Why fill car tyres with nitrogen Gas

Have you ever thought that filling your vehicles tyre with nitrogen gas? Well, today in this article we’ll discuss why nitrogen gas could be substituted for normal air in your cars or bicycle tires.

If your not sure what Nitrogen is its a gas that is inherently non-flammable. It is a non-toxic gas and is associated with the family of inert gases. The property of inert gases is that they do not combine with any other gas at any temperature. Nitrogen helps to maintain the minimum humidity inside the tire. Nitrogen is located around us. In fact, the air we breathe is about 78% nitrogen. The remaining 22% is made up mostly oxygen, water vapour and other gases.

Nitrogen has been used in Professional racing for years with race teams taking advantage of the performance benefits that it can give. Taking into account the speed with which racing cars move, any small changes in tyre pressure will have a big impact on both traction and handling, which can easily change the result of the race! In situations where the race lasts for a long time (in Formula 1 or NASCAR races), the temperature of the track can be quite different, hence the continuity of nitrogen pressure can be very important.

Why does nitrogen keep its pressure much better than normal air in race cars? At the beginning, there is a certain amount of moisture in the air. The exact amount depends on the weather conditions during the day, and even significant changes in tyre pressure during tire assembly or during different race days during the entire race in small amounts. The driver needs to know how the car will manage to get off, so instead of dry nitrogen, it is used.

Interestingly, nitrogen is also used for the same reasons on the plane, where it is most important that the tire pressure is not too high under different external conditions. The plane at different altitudes will be surrounded by an air of different pressures and temperatures. In fact, the temperature can be as low as -40 C, so you will not want to keep the tyre wet because it will freeze and cause problems when landing.

Advantages of Nitrogen Gas in Tyres

Are there reasons why you would like to fill the tyre of your car with nitrogen? There are definitely benefits, so it’s up to you to decide whether you will benefit from the costs and make your own decisions.

  • Due to the lack of moisture in the nitrogen, your wheels have less rust.
  • Nitrogen molecules are larger than their counterpart oxygen molecules. The oxygen molecules are small enough to pass through the tyre wall so that’s why air filled tyres will lose pressure over time. Whereas nitrogen only filled tyres will maintain their pressure for longer. Air filled tyres typically lose about 1 PSI every two weeks whilst with nitrogen filled tyres it can take 6-8 weeks to lose 1 PSI.
  • Another advantage that many drivers like with nitrogen-filled tyres is better handling and smoother driving. This may be due to the fact that tyres keep reasonable inflation for a long time.
  • Nitrogen does not cause major temperature swings when the car is moving. High temperatures can damage a tyre’s performance and cause wear and damage. As the temperature changes so will the pressure however not to the same degree as air filled tyres.
  • Due to the ability to maintain tire pressure at any temperature, nitrogen filling is ideal for all weather conditions. Nitrogen is also less humid and there is less risk of water passing through the tire. Water and moisture inside the gum can cause rot in terrible rot with an element that rot, which needs to be replaced. Because the moisture content in the nitrogen structure is low, it is lighter than normal air.

Where to get Nitrogen Gas and how much does it cost?

In recent years, some service stations have started to offer purified nitrogen in the form of compressed air to fill tyres. You can also find specialist tyre fitters that will do the same thing.

Specialist equipment is required to remove all the air out of the tyre first before the nitrogen can be pumped into the tyre. The cost of inflating your tyres using nitrogen is more expensive then simple air inflation. It will cost roughly £1.50 per tyre.

The gas itself can be shipped into the specialist tyre fitter or you may find that they are producing the nitrogen gas on site using a generator.

Tyre Pressure and Nitrogen

Ensuring that your tyre pressure is correct is essential for many reasons. First of all, tyres that are inflated to the recommended level reduce rolling resistance, allowing the engine to burn fuel more efficiently. Some estimates indicate that inflated tires can increase fuel yield by up to 3.3%. This means that less money is spent at the fuel pumps. Secondly, the tread wear will be more even that an under or over inflated tyre so tyres will have a longer life. Finally, when rolling resistance increases, heat is generated. Too much heat can lead to a blowout of the tyre while driving.

Although the correct tyre pressure is very important to the performance and safety of the vehicle, many drivers rarely check the tyre pressure. It is a simple task that requires a pressure gauge that can be bought at most automotive stores. Most experts agree that you should check the tyre pressure every month. If after some time you have not checked the pressure of your tyre, try to do it the next time you stop to refill the fuel tank.

Summary

There is only one way to decide if nitrogen separates the tyres and try them out. Go to a service provider in your area, you could use the internet to search for one that provides nitrogen inflation. Most of these places will charge a lot less for filling tyres. Check the tyre pressure from time to time to determine if you are able to maintain the correct pressure from time to time. You may be surprised that nitrogen has a big difference in fuel efficiency and tyre durability.

There is a lot of research that includes that done with high performance tyres in professional racing that says that when it comes to the inflation of tyres, nitrogen provides many benefits in the air. When drivers exchange air with nitrogen rich gas in the tyres, there are many improvements in fuel consumption, better handling, and better tire performance.

Sources

Nitrogen – Wikipedia

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