targagr

Has anyone done this? make sence?

whatyoutalknaboutwillis

At 35 pounds per tire that could be a huge savings! Oh. PSI....never mind.

FSCCA

I use hydrogen. Even lighter!

jscott82

I assume this is a joke, but just in case.... its unsprung mass (helium does not change that)... not weight ....

TheOtherEric

Get off the public roads and forfeit your driver's license right now. Oh wait, you're in Canada... nevermind.

Amfab

you could fill the passenger compartment with helium too, although when you were talking on the cellphone people may not recognize who you are

Mark in Baltimore

LOL at both posts.

targagr

Ive heard about helium and hydrogen and nitrogen being used and its been discussed briefly on this forum before so N0 it wasnt a joke...and sorry for posting a silly question according to a few of you, i really dont think theres a reason for the sarcasm or these smart remarks!!
hopefuly somebody else could chime in here...

ZombiePorsche44

I've used nitrogen in my race tires for years because I was told it doesn't heat at the same rate as air and allows for a more constant tire pressure.

Anyone else run nitrogen in their tires?

ZP44

targagr

Ive read that there must be absolutely no air in the tires in order for the nitrogen to work...

leosayer

Yes, 78%

Bob Rouleau

Helium under pressure adequate to inflate your tires to a normal pressure will weight as much as air - that's why some thought you were making a joke. NItrogen is a different story, it is normally dry (no humidity like air) and expands less with heat.

targagr

Thanks Bob...
makes sence.
someone had mentioned to me recently that there might be some weight savings here..i guess not..just doesnt heat as much and maintains tire pressure is all.
Thanks

jscott82

Every question is a dumb question for somebody.... No shame in asking what you don’t know…

So to be specific.. and I may get flamed on this as there seems to be a sentiment that there is some magic property to nitrogen that is special.... but here goes...

You are correct, most racers run nitrogen in their tires for two reasons...
1) Its bone dry
2) Its readily available (teams keep high pressure nitrogen for shocks and tools)

In my mind these are the only reasons to use something besides cheap old air…

A) On the street the cold and hot temperatures are very close, vs on the track where operating temp is around 200 degrees (98c).
B) I doubt a .25psi change in tire pressure is noticeable to most folks... do you even have a gauge that is accurate to .25psi?
C) High quality dried shop air is not that hard to come by, just not at the track... most shops use dried air to protect their tools from rust.

I don’t for a minute believe it has anything to do with the weight of the gas, or especially its ability to "lift"...

Just my 2 cents...

targagr

jscott82