When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
One of my best ever buys was a compressor and a tire inflator.
No more hunting down a gas station with a working air pump, feeding it quarters, unable to read the gauge or realizing that it hasn't been calibrated in years and is only vaguely right.
Now I can do all the cars in the comfort of my own garage. One of those little things you buy and wonder why on earth you didn't do it before. If you already have a compressor - get one of these!!
Does this allow you to set a number and pump the tire up to that level? I saw them using something similar in the tire store. Love to know the part number. Thanks.
One of my best ever buys was a compressor and a tire inflator.
No more hunting down a gas station with a working air pump, feeding it quarters, unable to read the gauge or realizing that it hasn't been calibrated in years and is only vaguely right.
Now I can do all the cars in the comfort of my own garage. One of those little things you buy and wonder why on earth you didn't do it before. If you already have a compressor - get one of these!!
Does your compressor have a dryer on it? Does it just take the humid ambient air, and shove it in your tires? The problem is, you really want the driest air possible, so you get the least thermal expansion inside, and a tighter range between the cold setting and after you've put some heat into the rubber.
So air is 78% nitrogen, 21 oxygen....rest is CO2 and miscellaneous gases. The benefit is a more constant pressure, no moisture/oxygen inside which means less chances of rusting the rims and less chance of tire rotting/damage. Now lets get real....the tire is constantly exposed to the elements....water, heat, oxygen ... from the outside. Do you think your tires are going to get damaged from the inside or the outside? Have you ever had anyone tell you that your tires where damaged from the inside and you should use 100% nitrogen in the future? Do you really think that the minimal expansion/contraction in tire pressure from air vs nitrogen is going to make a difference in you mpg or tire longevity?
If you are race driver and need perfect tire conditions at all times.....or landing a 747 ( do not want your tires to catch fire or have a blow out as your landing.)...it makes sense. But for the rest of us.....it is another way of someone making money off ignorant drivers.
IMHO
Abe
Does it just take the humid ambient air, and shove it in your tires?
yes but not 1:1. A compressor sucks in a lot of air that it compresses, and as you are highlighting it is also sucking in water. The air gets compressed but the water does not, and at the same time the air is heating which gives it the ability to carry more moisture... but then it cools and hits a dewpoint inside the tank which condenses the water and traps it. My 60-gallon compressor always surprises me by how much water will get caught and released in the valve at the bottom of the tank. The air then expands as it used and by default, it is dryer than ambient air because you have trapped and released it in the tank. If I lived in a humid area I would have a dryer but my relative humidity is pretty mild and I have never had a problem with moisture in my lines or tools... and I shoot a lot of woodworking finishes that are sensitive to moisture.
Which makes me wonder if the ambient air that is present when a tire is installed is introducing more water than the compressed air? An interesting experiment would be to mount a tire in a vacuum chamber, a second with compressed air and no dryer, a third with compressed w/dyer, and a 4th with nitrogen. Measure the moisture with a sensor inside each tire to see which has more moisture. Aside from being intellectually interesting, not much utility to be had IMO.
Does your compressor have a dryer on it? Does it just take the humid ambient air, and shove it in your tires? The problem is, you really want the driest air possible, so you get the least thermal expansion inside, and a tighter range between the cold setting and after you've put some heat into the rubber.
It doesn't, but to be honest I am not sure many gas station air pumps do either, so I don't think I am in a worse situation (and adjusting pressures is so easy with the set up I have)
Nitrogen does not expand or contract with temperature fluctuations as much regular air. Top off at Costco for free, when / as needed.
Not true. It's just that, in general, nitrogen is dispensed in a way that it's more dry (less humid) vs ambient air. Remember PV=nRT from high school science class.
Nitrogen does not expand or contract with temperature fluctuations as much regular air. Top off at Costco for free, when / as needed.
Thank you. There were some interesting opinions earlier in the thread.
Posted by Eagle1960 - Nitrogen is beneficial in aircraft and race cars where fire is a major hazard and you don't want pressurized vessels containing any amount of oxygen close by.
Not picking on you, but - you’re confusing Oxygen with air. The former is a fire hazard and the latter isn’t. That’s why the world doesn’t burst into flames when you light a match. Compressed or not. Aircraft tires are filled with Nitrogen because it’s stable at a large range of temperatures. The tires can be subjected to ranges of -58F through to greater than 120F. The brake temps can exceed 800F, and they’re obviously adjacent to the tires. So temperature stability is important.
My last 991 seemed to alarm the TPMS when the OAT dropped. I put Nitrogen in, and it stabilized the Px. On the other hand, my current 991 doesn’t have Nitrogen, and it’s been fine.
It doesn't, but to be honest I am not sure many gas station air pumps do either, so I don't think I am in a worse situation (and adjusting pressures is so easy with the set up I have)
Very true, especially those quarter operated units. Jnolan's response above is very good, and explains the difference between a standard old compressor and a well maintained unit. Luckily, a local gas station and repair shop very close to my home has a really nice air hose set-up for customers. And free. He gets a lot of my fueling business.
Not true. It's just that, in general, nitrogen is dispensed in a way that it's more dry (less humid) vs ambient air. Remember PV=nRT from high school science class.
Eh. I award points to both You’re correct with regard to the water. Nitrogen is dry. It also permeates (leaks) at a slower rate than Oxygen and water vapor.
good gosh I just started this thread to see if the green caps meant nitrogen.
Not to start a technical discussion on the merits of using nitrogen or not. LOL
I am personally aware of its properties. Lots of info presented in this thread!
05-21-2018, 10:33 PM
