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Random Quote: No matter how hard you work, you can't fix dumb
A friend of mine just got new tires on his Toyota SUV. The dealer sold him on the idea of nitrogen in the tires claiming better gas mileage. My friend claims he does get better mileage. Anyone have any experience with this for vehicle tires, how about trailer tires? I do hear 18 wheelers are using this combination. My logic tells me the only advantage is nitrogen will not leak out and lose pressure like compressed air does but I may be wrong. I only get 10-11 mpg with my current rig so a measureable increase in mileage might be worth it.
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Key West Bay Reef 196-Love it
Honda 130 HP OB
Humminbird 798 CISI NVB
Freshwater, Salt Flats fisherman
At the same tire pressure (nitrogen or air) you will get the same rolling resistance and fuel mileage. The advantage nitrogen has is it's pressure stays pretty much constant over the temperature range that tires are subject to. Tires with air will have lower pressure on cold mornings and the pressure will increase as you drive.
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"poor planning on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine"
Is this the change you were looking for? Feeling duped yet?
*Trophy 2352WA, now adequately repowered with a 300 hp Mercruiser 350 Magnum*
ITS the NEWEST BESTEST< MO-Better thing to have. "NOT"!!
Spent the first part of this year building a blown sky roadster and over there on their fourm. Those guys live for these cars and its all they think about. Filling the tires is one of the topics.
Will it improve fuel millage. YES,, is it worth the time and effort. NO.
If you will sell the rims on your car and buy 1500 dollar lighter racing rims, this will also increse the fuel millage on your car.
There 10,000 things you can buy that will add to the proformance and fuel millage but the cost getting there far out weighs any dollar out of pocket expence you will have. For racing and where one bumper lenght over the course of 500 miles. YES. Race out and buy it now.
For every day street driving . NO. There dyno sheets on everything you can think of on those fourms and the HP difference between runs was a big ZERO. In reality and on paper will it help. yes. So will dropping your top speed Point one mph. You won't see it but it will be there. PS.. The dropping the top speed is cheeper then spending your money.
They will sell you anything that you will buy. If fuel millage is that important to you,, cut your top speed a mph or two and it will far out weight filling your tires with something other than air.. Have one flat, and you will spend more money ridding around in gas looking to fill the new tire back up then the whole cost of the savings will be in the beginning.
So in reality will it help. YES,, will you see it. NO. but if you fill three tires today with the newest coolest stuff (you will never see) the 4th tire is free and all for only 19.95 but you have to call in the next 30 miniuts. Limited amount and not sure we'll will be getting more "MATE"
That right foot is the biggest fuel saving tool you have but it has to connect to the brain to make it all happen. ........
In a reality world if you want to see what works or not, look to the industry that moves america. If anything that you put in your tires would help on fuel, they would already be doing it and don't you think the ones that roll 160,000 miles a year and get 4.5 mph would have it in them.
Easy fix guy and gal.. If saving money and fuel is important to you Keep your money in your pocket and just slow down. Its that simple.
Matt is correct. It's the TIRES, not the nitrogen.
Racers run nitrogen because it's DRY. Many teams carry nitrogen cylinders to air up tires AND run air tools without a compressor. There may be less expansion due to heat, but it's not significant.
Personally, I run a blend of about 80% nitrogen, mixed with oxygen, carbon dioxide, other gasses, and a small quantity of water vapor. In 40+ years of use in street and race tires it hasn't failed me yet!
We run Nitrogen in one of the cars and in the truck tires solely for the purpose of the pressure not fluctuating as much. It really makes a difference on how soon the big truck tires lose pressure. There is far less water vapor and oxygen when you fill with Nitrogen which results in far less pressure loss over time. From my experience with 35" tires is that the air pressure has remained constant for about 6 times as long.
I think the only way he might be seeing better fuel economy is if he was not properly inflated to begin with or a less aggresive tread pattern or compound on the new tires.
Matt is correct. It's the TIRES, not the nitrogen.
Racers run nitrogen because it's DRY. Many teams carry nitrogen cylinders to air up tires AND run air tools without a compressor. There may be less expansion due to heat, but it's not significant.
Personally, I run a blend of about 80% nitrogen, mixed with oxygen, carbon dioxide, other gasses, and a small quantity of water vapor. In 40+ years of use in street and race tires it hasn't failed me yet!
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1971 Century raven 165HP mercuriser
1990 chevy 2500 pickup
soon to be 240 imperial 210hp mercruiser
Matt is correct. It's the TIRES, not the nitrogen.
Racers run nitrogen because it's DRY. Many teams carry nitrogen cylinders to air up tires AND run air tools without a compressor. There may be less expansion due to heat, but it's not significant.
Personally, I run a blend of about 80% nitrogen, mixed with oxygen, carbon dioxide, other gasses, and a small quantity of water vapor. In 40+ years of use in street and race tires it hasn't failed me yet!
In a pinch you can breath it too.
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Ed Panzella
"BAITS MOTEL"
2450 MAYCRAFT PILOTHOUSE
Higganum, Ct
Thanks for all the comments. I felt 99% sure it was only because of the air loss but I wanted your answers to email to my friend who when he believes something it takes heaven and earth to convince him otherwise. Once he walked around for 3 months with a stress fracture in his foot because he had self diagnoised himself from the internet and felt there was no need to go to a doctor. He ended up in a footcast for 6 months.
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Key West Bay Reef 196-Love it
Honda 130 HP OB
Humminbird 798 CISI NVB
Freshwater, Salt Flats fisherman
You will improve mpg with nitrogen in the long run, because your tires will remain at the proper inflation pressure for a longer period, low tire pressure does affect roll resistance.....it's an indirect thing....great for motorcycles
I was told it would help prevent dry rot of tires? If this is true, then perhaps it is worth it.
Not true.
The custom gas formula went right over my head for awhile. Pretty funny. My oil change place pushes it also.
Yesterday I call my 17YO son. He was going to get his oil changed in his GMC. I asked why and said because the sticker said he was 2,000 past due. I asked what the computer said. After awhile he said 26% oil life remaining. I said you do not need a change and he started to argue with me about not wanting to mess up his truck and the sticker said he was past due.
I asked who made the truck, the computer and who would have to replace the engine under warranty if it failed. He said GMC. I then asked him what the oil change place did. He said sell oil. I think he got it.
Another time my wife goes to get the oil changed and they sell her a transmission oil change on a truck with 15,000 highway miles. They heard from me on that one.
Another time they sold my other son a gas filter change when it had one with 5,000 miles.
I got an oil change and the guy showed me my air filter and and said it needed replacing, no thanks I said. Next trip to the same place another guy showed it to me and said it was fine.
Both kids want to add after-market stuff to their trucks claiming better performance, gas mileage, etc. I told them if a $100 chip or different air intake helped, GMC would put the damn thing on when they built it because of CAFE standards. The only way to increase performance is to decrease mileage and the only way to increase mileage is to decrease performance, unless you fool with emissions.
This comes up about once a year and is always a contest. First, what we call "Air" is alread 79 percent nitrogen. There's a fundamental rule called "Boyles Law" about gases. The idea of less pressure change with temperature is pure bunk, since the pressure rise or drop for air or pure nitrogen is the same per degree.
Next, the presure loss over time difference borders on slight, so the only improvement in mileage will be because your wallet is lighter.
Commercially produced compressed gases are generally very dry, so there is actually almost no moisture in a nitrogen fill, if there is any advantage to that.
Less dry rot? Maybe, but until one of us has a tire dry rot from the inside, I doubt that theory holds much air (or nitrogen).
Better MPG with Nitrogen in tires
