Nitrogen in Tires?

[n5pht]

Hello. Been thinking about nitrogen in 5er tires? I quickly switched out the China Bomb tires (after a blow out) with Goodrich Light Truck tires and happy with that choice. However, I love dealing with "Discount Tire" and they treat us very well around the country but they don't seem to be fans of nitrogen in tires instead of plain air.

Is it worth the effort to switch to Nitrogen in 5er tires? When I do some research the plus seems to be: more stable air pressure and cooler running. Both of those would be a plus for RV use. I think some RV manufactures do use nitrogen but not sure.

My F-250 Diesel came with nitrogen (green stems) and I think that is common on diesel rigs but don't know how common on 5ers.

Thoughts?

[road dogs]

A couple of years ago, I was traveling cross country pulling a 5th wheel and had nitrogen filled tires on my TV. I stopped in Colorado to service my truck and have the tires rotated and asked the GM dealership to rebalance the tire pressures since I usually run 65 in front and 75 in rear when towing. The refused to add air, claiming it would cause a reaction mixing air with N2 and could cause tire failure. Not sure I believe that, since our air is about 80% N2, but luckily I had my own on board compressor. I now just use plain ol' free air and never had any problems wit air loss, instability, etc. I think it's a waste of money unless you're racing or something, it really limits your ability to find a place to fill/adjust your tires if needed. Just my $0.02USD.

[CampDaven]

If you search on "nitrogen" as the thread title, you will get a lot of information.

My guess is that it may not be as beneficial as the advertisements profess.

[nosticks]

It's a gimmick for road use tires. I'm sure someone will tell you aircraft use nitrogen in their tires. So what. You are not going to go through the rapid pressure and temperature changes in which aircraft operate. As to whomever said mixing air with nitrogen would cause a reaction needs to go back to high school chemistry class. But here's the question you can answer for yourself, how do you intend to maintain your nitrogen fill out on the road. A nitrogen bottle, regulator, and lines I guess.

[jmckinley]

Save your money, this is just hype designed to increase profits.

I guarantee you won't find any tire manufacturer who will say it is a good thing. They just say it won't hurt anything.

[toneumanns]

Ran a aircraft tire shop for years. No nitrogen used, just dry air.

[Barefoot68]

Our 5 er came with nitrogen Columbus also run in my truck. You can top off with sir if needed. Tires will run cooler and pressure will not change when outside temps change. Above all it still ces back to personal preference.

[CampDaven]

The chemistry of Air is 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 2% other stuff.

If you fill a tire with nitrogen without totally vacuuming out all of the air, the final chemistry is pretty close to .... air.

[sirpurrcival]

Nitrogen is a noble gas, it doesn't combine with anything at the molecular level (unless you have some very expensive equipment). You can most certainly put air into a nitrogen filled tire. Not sure it is worth the money for tires that get used seldom. Referencing, toneumann's post above re: aircraft tires was the notation of "dry" air. Humidity can cause corrosion inside a tire rim around the bead. Nitrogen has none of that. It is less reactive to temperature changes as well which if you are doing a lot of driving through rapidly different temp zones can mean a little less worry about how the pressures are affected in different zones. In the RV world, where rubber ages out long before a tire wears out, it probably isn't worth the investment. Especially when you do need to top up, chances are you aren't going to have a handy source of N2 near by.

[Denniscw]

The air that is in your tires is 70% nitrogen.

[Theberrys]

If you don't check the pressure in your tires very often then Nitrogen will help. It will leak out a lot slower than Oxygen. The pressure in your tires will change less with heat with 93 to 95 percent Nitrogen, but we are only talking about 1 to 2 pounds of pressure difference. Above 95 percent isn't useful in fact over 95 percent will allow Oxygen to leak in your tires.

If you do maintain the pressure in your tires than about the only gain with Nitrogen is, your rims will not rust as much and last longer. A rather minor gain.

The down side has already been mentioned. Where do you get it on the road? But theoretically you won't need it on the road very often. If you full time this problem will come up about every six months to a year.

Dick

[n5pht]

Thanks for the replies - kinda what I determined. I will keep good ol' God given air!

[KSCRUDE]

Originally Posted by Theberrys

If you don't check the pressure in your tires very often then Nitrogen will help. It will leak out a lot slower than Oxygen. The pressure in your tires will change less with heat with 93 to 95 percent Nitrogen, but we are only talking about 1 to 2 pounds of pressure difference. Above 95 percent isn't useful in fact over 95 percent will allow Oxygen to leak in your tires.

If you do maintain the pressure in your tires than about the only gain with Nitrogen is, your rims will not rust as much and last longer. A rather minor gain.

The down side has already been mentioned. Where do you get it on the road? But theoretically you won't need it on the road very often. If you full time this problem will come up about every six months to a year.

Dick

There is no down side to nitrogen other then the crooks like to charge you for it. It is a more stable gas then our oxygen nitrogen mix we are blessed with for free. I have had it in several new Fords and it does not loose pressure in cold weather like air does. But when I check them at home, I just add god given air and everything is fine. But they don't usually need as much air as the lowly free air tires do. Don't tell them in DC that's it free air as they will put more tax on it then they already have, and give it to those who won't work and get it for themselves. It's the new American way.

[wandering1]

Green stems have nothing to do with diesel rigs. Nitrogen is a good way to get your money. Its not worth what they charge for it.