Nitrogen inflation is a lot more than hot air

Replacing the standard oxygen used to inflate tires with nitrogen is becoming a popular trend within the consumer automotive world. The site Why Nitrogen? suggests that using nitrogen inflation will enhance a vehicle’s handling capabilities, improve fuel efficiency, extend the life of a set of tires and reduce the carbon footprint. Nitrogen inflation claims are depending in very basic science, and studies by trusted publications like Consumer Reports have supported the idea.

Source for this article: Nitrogen inflation – Adding life to your tires

Nitrogen inflation – Dry and non-flammable

While nitrogen is dry and non-flammable, what makes it good for tire inflation is that is escapes from the tire four times a lot more slowly than standard air. As outlined by Why Nitrogen?, this phenomenon occurs because nitrogen molecules are rather large. Tires that stay inflated at the proper level for longer periods of time stay in better contact with the highway. Not only that, but they make the car a lot more fuel efficient, as the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to move the car forward. Happy engines mean better fuel efficiency and a smiley face for the environment. Furthermore, running tires with proper inflation via nitrogen inflation keeps the right surfaces in contact with the road (instead of the sidewall), which in turn extends tire and rim life.

What nitrogen purity is required?

Ideas about just how high the nitrogen purity level must be for effective nitrogen inflation are somewhat variable. Most reliable sources indicate anywhere from 93 to 98 percent pure nitrogen inflation should work well. Honestly, if it’s good enough for NASCAR, it is good enough for average consumers who use auto loan applications to pay for their economical family vehicles.

NASCAR favors predictable nitrogen inflation

Imagine what a sudden loss of tire pressure can do to a car in a NASCAR race. Not only does it require a quick pit stop that can cause a car to fall behind in a race, underinflated tires can cause serious accidents on the track. This is why NASCAR has adopted the use of nitrogen inflation. Why Nitrogen? indicates that this is partly because nitrogen doesn’t fluctuate under temperature extremes as oxygen does. Proper tire inflation is easier to maintain during a grueling race. Commercial airlines and also the government use nitrogen for comparable reasons.

Citations

Why Nitrogen?

getnitrogen.org/why/index.php