 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Lexus Cars / December 2007Nitrogen in tires?
What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it here for about $40 > What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it > here for about $40 There was a recent post regarding this subject. Nitrogen is used in high performance applications like in some race cars and aircraft because it contains less moisture than ambient air and so there is less pressure differentiation and corrosion; the nitrogen itself causes less pressure differentials due to temperature, and it supposedly leaks more slowly. As a practical matter, there is probably little difference between ambient air and nitrogen for passenger car tires, especially if the ambient air is run through a drier before being discharged from the compressor. Bottom line, save your money.  SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > run through a drier before being discharged from the compressor. Bottom > line, save your money. Ray: A friend of mine fell for this scam at a Cosco store recently, because they told him the big advantage of nitrogen was that it did not expand like air when it got hot, so the air pressure in his tires would stay stable. The more I thought about this the worse it sounded. Car manufacturers recommend a specific cold PSI number for their tires, knowing that they are going to heat up under normal driving conditions. If you use nitrogen, then aren't you essentially driving on underinflated tires all the time? >>> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >>> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > are going to heat up under normal driving conditions. If you use nitrogen, > then aren't you essentially driving on underinflated tires all the time? Good point. The answer is probably, yes, unless whoever is filling the tires knows to increase the pressure. I am a believer in adding 4 to 6 PSI to the automaker's recommended cold tire pressure to even out tire wear. I've found that the outside tread will wear more quickly using the automaker's recommended tire pressure, and adding the 4 to 6 PSI evens tread wear, at the cost of a slightly harsher ride. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >>>> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >>>> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > automaker's recommended tire pressure, and adding the 4 to 6 PSI evens > tread wear, at the cost of a slightly harsher ride. I do the same thing, for the same reasons. I don't really feel that the ride is that much harder. Four extra PSI on the right, five extra PSI on the left. (I enjoy my beer and BBQ, and I carry the results with me every where I go!) SignatureCopper Emeritus Golf is not a matter of Life or Death, it is MUCH more important than that! >> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > a practical matter, there is probably little difference between ambient > air and nitrogen for passenger car tires... The last 3 cars I've owned (1997 ES 300, 1987 Acura Legend Coupe and 1983 Pontiac Firebird) all suffered from slow tire leaks after about 3 to 5 years. I repeatedly had to get the rims sanded to stop these leaks, but in all cases, I was told that eventually the rims would have to be replaced. In fact, the prospect of replacing the rims probably motivated me to sell these cars sooner than I would have otherwise. I live in the snowbelt and, on these 3 cars, I religiously kept the tires filled with air at 32/33 PSI. Also, I keep my cars for 5 to 10 years. I wonder if this frequent checking/filling introduced moisture which accelrated rim corrosion. > ...especially if the ambient air is run through a drier before being > discharged from the compressor. Where do you find that? I don't know anywhere that's available. > Bottom line, save your money. On my current car (2004 ES 330), I rarely check/fill the tires. From past experience, I figure that the more often you fill them (with regular "moist" air) the more often you'll have to fill them, due to accelerated rim corrosion. >>> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >>> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > replaced. In fact, the prospect of replacing the rims probably motivated > me to sell these cars sooner than I would have otherwise. Sanding the rims exposes bare metal to moisture, so a clear coat of lacquer should be applied after sanding, or the problem will continue to appear. Cast alloy wheels are porous and so the wheel manufacturer paints the inside surface of the wheel with a clear coating which is removed when sanding. > I live in the snowbelt and, on these 3 cars, I religiously kept the tires > filled with air at 32/33 PSI. Also, I keep my cars for 5 to 10 years. I > wonder if this frequent checking/filling introduced moisture which > accelrated rim corrosion. Possibly, especially if you fill from a compressor with a tank. >> ...especially if the ambient air is run through a drier before being >> discharged from the compressor. > > Where do you find that? I don't know anywhere that's available. Many, but not all, dealer service facilities use a drier on compressor discharge air. My unscientific wild guess is that driers are less common at at quick lube and independent service facilities. Basically, a drier chilles the air so that moisture condenses out like a de-humidifier. Removing the moisture from the air will prolong air tool life, and a side benefit is that it will reduce the amount of moisture introduced into tires. Moisture will condense in the bottom