New cars nitrogen in tires?
My 2018 C2S came with green tire valve caps. Does that indicate they come filled from the factory with Nitrogen? |
Probably. What did the dealer charge you for the nitro fill?
The key is dry air. Normal air is still +78% nitrogen. |
I’m just a little suspicious about the supposed benefits of having nitrogen inflated tyres. As Lex says above, nearly 4/5 of the content of air is nitrogen anyway.
If oxygen diffused/leaked out at a significantly greater rate, then after the first couple of times you pump your tyres up, it should be mostly nitrogen left, no? The only real effect I can think of is that if there isn’t any oxygen there, it can’t react with the tyre or rim (perish or corrode). |
And unless you are willing to go to dealer or tire facility for top off with nitrogen for any needed adjustments, any air you use at home to top it off sort of defeats the purpose of using nitrogen.
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Originally Posted by LexVan
(Post 15022530)
Probably. What did the dealer charge you for the nitro fill?
The key is dry air. Normal air is still +78% nitrogen. Don’t really feel the need to have nitrogen in there as no car I have ever driven has had that. Mainly was just asking out of curiosity about the green caps. |
The green valve caps mean nitrogen. Most likely, the dealer “topped off” your already inflated tires with nitrogen when prepping the car for delivery. I think it’s highly unlikely they bled your tires empty and refilled them completely with 100% nitrogen. Either way, it’s far from necessary that you do future fill ups with nitrogen. Compressed air is just fine and available (for free) lots of places. |
Race teams use Nitrogen as the pressure stay more stable with heat in the tire.
For a street car the ONLY benefit to a Nitrogen fill is if you are storing the tires and wheels for a long period of time, prevents internal dry rot. |
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 |
One argument in favor of nitrogen is its larger molecule size which allows for much longer periods between top-offs. The smaller molecule size of compressed air leaks through the rubber a lot more than nitrogen.
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When I saw the $200 charge for Nitrogen on my bill I said No thanks. Pretty sure they gave it to me anyways. My caps are blue though, and have an N on them.
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If you use helium instead of nitrogen, does it makes your wheels 0.1% lighter? ;)
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I use run flats without any air at all - saves weight...
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Originally Posted by abe
(Post 15022936)
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 |
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!! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0d2856d9d6.jpg |
Originally Posted by abe
(Post 15022936)
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 |
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