etsnet

iTrader: (2)

Anyone ever try this? I took my car in today and they just got a nitrogen machine to fill the tires. The guy was telling me a little about it but what do you guys/gals think of this for say the track or just everyday driving? Oh yeah, it cost a one time fee of $40 to fill the tires.

SiknesS

i dunno man... if that doesnt make the tires into super slicks... then why do it??? just put in air for 25cents.
but on a side note... i never heard of nitrogen being filled up into the tire for performance.

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

Nitrogen is used in race tires because it is far less susceptible to changes in pressure as a result of changes in temperature. Nitrogen is more stable. In racing, we use it purely for performance.

For instance, in our race tires, a hot tire will increase as much as 12-15psi on normal atmospheric air, and grow as much as 3-5% in overall size. The same tire, filled with nitrogen, will only increase pressure 3-5psi, and grow around 1% overall.

Almost a necessity when you need to drive fast for long periods of time. As for street use... eh, dunno.

honey0bucket

i was curious about that too....good explination dr_isotope...

heyitznosaj

IMO its not worth the money for most of us.

etsnet

iTrader: (2)

One of the things they were saying about it was it could improve gas milage. If that's the case then great cuz gas just hit $2.98 a gallon here.

calpolyscion

as well as being more stable than your regular gas station air, nitrogen molecules are also larger and more rigid meaning that it should in theory leak less. Sounds like most of you guys are pro's, but when i've gotten new tires from Costco, they've begun using a blend of nitrogen and cap their tires with green colored caps. There is no harm in mixing in your typical oxygen however. Cheers-

exige

hey...i'm big on this.....there's a place here in cincinnati called tire discounters....they sell more tires than pretty much anyone else in the city, and they do good work. they're a chain through the ohio valley area. they ONLY use nitrogen to fill the tires. i recommend it. it's in mine right now, and it's a lot more consistent than just plain air.....check out their page on it here: http://tirediscounters.com/nitrogen.html ...i just went up and re-read your post though.....tell the guy who wants to charge you $40 bucks that you'll pay him forty bucks to have him let you stick the nitrogen tube up his a$$ and inflate him till he bursts like a balloon...that's biggest rip off i've ever heard off.....i vote air for 25 cents

etsnet

iTrader: (2)

It was probably $40 cuz it's the dealer. They got this new guy that talked them into getting the machine and he was a total scum bag, worst then a used car salesman. I was just checking my bill for my 15K service and he charged me $188 and I looked up the cost of the 15K service and it's $44. He gave me what they call the MAX 15K service and didn't let me know that this was anything extra or different. Anyway, I don't think I'll be paying $40 extra for nitrogen in my tires anytime soon or at least not at the dealer.

FLINT

INTERESTING. so what would helium do? lighter is faster right?

coon9573

Helium will make your tires lose even more pressure quicker. Helium gas forms in small molecules and are notorious for finding their way through the moleculare structures of other compunds, i.e. leak. Helium is actually used to leak check fluid systems by pressurizeing them with helium then using a highly sensitive device, a mass spectrometer, that can measure helium concentrations in the atmosphere. It's insane how low of a concentration can be detected to, you can usually find leaks/permeation at 10^-7 scch.

tcaddict

Wow, that stuff is intense!! LOL

ZlineDavid

Ahhh, Tire Discounters....the home of crappy tires and marketing ploys. I absolutely love it when the average everyday driver makes a big deal out of nitrogen inflation. Is there scientific basis to the claims that are made about nitrogen inflation? Absolutely 100% no doubt. Is it enough for the average driver to care about? Of course not.

Unless you're on a race course or piloting the space shuttle, normal atmospheric air (which is over 70% nitrogen to begin with) is more than adequete. Yes, nitrogen atoms are larger than oxygen atoms, therefore they will seep out less. Yes, nitrogen is a more stable gas than oxygen and reacts less to temperature changes. Once again, scientific truth? Yes. Overkill for most? Yes.

exige

Although i disagree with your statement that they do crappy work, i agree that normal air is adequate. I take it you had a bad experience there?

betaomega369

Nitrogen is also used in performance cars, i.e. NASCAR, because there is no moisture put into the tire when filled via nitrogen tank. Water likes to build up in compressed air hoses and is vaporized and shot into tires when filled this way. When you are driving at high rates of speed, the heat applied to the tire causes the moisture to evaporate inside of the tire, increasing tire pressure, and possibly leading to problems. This also means that your tire pressure can vary from day to day based on temperature and relative humidity.

However, since none of us are taking corners at 130+ MPH, it's not gonna to matter a whole lot.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question594.htm

susano705

Dunn Tire up in Buffalo is doing nitro fills now. Believe it or not my 78 year old mom did it to her 99 Corollo on my uncle's advice. They charged her $5/tire to do it and she is getting about 3 miles to the gallon (combo) more than she did before. More on the highway. I was skeptical until she came to visit and I drove her from Central Connecticut to the North Shore of MA. Man, I was starting to think the gas gauge was broken cuz it didn't move for the longest time!!!!!!!! If I could find a place to do it Connecticut, I'd give it a try. I don't want to give those bottom feeding vultures at the oil companies one more red cent than I have to!

hawaiiguy

FWIW, The local bus transit company for the entire island of Oahu had instituted using nitrogen for their bus tires last year.

azurTC

Nitrogen is used in fighter aircraft tires also, but to the tune of 150PSI. I'm sure that the commercial airliners are using it also.

DVC,
Joe

_-Dark-_-Scion-_

Very nice. Still looking into this. On a side note... I had to do this. +5Hp

MIJINION

Yeah it works out great. I have had it in my tc for the past week. The ride is smoother not a great deal of change. I have had cadillac owners tell me that it's great with large rims and their low profile tires.