of compressor tanks, and the tanks should be drained daily to reduce the amount of moisture in the discharge air. I'll admit that I only drain the tank on my compressor two or three times a year, when I notice moisture coming from the exhaust ports on my air tools. I have a moisture separator/filter on my home compressor but it does not do an effective job at removing moisture. My guess is that those inexpensive tire pumps that plug into 12 volt or 110 volt outlets introduce less moisture into tires than a compressor does because it is not holding a large volume of air. Those pumps take a long time, so I just use my compressor. >> Bottom line, save your money. > > On my current car (2004 ES 330), I rarely check/fill the tires. From past > experience, I figure that the more often you fill them (with regular > "moist" air) the more often you'll have to fill them, due to accelerated > rim corrosion. The next time you have a leak due to a porous alloy wheel or corrosion on the wheel rim, have the service facility paint the corroded areas, the places they sanded, and the entire rim with a generous coating of bead sealer before installing the tire. The black goop does a pretty good job of slowing down re-occurrences. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >> The last 3 cars I've owned (1997 ES 300, 1987 Acura Legend Coupe and 1983 >> Pontiac Firebird) all suffered from slow tire leaks after about 3 to 5 [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Possibly, especially if you fill from a compressor with a tank. Yeah, that's what most gas stations have. I used to fill my tires at gas stations all the time. Not anymore. >>> ...especially if the ambient air is run through a drier before being >>> discharged from the compressor. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Many, but not all, dealer service facilities use a drier on compressor > discharge air. I asked one of the service reps at my Lexus dealer and he didn't even know what I was talking about. They may have a drier on their compressor, but the rep doesn't know about it. But then, who knows when was the last time they drained the unit? > My unscientific wild guess is that driers are less common at at quick > lube and independent service facilities. Basically, a drier chilles the [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > because it is not holding a large volume of air. Those pumps take a long > time, so I just use my compressor. I have one of those in my trunk. It's very slow. I should have paid another $10 or $20 and gotten the faster one. >>> Bottom line, save your money. >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > sealer before installing the tire. The black goop does a pretty good job > of slowing down re-occurrences. I've always had my rims sanded at a name brand tire dealer and they've always put on the black goop for sealing. Nonetheless, that stuff only lasts a year or 2 if I'm lucky. <snipped> >> Many, but not all, dealer service facilities use a drier on compressor >> discharge air. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the rep doesn't know about it. But then, who knows when was the last time > they drained the unit? Most Lexus dealers have very nice facilities and equipment, so I would imagine that they have a drier installed on their compressor. They may even have an automatic tank drain. The service manager would know what type of equipment they have and who is responsible for maintenance, probobably the team leader or shop foreman. >> My unscientific wild guess is that driers are less common at at quick >> lube and independent service facilities. Basically, a drier chilles the [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I have one of those in my trunk. It's very slow. I should have paid > another $10 or $20 and gotten the faster one. I've been thinking about getting one for long trips but have never gotten around to it. >>>> Bottom line, save your money. >>> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > always put on the black goop for sealing. Nonetheless, that stuff only > lasts a year or 2 if I'm lucky. I did not have success until I got them to coat the entire interior of the wheel with the bead sealer, and that worked for the life of the tire. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) Consumer Reports just reported on a study of "air", which is mostly nitrogen and nitrogen. They found that nitrogen alone leaked more slowly out of tires over a very long period, a year I think. The difference in psi loss was a couple of psi. Nothing huge and not worth paying to avoid since you should top off your tires monthly, anyway. If I paid somebody $40 to fill my tires with nitrogen, I would expect dinner afterwards and a phone call the next day. - nopcbs >> What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it >> here for about $40 [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > run through a drier before being discharged from the compressor. Bottom > line, save your money. I'm with you! And a kiss also. > Consumer Reports just reported on a study of "air", which is mostly > nitrogen and nitrogen. They found that nitrogen alone leaked more slowly [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> ambient air is run through a drier before being discharged from the >> compressor. Bottom line, save your money. >What was the advantage of nitrogen in tires. I see where they offer it here >for about $40 In automotive applications it makes a lot of profit for the seller. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.