RyeThomas

Anyone tried it?makes sense but if you need a top off very few places have it. But with the price of tires if it helps it may be worth the inconvenience. Any thoughts?

LGarrison

It's worth the inconvenience, nitrogen extend my mileage about 40%. I run Michelin LTX MS year round. They are rated at 50,000 miles I get about 95,000 per set. If you have a flat or a leaking tire just top it off with air until you get to where you buy the tires from. I buy from Discount Tire in Hayden ID. Costco also runs nitrogen, both are free.

FLYH2O

How and why would Nitrogen extend your milage?

The air I use is 80% Nitrogen so an extra 20% is going to make that much of a change? I don't get it?

Hillcountry

Race cars use it because the pressure changes less with temperature although it still changes...the molecular consistency makes it more predictable. With huge tires like what we have on our trucks, I can't see it making much of a difference. No oxygen on the inside would decrease the rot process...but there is oxygen on the outside anyway.

I had a set of All Terrain TA/KO's last 85,000 miles. Finally they came apart from the rot, but it was on the outside. I still had usable tread. But they were old and toast.

I don't see it making much of a difference but as always...I could be wrong.

As FLYH2O says...air is mostly nitrogen anyway.

SpeedyWS6

If you check your tire pressure on a regular basis you will get just as much life out of the tire as with nitrogen. But yes over the life of the tire the nitrogen will stay at a more constant pressure if you never check your pressures.

cdennyb

I've had tires on my trailers that were there for YEARS and when I put new tires on the inside looked new, the outside, rotted. So, where's the ROT FACTOR now? Unless you have an Indy car, millions of bucks on the line, trying to screw with the competitions mind by running the 'magic gas' in your tires, making them convert and do the same just because you do, then forget about it. Keep your compressed air clean and oil free and use it.
As far as we're concerned as a family of diesel owners, it's "snake oil".

AH64ID

Nitrogen is a larger molecule, so when the tire is 100% nitrogen you don't get the 20% air leaking out. It also, as noted, is more temperature stable.

My rigs all have tires from Costco, and they only use nitrogen... I have noticed 0 difference on my wifes rig in terms of tire life.. Thou I have noticed they never need topped off...

On my truck I change air pressure at home enough that the pure nitrogen %age decreases... but my plan is to drop to 30psi in the parking lot before rotations and have them bump the pressure back to 70 with nitrogen...

I could only see nitrogen effecting tread life if you NEVER check pressure.

cbrahs

i tried it in the 40" Iroks I was running. with air out of my compressor I would lose 2-3psi a month. switched to nitrogen and the psi was stable for months at a time. Aircraft use it and in the racing world due to nitrogen not collecting moisture and more resistant to psi changes with temp variations.

soulezoo

Nitrogen is used primarily for its ability to be more stable at different temperatures and is "dry" (no moisture). I work with it on the flightline as it is what is used in aircraft tires, struts, accumulators or anywhere else compressed air would otherwise be used.

For our uses, it has little measurable benefit.

purduepurdy

http://ahotcupofjoe.wordpress.com/20...-tires-a-scam/

Some interesting info in there. Have never had issues with regular air in my tires, seems to have been working for the past 100? years or so since they invented tires. I could see the reason for it in racing where you are running 200mph and the 1 psi can change the characteristics of the car. Check your tire pressure occasionally and you will be fine, especially before trips and towing.

How are they getting the air? In tanks or a compressor with some filter? We run regular compressed air in our paintball guns. 78% nitrogen, close enough.

RyeThomas

I am just trying to get an idea from people that have used it and if it helps tread life. In theory it seems to make sense that a tire with more constant pressure may lead to a small increase in tread life. A set of tires for $1000+/- vrs $39.99 to have all 4 filled with nitrogen, if it actually gave you an increase would make sense to me. Thats all. Thanks AH64ID looks like you have a real comparison with the wifes truck and if its not doing anything I will keep the $39.99 for the kids college fund .

AH64ID

If it didn't come standard at Costco I wouldn't pay for it.

.boB

Pure Nitrogen has two charectoristics that supposedly make it "better" than atmospheric air.

1. The larger molecule takes longer to get through the rubber and seals, so pressures tend to be more consistant over time.

2. It's a dry gas, and is pretty temp stable. Tire pressure will not increase much with an increase in temps. In a race car, this is a good thing. Tire pressures on the track are critical to consistant handeling from the first lap to the last.

This is not a good thing on a street car/truck. Your tire manufacturer knows that as the tire gets hot, the temps increase. That's part of the design. When you check the temps cold and set them at 50psi, when you're driving down the highway in Phoenix the tire pressure will rise. And that's a good thing. But with Nitrogen, that doesn't happen. And that's a bad thing.

This is generally not a problem, because shops don't fill the tire with pure Nitrogen. That space is already filled with atmospheric gas, which is "only" 78% Nitrogen. They don't purge that space, just top it off. So you don't really have 100% nitrogen and it's not completly dry. 60psi is about 4 atmosphers. You can do the math and see what your Nitrogen percentage is.

IMO, it's a huge waste of money. If I got new tires and they put in Nitrogen, I'd leave it there, it won't hurt anything. But I certainly wouldn't pay for it, or make it a point to use only Nitrogen when I wanted to increase the pressure.

I am considering using it in my race tires, though. That would be an interesting experiment.

Dr.Dizzle

Each of my vehicles, including my wifes have Michelin and BFG tires from Costco filled with nitrogen. I have them rotated at the recommended intervals and I too have noticed no difference in tire life. Albeit I check the pressures on a regular basis, they never require additional nitrogen. The pressure in my wifes tires have remained spot on for 2 years and 5 months.

200cs

I use it in my motorcycle because I get it free at work (aviation). I havent bothered using it in my trucks as I do not feel it is necessary. It is however much more stable than compressed atmosphric air and that has advantages. I would not pay for it but since it is free I use it.