Nitrogen in tires

[DonandBonnie]

The dealer where I bought my truck swears by nitrogen in the tires. He puts it in every vehicle he sells. He claims that with nitrogen the tire pressure is not subject to variation with the changes in outside temperature. I told him that I was planning on using a pressure monitoring system. He says that isn't necessary with nitrogen filled tires.

Well, I'm going to keep my monitoring system, thank you. Just wondering if the stuff is so great, should I have it added to the Montana tires

[jimcol]

So from his comment one can deduce tires filled with nitrogen will never pick up a nail or develop a leaky valve stem. Air is free and he's selling nitrogen. Jim

[Slufoot733]

Ditto.
i have head there are advantages with Nitrogen but I don't think they justify the cost. Maybe if your racing in NASCAR it might but not for me.

[DonandBonnie]

He did not say that the stuff won't leak with road hazards or tire problems. All he said was that tire pressure won't fluctuate with temperature changes like air does, so if that's true, the regular seasonal pressure adjustments are unnecessary. The stuff is already in my truck tires, so I guess time will tell whether it's worth maintaining or adding to the Montana.

[brooksider]

Nitrogen may be alright if you keep your tires at a constant pressure but I change mine when I tow verses daily driver.Towing I use 75 - 80 psi and daily driver aroung 55 psi. Other wise they are over inflated and wear out the center tread. With this back and forth the nitrogen would become a mood point. Thats my take.
Joe

[CORattler]

I do get less fluctuation in TP with it but see no real advantage that I would pay for. I get my nitrogen filled for free.

[Tom S.]

I always use 78% nitrogen in our tires.

Besides, unless a tire dealer can hook up a vacuum to your tire/wheel to remove all the air before refilling with nitrogen, it's impossible to run pure nitrogen.

Does it work? Yes, kind of. Is it worth the hassle? Not IMHO.

[jimcol]

I don't have a dog in this fight and I'm not looking for an argument but according to your original post he said " I told him that I was planning on using a pressure monitoring system. He says that isn't necessary with nitrogen filled tires. " Jim

quote:Originally posted by DonandBonnie

He did not say that the stuff won't leak with road hazards or tire problems. All he said was that tire pressure won't fluctuate with temperature changes like air does, so if that's true, the regular seasonal pressure adjustments are unnecessary. The stuff is already in my truck tires, so I guess time will tell whether it's worth maintaining or adding to the Montana.

[DonandBonnie]

I should have been clearer. He was talking about the need to monitor pressure fluctuations due to temperature.

[dieselguy]

I agree with Tom S ... unless they pull a vaccuum on the tires before filling with nitrogen ... what do you really have other than a lighter wallet? I look at nitrogen fill similar to the new electric cars ... it's newly accepted technology, but the support base isn't near setup for adequate service. As the electric cars have few available charging stations ... so goes nitrogen fill with the same fault ... few places to get it. You may get them filled at the selling dealer, but "dollars to donuts", there won't be one for 50 miles when you have a low or flat tire. 78% is close enough for me.

[scattershot]

Let's see... free air, available anywhere, vs. purchased nitrogen, which you have to look for and has no real benefit, IMO. I'll stick with the free air, thanks. It's 78% nitrogen, anyway, as someone pointed out.

[pineranch]

Aircraft tires use nitrogen. Unless you are planning on getting airborne, stick with air.
Mike

[LonnieB]

quote:By Tom S.

I always use 78% nitrogen in our tires.

Besides, unless a tire dealer can hook up a vacuum to your tire/wheel to remove all the air before refilling with nitrogen, it's impossible to run pure nitrogen.

Does it work? Yes, kind of. Is it worth the hassle? Not IMHO.

Well said Tom. The nitrogen generators used by tire shops does have a purge function, but 98% nitrogen in the tire is about as good as it will get. Eventually the nitrogen fill will be offered free, but until it is, save your money.

[mlh]

The space shuttle used nitrogen but it got grounded. Unless your truck can really fly you save your time and money.
Lynwood

[racerjoe]

Okay, I will be one of the minority in this. I have been using nitrogen filled tires for the last 2-3 years in both vehicles. I have had no pressure differential issues in cold or warm weather. they stay at there set pressures. If you can get them filled at the right price,cheap or free I would use it.

[jimr]

I have nitrogen in my trailer tires and I saw 10 psi pressure changes as a result of temp and elevation. Advantages of nitrogen are less or no moisture and oxygen. Results in less oxidation and a more stable pressure since only one molecule with a constant expansion caused by heat. These may be worth considering in critical applications but not sure the advantages are worth the trouble for our application. Aircraft use nitrogen so no moisture which would freeze at high altitude and to keep an inert atmosphere in the tire. Oxygen supports combustion so an inert gas eliminates the potential for fire. My opinion only

[Art-n-Marge]

My BIL is using nitrogen and he gets it for free and never has to mess with tire pressure. But I can't seem to find it for free where I live. Until then, I check PSI frequently and make sure my truck does not fly. I also don't live in very cold climate and don't have to worry about frozen tires from the naturally occurring condensation with air.

No doubt there's benefits to nitrogen but until it's plentiful and cheap I'll be doing things the old fashioned way.

[stiles watson]

Save your money for something that will really help like LED bulbs.

[snowhawk2]

I have used nitrogen in both my fivers and tow vehicles. A lot of good points made here. My experience has been that the tire pressure stayed very consistent during temperature variations and required little maintenece. Another benefit is that the tires run cooler with nitrogen which has its advantages when towing heavy weights during the hot summer days. The downside is that should I have had any issues with my tires that require them to be pumped up, 99 times out of 100 they will see air, not nitrogen because it is not all that available. Right now I'm running nitrogen in my G614s and air in my dually. Will not run nitrogen in my dually because of tire rotation breakdown and I change tire pressure when I tow. Too much of a hassle so only the fiver get's nitrogen. I also get the nitrogen for free because I buy all of my tires from the same place so they add it for free.

[snowhawk2]

quote:Originally posted by snowhawk2

I have used nitrogen in both my fivers and tow vehicles. A lot of good points made here. My experience has been that the tire pressure stayed very consistent during temperature variations and required little maintenece. Another benefit is that the tires run cooler with nitrogen which has its advantages when towing heavy weights during the hot summer days. The downside is that should I have had any issues with my tires that require them to be pumped up, 99 times out of 100 they will see air, not nitrogen because it is not all that available. Right now I'm running nitrogen in my G614s and air in my dually. Will not run nitrogen in my dually because of tire rotation breakdown and I change tire pressure when I tow. Too much of a hassle so only the fiver get's nitrogen. I also get the nitrogen for free because I buy all of my tires from the same place so they add it for free.