ALT-1 Nitrogen Inflated Tires Pros and Cons
Is all the hype about nitrogen worth the discussion? Should you spend upward of $10,000 to get into the nitrogen market? Or, as a consumer should you spend upward from $20 to have the air taken out of your tires and replaced with nitrogen? Here are some of the facts as I have discovered them...
Tire dealers and scientists have pondered the idea of filling tires with nitrogen since approximately 1967. NASCAR and the airlines have been using nitrogen in tires for quite some time, so why all the hype and controversy about the current trend to use nitrogen in passenger cars? Because it's new and because it's expensive (profitable). How hard can it be to sell when the FAA requires all commercial aircraft tires to be inflated with nitrogen; Section 25.733? NASCAR teams use nitrogen because it allows them to more accurately predict tire pressure changes. Additionally, higher nitrogen levels eliminate the explosive properties of oxygen. So, with these endorsements, why can't you sell this to the consumer? I've tried to come up with the cons and can't find any. There are no adverse affects from the use of nitrogen that I have found reported anywhere! So, in order to prevent this from being a "too good to be true" product I came up with these two cons; as a shop owner you must invest in the right equipment which can cost in the area of $10K and as a consumer you can pay up to $10 per tire to fill it with nitrogen! (The average price charged seems to be around $5 per tire). But soon enough, nitrogen will be out there in gas station parking lot where you can fill your own tires with nitrogen; for a cost of course.
To get more facts on nitrogen, visit the Get Nitrogen Institute, a non-profit organization that provides a load of information about nitrogen.
When it comes to tire inflation, nitrogen has many advantages over oxygen. With nitrogen tire inflation, improvements can be noted in a vehicle's handling, fuel efficiency and tire life through better tire pressure retention, improved fuel economy and cooler tire temperatures. It's not about the nitrogen. It's about reducing oxygen, water vapor and other gases. Proper tire pressure is a big deal, maintaining it with nitrogen you'll see these three primary benefits:
- Increased Fuel Efficiency* Longer Tire Life* Increased Safety
As an added bonus:
- Improved TPMS Performance"
