Nitrogen for your tires?
How nitrogen works and what it does
Nitrogen makes up the majority of the air that we breathe and is contained in the protein of all life on earth. It is colorless, tasteless, and non-toxic. The next most common component of air is oxygen. Together these make up approximately 99% of the air we breathe and traditionally fill tires with.
Nitrogen is a larger molecule than oxygen.
Therefore, it cannot escape as easily as oxygen through porous material such as a rubber tire well (carcass). Leaking at a much slower rate than oxygen, a tire filled with a higher percentage of nitrogen maintains its proper pressure roughly three to four times longer than air-filled tires. Proper inflation provides better fuel economy, superior handling, longer tire life, and increased safely by reducing the likelihood of low pressure related loss of control, blowouts and other tire failures.
Nitrogen is a dry, inert gas.
Oxygen in a tire provides unwanted oxidation. Over time, this reaction destroys the tire carcass and corrodes wheels. A tire is prematurely aged by oxygen from the inside-out as the pressurized air in the tire makes the oxygen try to escape through the tire carcass, speeding up the damaging oxidation process Nitrogen on the other hand, is a harmless inert gas that does not react negatively with tires and wheel. Nitrogen filled tires also reduce tire heat, thereby decreasing rolling resistance and increasing fuel economy.
Nitrogen is non-flammable
Oxygen is a flammable gas while nitrogen is an extinguishing gas. Thus, a large number of mass transportation companies around the world fill their tires with nitrogen for added fire and explosion safety. In a vehicle fire, ruptured air-filled tires fuel the fire. Nitrogen filled tires slow the fire. Nitrogen has been used in tires for many years on aircraft, military vehicles, off road trucks, racecars, and even Tour de France bicycles.
Nitrogen inflated tires are safer and longer lasting
Nitrogen inflated tires do not age as quickly as air inflated tires.
Nitrogen inflated tires minimize blowouts.
Nitrogen inflated tires improve vehicle handling through proper inflation and consistently maintained pressure
Nitrogen is an inert, non-combustible and non-flammable gas
Nitrogen is a stable gas providing more constant pressure
Nitrogen is a dry gas with no corrosive properties as found in compressed air.
Nitrogen inflated tires has been found to loose an average of 0.7 psi per month compared to oxygen filled tires that loose an average of 2.7 psi per month.
For those of you that have had a loaded horse trailer and have blown an oxygen filled tire, you know the damage that the exploding air and rubber can do both on the trailer, trailer fenders, brake lines if not the horses. Nitrogen filled tires are much safer since there isn't an explosion when the tire does go flat.