehicles, it's a big fucking waste. The tire manufacturers rate the pressure specs on the tires for air, KNOWING that the pressure will go up as the tire heats.

Ask one of these tools hawking the n2 fills for a revised pressure chart for your tire, that takes into account the less pressure rise that occures during use...and watch them tap-dance and B.S. out an answer. (I.e. the manufacturer of my load range E tires are spec'd for 80psi cold, knowing that they will increase a percentage during use from heat.. so what's the recommended pressures now?)
 
pipeline said:
I used to work at a shop that installed a nitrogen filling system. They had a machine that would hook up to the valve stems and supoosedly suck out all the air and then refill with nitrogen. I think it is a waste of $.
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Unless it is also purging the tire with N through another hole at the same time, I call BS. If you pull a vacuum on a tire it will unseat and come off the rim.
 
Rich said:
Must be that same tool who was whining about the bulges in the tires from LA.. :lol:
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Ah, looks like the move to PA didn't alter his personality too badly...
 
its a money racket..

any reason this thread is still rolling?
 
pipeline said:
I used to work at a shop that installed a nitrogen filling system. They had a machine that would hook up to the valve stems and supoosedly suck out all the air and then refill with nitrogen. I think it is a waste of $.
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It's a waste of money in the first place but I don't buy that reason. Air is 78% nitrogen in the first place. There is a pretty minimal amount of non-nitrogen in a tire at 0 psi compared to what it will have after it's filled. I'd guess it's under 1% non-nitrogen.
 
well my .02

I like the nitrogen, the way i understand it the nitrogen molecule is larger and is less likely to leak. that being said i run it in my Corvette which has a small air leak in one of the TPMS sensors. After filling it with nitrogen the leak has ceased completely. I am too lazy to bust the tire down and reseal the sensor. we fill them for $5 a tire at the store.

straight form the propaganda:

because of their larger size, nitrogen molecules are the least permeable and stay in you tire longer.

By reducing the percentage of oxygen, water vapor and other gasses in your tires from 22% to 7% or lower, your tires will maintain proper pressure longer than if you use "plain old air". For example, with 95% nitrogen in your tires, they retain optimal pressure three to four times longer.

Nitrogen-filled tires:
maintain tire pressure longer
run cooler increasing tread life
have lower water vapor content
 
I say, move just 1 step over on the periodic table, and fill them with 100% with C instead.

C-filled tires wll:
Maintain pressure forever
Run very cool and have infinite tread life
have zero water vapor content...!
 
greg slade said:
well my .02
I like the nitrogen, the way i understand it the nitrogen molecule is larger and is less likely to leak. that being said i run it in my Corvette which has a small air leak in one of the TPMS sensors. After filling it with nitrogen the leak has ceased completely. I am too lazy to bust the tire down and reseal the sensor. we fill them for $5 a tire at the store.
straight form the propaganda:
because of their larger size, nitrogen molecules are the least permeable and stay in you tire longer.
By reducing the percentage of oxygen, water vapor and other gasses in your tires from 22% to 7% or lower, your tires will maintain proper pressure longer than if you use "plain old air". For example, with 95% nitrogen in your tires, they retain optimal pressure three to four times longer.
Nitrogen-filled tires:
maintain tire pressure longer
run cooler increasing tread life
have lower water vapor content
Click to expand...


Nitrogen has a smaller moecular mass than oxygen so it will leak easier
 
stockzjwnc said:
Nitrogen has a smaller moecular mass than oxygen so it will leak easier
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1 N atom by itself, and 1 O atom by itself, yes.
But due to the nature of the outer electron shell in N, it tends to clump into duos (N2) and attach to nothing else, making clumps and "rings" of nothing but N. Air, on the other hand, has that pesky Hydrogen, Carbon, and other crap in it, and total clumps (molecules) are actually smaller in size. (This is the real reason why He would never work). Not by much, mind you, difference is very minimal.
 
FWIW, I ran N2 once in a street vehicle with BFG ATs, the old style pre side biters that were notorious for feathering, on a recomendation that the N2 was more stable and would improve tire wear.
1 anecdotal story is not evidence and I have no proof those tires would have feathered with regular compressor air, but I will say I got 65k out of a set of BFG ATs on a full size GMC rickybobby (thats z71 for all the non cool kids) and they never featheered. As always YRMV
 
the nitrogen works. the dealeship I used to work at started using because of problems with tpms on some of the vehicles we sold. we started putting it in every new car that came in. less hassle with complaints of the tps light on.
 
ok i am hereing both that it has a smaller andl arger molecular mass does someone with a degree in chemistry want to chime in on this cause i want to get it right cause my ap chemistry teacher said it had a smaller molecular mass
 
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