Trailer Tires and nitrogen fill - Thoughts

[wmtire]

I'm going straight to hydrogen. It's far lighter than air, and it is by far the most abundant element in the universe. What could go wrong?

Sounds like a plan, maybe we could start our own tire brand using this. Maybe something like Hindenburg Tires. You in?

 

[Syrup]

Nitrogen vs air

The main difference is most compressed air contains moisture which affects the stability of the pressure with temperature. If you used air from a SCUBA compressor there would be hardly any difference. That said, most tires can withstand the +/- 2 psi caused by the moisture.

 

[5picker]

Need thoughts on if just use regular air or is going to expense of nitrogen fill advisable?
One tire on my Wolf Pup 18 RTJ blew on the last trip. Spare is one, same brand and size as originals on axle. Had to order new tire to get same brand and size. Question about using nitrogen fill. When the guys replaced with the spare, it was down to 25 PSI. They filled with regular air to pressure. Road pressure 65 PSI. I am ready to have new tire installed on old rim. Plan is to leave old spare on and replace good original to become spare. This means doing a nitrogen fill for both the new tire and the recently installed original spare.?.

Welcome to the forum, I see it is your 1st post.

As you can see, you brought up an often discussed topic with lots of opinions and a search of the forum would have brought up almost 50 past threads about this very subject, just as Iwritecode mentioned.

The general consensus is that Nitrogen filled R/V tires is pretty much a scam but feel free to read the past discussions and form your own opinion.

 

[aircommuter]

In my shop I have a refrigerated drier and of course an automatic drain on the compressor tank. So it depends on where you get your air. I don’t care about the tires but painting, sand blasting and air tools are my needs.

 

[Chuck_S]

One tire on my Wolf Pup 18 RTJ blew on the last trip

Back to the blow out.

1. What was the cold tire pressure of that tire the morning you started on your trip. "Don't know" doesn't count.

2. Tires blow out mainly on under-pressure and overloading.

I'm assuming you didn't check since the spare tire was flat too.

Watch the entertaining video I posted and note just how little air permeates the tire rubber and the tiny nearly immeasurable difference using Nitrogen makes. If you don't routinely check tire pressure Nitrogen will not make a bit of difference. And if you check tire pressure Nitrogen is just an expense or profit for the seller.

Checking tire pressure is vital. As in lug nut torque and engine oil level but those are different topics. Don't skip the easy stuff.

More? Old tires and sketchy tire brands are involved in lots of blowouts but checking tire pressure remains key.

-- Chuck

 

[NXR]

X2. It's a big marketing scam.

Yup.

The only reason to use nitrogen is for tires on race cars and airplanes. The nitrogen is inert, and won't feed a tire fire with O2 if the tire blows.

Nope. But I keep reading that. The fire is on the outside of the tire. The volume of air under pressure released from the tire is infinitesimal compared to the volume of air in the atmosphere. Even if a tire were filled with 100% oxygen it would dissipate in fraction of a second upon release, especially at the speeds an aircraft is traveling at on the ground.

I worked on corporate jets for a quarter century. The tires are filled with nitrogen due to the wide variation in temperatures. You can start the takeoff at 80 F. Maybe 30 seconds later the tires are spinning at maybe 180 MPH (depends on a lot of factors).

On a normal climb to altitude the temperature has dropped to well below 0 F, sometimes as low as -30 F or lower, in about 30 minutes. Then the tires get cold soaked for maybe hours. Then you descend back to wherever and the temps are much warmer 30 or so minutes later.

Then the instant you touchdown the tires go from 0 MPH to 160 MPH (roughly) in less than a revolution. Then the crew stands on the brakes to bring tens of thousands of pounds of airplane or even hundreds of thousands of pounds of airplane to a stop in roughly a mile. The brakes get hot, the tires get hot, etc.

I also worked as a firefighter/paramedic at a nationally known sports car course. Same reasons. Tremendous changes in speed and thus temperature.

Regular air introduces moisture inside the tire. Those massive temperature changes can cause the moisture to affect the rubber and the wheels. Nitrogen is dry, and inert.

We could buy a tank of nitrogen that would last us a month with five jets for less than what the car dealerships were charging to fill one car at the time. That is a massive markup with multiple commas. I have no idea what a tank of nitrogen costs nowadays, though.

Ray

 

[Mike134]

You'll be much better off if you use a blend. I run about 78% nitrogen.

 

[NJKris]

You'll be much better off if you use a blend. I run about 78% nitrogen.

Me too. I don't know about better off, certainly financially!

 

[cboss]

The only think I liked about the Nitrogen filled tires was the green caps!

 

[wmtire]

The only think I liked about the Nitrogen filled tires was the green caps!

I always use the term "enhanced" not "filled" in my musings. As pointed out regular air is around 78% nitrogen and they usually only get around 92% percent nitrogen in a tire when using nitrogen compressors so in actuality you are only enhancing the 78% you would have had anyhow.

 

[Oaklevel]

My trailer has a sticker over the tires that says "Nitrogen Fill"

Yup our 2013 had the sticker, the 2017 did not.......... Glad the car dealers don't push it like they did back then.

 

[RobbieH]

Yup our 2013 had the sticker, the 2017 did not.......... Glad the car dealers don't push it like they did back then.

Mine's a 2018

 

[wmtire]

Glad the car dealers don't push it like they did back then.

Oh, plenty still do. I've seen the add-on where it's $200 extra for the nitrogen enhancement, when in all actuality they probably just stuck a green valve cap on it. There's a car dealer guy I watch on youtube and he shows stickers on new cars. Plenty of them have that $200 nitrogen add on.

 

[TitanMike]

Oh, plenty still do. I've seen the add-on where it's $200 extra for the nitrogen enhancement, when in all actuality they probably just stuck a green valve cap on it. There's a car dealer guy I watch on youtube and he shows stickers on new cars. Plenty of them have that $200 nitrogen add on.

It's amazing how quick car dealers find ways to enhance their profits. In my career I've watched them undercoat vehicles that came from the factory with a far superior undercoating and adding hundreds to the price. Same for "magic" protective coatings which often are just wax jobs applied by the lowest paid employee in the shop.

 

[Retired Dave]

Too bad they don't use medical grade nitrous oxide to inflate the tires.

 

[NJKris]

It's amazing how quick car dealers find ways to enhance their profits. In my career I've watched them undercoat vehicles that came from the factory with a far superior undercoating and adding hundreds to the price. Same for "magic" protective coatings which often are just wax jobs applied by the lowest paid employee in the shop.

You mean the TruCoat?

 

[RobbieH]

Too bad they don't use medical grade nitrous oxide to inflate the tires.

Only in Tulsa. (See "Tulsa King")

 

[TitanMike]

Too bad they don't use medical grade nitrous oxide to inflate the tires.

Could be interesting. Nitrous Oxide and rubber can be used as rocket fuel.

Nitrous is a great oxidized.

Not what one would want inside a hot tire.

 

[ChurchBear]

I've never seen a nitrogen tank at an auto dealership

 

[Oaklevel]

I've never seen a nitrogen tank at an auto dealership

I did a few years back when we had a Suckeroo (Subaru) It lived in the shop.