Nitro Fill tires. Real or hype?

November 10, 2017, 02:59 PM

I recently picked up a new car.
It came with OEM tires but filled with nitrogen, and has a one year warranty on free nitro fillups. Supposedly, nitrogen is much more stable than atmospheric air, with less moisture being introduced into the tire, and less temperature-induced pressure variances.

Can anyone confirm the legitimacy of this? Or is it just snake oil? Our air is already 78% nitrogen.

November 10, 2017, 03:02 PM

parabellum

Doesn't mean a damn thing

November 10, 2017, 03:02 PM

smlsig

In theory yes there is a slight benefit to filling with nitrogen as the molecules are slightly bigger so the tires will leak slower and the gas itself is inert. This is beneficial if your driving an F1 car...

BUT for us mere mortals there is no practical difference.

November 10, 2017, 03:03 PM

agony

That's what I figured.
The salesman made a big deal out of it.
I was just like, 'here's the bottom line, gimme the car for this price or I'm walkin.' "

November 10, 2017, 03:04 PM

comet24

Remember our atmosphere is 78% nitrogen so how much does that other 22% really matter in day to day driving.

November 10, 2017, 03:08 PM

parabellum

quote:
Originally posted by agony:
That's what I figured.
The salesman made a big deal out of it.
I was just like, 'here's the bottom line, gimme the car for this price or I'm walkin.' "

They put that undercoat on at the factory, y'know...

Oh yah? Yah

November 10, 2017, 03:10 PM

DoctorSolo

Depends.

Normal day to day joe-shmoe duty, you will not notice a difference.

But, in rapidly changing conditions when the tires are being thrashed to their limits, a nitro fill will be more stable and consistent WRT pressure changes from temperature swings, high level drivers can feel this.

Having said that, I still use normal compressed air when at the track. When you race you should be monitoring tire pressure anyway, irregardless.

I see the nitro thing as just another high performance application being twisted to squeeze
money out of shmoes when they do their highly infrequent minimal maintenance.

November 10, 2017, 03:13 PM

mbinky

I believe that in extreme cold weather (like Alaska cold) nitrogen is preferred because it is temperature stable and inert. Not sure what benefit it would be outside of that environment.

November 10, 2017, 03:13 PM

JALLEN

Costco has been filling with nitrogen for years, decades maybe, no extra charge.

Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown

November 10, 2017, 03:15 PM

kz1000

Only works if you get the fabric protection and have the VIN engraved on all your windows...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yidn, shreibt un fershreibt"

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
-Bomber Harris

November 10, 2017, 03:16 PM

feersum dreadnaught

quote:
Originally posted by DoctorSolo:
Depends.

Normal day to day joe-shmoe duty, you will not notice a difference.

But, in rapidly changing conditions when the tires are being thrashed to their limits, a nitro fill will be more stable and consistent WRT pressure changes from temperature swings, high level drivers can feel this.

Having said that, I still use normal compressed air when at the track. When you race you should be monitoring tire pressure anyway, irregardless.

I see the nitro thing as just another high performance application being twisted to squeeze
money out of shmoes when they do their highly infrequent minimal maintenance.

really? I thought PV=nRT, no matter what the gas is.

Straight nitrogen fill, depending on source, might exclude some water vapor, and that is probably helpful. But, if the fill is all "gas", whether N, O, He or dry air, I'd expect it to react to temperature changes the exact same as 78% N.

November 10, 2017, 03:22 PM

nhtagmember

great sales pitch

sounds cool

meaningless, and any benefit is absolutely imperceptible to us mere mortals

if you were a mass spec looking at leaks, it may be important, but probably not. Air has 1% Argon which is inert as well....

hype

November 10, 2017, 03:29 PM

45 Cal

Just horse shit,plain old air has served me for all my adult life
Damn I am old,first car in 55

November 10, 2017, 03:31 PM

Jelly

Just snake oil.

November 10, 2017, 03:40 PM

2tonicP220

Perhaps for very demanding situations, straight N is a real benefit for vehicles. I do know when I worked at an airport, and helped the A&P mechanics do annuals, service work, or handled requests from customers to check their aircraft tires, we used super pure straight Nitrogen for all aircraft tires.

November 10, 2017, 03:40 PM

JJexp

What kind of car?

November 10, 2017, 03:52 PM

arfmel

As my grandma used to say: "their advertisement says it's very good".

November 10, 2017, 03:54 PM

DoctorSolo

quote:
Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
quote:
Originally posted by DoctorSolo:
Depends.

Normal day to day joe-shmoe duty, you will not notice a difference.

But, in rapidly changing conditions when the tires are being thrashed to their limits, a nitro fill will be more stable and consistent WRT pressure changes from temperature swings, high level drivers can feel this.

Having said that, I still use normal compressed air when at the track. When you race you should be monitoring tire pressure anyway, irregardless.

I see the nitro thing as just another high performance application being twisted to squeeze
money out of shmoes when they do their highly infrequent minimal maintenance.

really? I thought PV=nRT, no matter what the gas is.

Straight nitrogen fill, depending on source, might exclude some water vapor, and that is probably helpful. But, if the fill is all "gas", whether N, O, He or dry air, I'd expect it to react to temperature changes the exact same as 78% N.

Here we go. Compressed air has a lot of dirt and moisture in it. Dirt and water are not gas. As the proportions vary, so can the pressure variance. Is it enough for a non F1 driver to notice? No.

Im not advocating the service as you have read already. If you want to get more esoteric feel free though. It's fun to argue over minutiae for some people.

November 10, 2017, 03:56 PM

hrcjon

if we are talking a street car it doesn't matter. At the track (or in your airplane) its a different story. Its mostly about moisture. A typical air system is filled with it and you don't want it in your tires. It's used lots in racing applications and I would recommend it in applications where tire temp or rise in tire temp is important (I race motorcycles, but the same applies for cars).