Nitrogen instead of air in tires

[frankdamp]

It's your money. If you want to fritter it away on something that is of no benefit, that's your choice.

Based on an investigation I did into aircraft tire bursts when I was at Boeing, you only "need" nitrogen if your RV can accelerate to 150 mph in 1.5 miles, with a dragging brake and then you fold the wheels up into an enclosed box and take it up to 15,000 feet.

[SilverBob]

Chuck,

I'm just guessing here, but I'll bet you don't have a TPMS on board your rig. If you did, you'd see right on the screen that your pressure will increase about 1 psi for every 10 degree (F) increase in tire temp. That's going to happen, no matter what you fill your tires with.

You probably don't believe me, which is good. After all, I'm just some guy in the internet who you've never met, so I don't blame you! However, here are a few sites you can check out that will back up my claims. If you find any that disagree, I'd like to see them, as well.

Cheers!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=191

Should You Fill Your Car's Tires With Nitrogen?

http://www.cartalk.com/blogs/tom-ray...n-filled-tires

[NHRA225]

Nope no- TPMS. I use a Digital Gage and check all 10 tires before each trip- That would be Motorhome and Trailer.
Thanks for the enlightening info and I enjoy you sense of Humor's !
Money $- 26 bucks a year to fill my 30 tank isn't a whole lot of Dough and that's mostly for the Race Car Slicks as they will vary a little because of their size, not more than 1 lb though.
Enough of the Nitrogen chat- I'm dealing with 4 year old Michelin Tire Cracks- what a PIA.
By the Way My Old Eagle can go from 0 to 60 in 14 seconds and that's down an On Ramp to the Interstate.

Happy Trails

[SilverBob]

Originally Posted by NHRA225

.........Thanks for the enlightening info and I enjoy you sense of Humor's !

My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoy my humor. You'd be surprised how many folks don't (You should see the email I get!)

Originally Posted by NHRA225

.........Enough of the Nitrogen chat- I'm dealing with 4 year old Michelin Tire Cracks- what a PIA.

Yeah, I wish I had the solution to that issue! I'd have a LOT of new friends here on IRV2!

Safe travels!

[NHRA225]

New tires! Not Michelins


Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

[schrederman]

When someone can come up with a way that a tire can be filled with 100% nitrogen, I'll bite... There is no practical way that a tire can contain 100% nitrogen. The installers can not draw all the air out to a complete vacuum and keep it on the wheel. The only other way would be to mount them in a pure nitrogen atmosphere... and you won't find that at the local Pep Boys.... it's a scam.

[BrianGlenn]

Originally Posted by schrederman

When someone can come up with a way that a tire can be filled with 100% nitrogen, I'll bite... There is no practical way that a tire can contain 100% nitrogen. The installers can not draw all the air out to a complete vacuum and keep it on the wheel. The only other way would be to mount them in a pure nitrogen atmosphere... and you won't find that at the local Pep Boys.... it's a scam.

Good catch, not many people pick up on that nuance. My tire shop installer uses compressed pure N2 in the valve stem to sweep the tire with N2 prior to setting the bead (similar to a high volume flush). He "feels" it displaces atmospheric air out of the tire before setting the bead.

Saw him do this once and asked him the "what for?" Not sure I completely agree and certainly wouldn't say for 100% certainty it accomplishes the intent.

I'd be curious to watch the NASCAR guys set tires, or the airplane ones for that matter.

Brian

[Steveo57]

pV=nRT no matter what your tire guy says....

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Main reason nitrogen used in aircraft tires and struts is (as mentioned) no water vapor, but you can achieve the same thing by using a refrigerated air drier in you shop air. I had my tires replaced on my truck at Tire Discounters in Kentucky. I asked the mechanic what he thought. He said it was useless, and that their nitrogen generator (basically an oxygen generator that discarded the O2 instead of discarding the N2 along with the noble gases) had been broken for almost 6 months anyway. So he said the only difference you were getting was air from a hose marked nitrogen, and little green caps . . . . Not sure what to make of that. . .

[BrianGlenn]

Originally Posted by Steveo57

pV=nRT no matter what your tire guy says....

Actually it is pV=ZnRT; you forgot about compressibility factor, Z.

Water saturated air has a compressibility factor which varies in the conditions that can exist in a tire.

Dry nitrogen is more inert and the compressibility factor stays pretty constant (compared to water saturated air) in the conditions that can exist in a tire.

Nitrogen acts more like an ideal gas than water saturated air.

But I still maintain the pressure fluctuations in our tires is negligible to warrant paying for nitrogen.

My thoughts.
Brian

[Triker56]

Originally Posted by NHRA225

Gotta jump in here- as this subject comes up about every year.
I have Nitrogen in All of my tires, Cars, Truck , MH- and Race Car, Race Trailer.
Simple Reason ---- Pressure never varies in -10 to 80's when I head to Florida in Feb from Indiana. I carry a 30 size tank and reg on board just in case.
There are Pro's and cons to Nitrogen in tires, I think the Pro's out way the Con's.
It's just personal preference I like knowing that my 22.5's are the same all Day long.

I am really confused.
If they use nitrogen in the NASCAR race cars and the pressure never varies as you say.

Why do the announcers always say after a pit stop tire change.
That it will take a few laps for the driver to get the tire pressures up?

How does the driver do that? As those tires are usually sitting out in the open air whatever temperature it is Sun or cloudy before put on.

I guess they don't know what they are talking about. And should quit saying that.

[Skipper Tom]

Thanks all. This has been very educational. I think I'm going to stay with air. The other thing that bothered me, and wasn't mentioned yet, is where do you go if your on the road and need more nitrogen? Are there that many places you can go?

[deSanford]

Costco tire centers use nitrogen............FREE. Sanford

[twinboat]

I just had tires and wheel replaced, on my toad. It now has green air caps.

Does that mean they filled them with nitrogen?

I thought they were just fancy caps.