ALT-2 Pros and Cons of Inflating Tires with Nitrogen
Nitrogen inflated tires is becoming ever so popular with modern day vehicles. The idea arose when there were concerns about blowouts on SUVs, particularly the Ford Explorer equipped with Firestone tires several years ago. Nitrogen is always used in aircraft tires and also race car tires. I would discuss the main pros and cons of inflating tires with nitrogen.
Extensive studies show that less than 60 percent of drivers rarely check the inflation of their tires. Normal leakage is estimated to be 1 to 2 pounds per square inch (psi) per month.
Most articles mention that putting nitrogen in your tires increases your fuel efficiency because properly inflated tires will reduce rolling resistance. This can give as much as 3 percent better mileage than a car with under-inflated tires. However the same fuel efficiency results can be obtained by using the ordinary air once tire pressures are monitored routinely.
However suppliers of nitrogen for tire inflation claim that nitrogen will not degrade the interior rubber of the tire or corrode the wheels because it doesn't contain oxygen or water vapor. Remember the air around us is approximately 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other gases. This may be theoretically true because both water vapor and oxygen can have a tendency to be corrosive in small quantities. However, most tires wear out the tread on the outside long before the inner rubber would go bad from exposure to oxygen. The same concept applies for wheels since most wheels are made from alloys and not straight steel.
In addition, one of the main advantages of nitrogen is that it is more stable due to it being an inert gas and less prone to changes in pressure due to heat since it can withstand high temperatures. Race car drivers use nitrogen inflation in their vehicles because they can change the handling of the car by adjusting individual tire pressure by as little as a quarter pound.
Users of nitrogen inflation also claim that due to the properties of the gas, means it's less prone to leaking out over time through the pores present in rubber tires. Personally this leakage is minute in my opinion because it has been proved that most air leakage in tires can be traced to poor tire fit around the rim or a faulty valve stem.
The main con of nitrogen inflation is the cost that is attached. It costs as much as $40 for nitrogen inflation of four tires.
If you sit down and think about the pros and cons of nitrogen inflation, you would realize that at some point you are going to have to add air to your tires, especially if there is an emergency and nitrogen is not readily available. This normal air from a gas station air pump would mix with the nitrogen degrading its benefits.
Unless you're a race car driver or have a lot of money to spend behind nitrogen inflation, save your money and just monitor your tire pressures.
