Rumor has it that the cost of gas may soar as higher than $4.00 a gallon. At that cost, every penny saved is a plus. Recently, I have heard that filling your tires with nitrogen instead of air can save gas.
Air is 78% nitrogen. The rest is mostly oxygen, small amounts of water vapor,carbon dioxide and trace amounts of noble gases (neon and argon). So why is pure nitrogen like the filtered water of the tire gas world?
First of all nitrogen molecules are heavy hitters. Bigger in size than oxygen hence less likely to escape through the porous walls tires and cause a pressure reduction.
Secondly, nitrogen contains less moisture than oxygen so it likely susceptible to pressure changes (i.e. water vapor and water changes states/pressure with temperature). With less leakage and less changes in physical state, nitrogen will help your tire pressure remain more constant. Your tires will wear evenly, leading to better performance and less gas usage.
So what’s the bottom line? Race car drivers feel the difference but then they travel at extreme speeds and their tires heat up in a matter of seconds causing their air pressure change rapidly. But the average round town drive and outside temperature changes do not appear to be enough to cause drastic pressure variations in passenger car tires.
Why nitrogen? Is it worth it? Yes you may save a few hundred dollars a year, but how convenient is it to find a nitrogen pump? Nitrofill is a good website that helps you locate a pump http://www.nitrofill.com/. I have to admit. I am a bit skeptical of the benefits of nitrogen vs. oxygen, but then again I am not a race car driver and I believe in the good old fashioned rule of regularly checking my tire pressure.
I saw a brochure promoting nitrogen in tires when I took my Mini Cooper to the dealership for service and I became curious. I want to know more, how many of you made the switch to nitrogen? What are your thoughts and just how pure is your nitrogen? Ms.CoCoVanDerChic and her Mini Ms. CoCo are want to know?
A tip for those car detailing fanatics. Your tire rims are less likely to rust because water vapor and/or water are less likely to get trapped in your tires and seep out onto your rims.
