Nitrogen in Tires

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by youroo

The (Nitrogen) comes up every year right after the (Daytona NASCAR Race)! Lots of Members go to the race and get the (Secret) info about the (Nitrogen) then try it for all kinds of reasons,(Speed above 65MPH, better handling out of turn 4,cooler brakes,more MPG,Ect.) The bottom line use (AIR)! Youroo!!

Plenty of it in this thread! Lol

TURBS

Think spring!
The last man standing also has a sharpie

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by Mtelkman

FYI, regular air is 78% nitrogen.



I had a talk with my dealer's service guy. He told me that he asked Forest River if, when mounting the tire new, they evacuate the existing air out of the tire and create a vacuum before filling with pure Nitrogen. The response was no. So they are adding Nitrogen to a tire already full of regular air. IMO, gimmick.

X2!!!

[lonewolf465]

Putting nitrogen in tires has always appeared to me to be a "transfer device'. It transfers my money to the tire dealer. 200 proof nitrogen vs. 156 proof isn't worth the price for my tires.

[SimchaSabre]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Our Silverback came with nitrogen in the tires and the first two years, including over winter storage, I never had to add air to the tires. I finally had to put a couple of pounds of air in each tire over this winter. If your RV came with nitrogen then enjoy the benefit of not having to air up the tires all the time.

X2... We will be starting our 3 season with the N2 filled tires and have not needed to add air yet. I don't know if the lower quality tires absorb less or if it is just a "mean free path" thing , but if I need to add tire pressure come spring, this chemist is going to use what ever comes out of my portable air compressor.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by SimchaSabre

but if I need to add tire pressure come spring, this chemist is going to use what ever comes out of my portable air compressor.

I will be copying that comment.

[F and E Damp]

You only need nitrogen if your RV can accelerate to 150 mph in 2 miles with a dragging brake and then tuck the wheels away in an enclosed box.

I did research, during my Boeing days, on in-flight bursts of landing gear tires. There were two or three a year and all were tires inflated with air. If a brake drags on take-off, then the gear is retracted, the heat from the brake is absorbed by the tire. One incident actually had a spontaneous combustion explosion. In that case, the wire cable in the tire bead failed in tension, We calculated that the instantaneous pressure from the explosion reached about 12,000 psi.

Don't waste your money - it's just another pseudo-high-tech rip-off.

[WrongWayRandall]

My cabin is often filled with methane - I wonder...

- R

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by grotto69

When we bought our FR3 they filled the tires with Nitrogen. Oh no, not another tire post...

Anyone know what the benefit of this is/was? They said smoother ride, I'm not convinced. Also, if I need to top off, can I put air in now, or do I have to stick with Nitrogen.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Grotto

Some of the claims for tire inflation with Nitrogen amount to MAGIC.

Personally, as a tire engineer I do not believe in magic.

Air is basically 78% N2 to start with so changing to 95% N2 is no big change. N2 changes pressure with temperature just not as much as wet air. I have a new Blog post scheduled 3/3 with the Engineering mathematical proof that refutes sales PR about the magic properties of N2.

Inflating tires with N2 is NOT bad. I just wish those selling the service didn't exaggerate the claims in an effort to justify the premium price they charge. If someone will do it for say $1 per tire than go for it. I have inert dry gas available in my workshop but I inflate my tires with air. I just make sure I have moisture trap on the compressor so I deliver dry air to the tire.

[Tireman9]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cucamelsmd15
Noooooooooooooooooooooooope.

PV = nRT

Cant defeat the laws of physics. And your rule of thumb actually applies to N2 filled tires. Air in tires will change about 2 psi per 10 degrees. Ive got, oh, a few gigs worth of data to back this up too.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=191

Overall, nitrogen isnt worth the hassle to put in your tires unless you really enjoy a lightened wallet, or youre using it for a critical application like race tires. Full disclosure, I do use it in my race tires and vacuum them prior to filling with nitrogen simply because it is more reliable and consistent when determining pressure climb in varying conditions. Otherwise, I dont bother with it in anything else.

I'm not sure I'm following you here. The Tire Rack article states the rule of thumb that tires inflated normally, will have a pressure change of ONE psi per 10 degrees of temperature change.......as copied below:

"Tires are typically inflated with air that’s a combination of roughly 78% nitrogen (N2), 21% oxygen (O2) and 1% miscellaneous gases. And since all gasses expand when heated and contract when cooled, tire inflation pressures rise and fall with changes in temperature by about one psi (pound per square inch) for every 10° Fahrenheit change in temperature. This is one of the reasons it’s recommended that tire pressures be checked early in the morning before ambient temperatures, the sun's radiant heat, or the heat generated by driving causes the tire pressure to rise."

Were you linking to the Tire Rack article to prove or disprove your statement of 2 psi per 10 degrees?


You are BOTH correct. The problem is you are not starting from the same assumption. The actual change is 2 PERCENT per 10 degrees F. Tire Rack is talking to passenger car guys who are running 36 psi in their tires so 2% is 0.72 psi rounding to 1 psi.

Load Range E RVs are starting from 80 psi so 2% is 1.6 psi rounding to 2 psi.

[dbarr]

I've worked the last 20 years in an air separation plant hauling industrial and medical gases. You would think that a company that produces N2 and has easy access to N2, would use it in the thousands upon thousands of tires in our operation but we don't. Waste of time.

[schrederman]

Originally Posted by WrongWayRandall

My cabin is often filled with methane - I wonder...

- R

Well............. I do believe you're aptly named.......