I've been evaluating moving to using Nitrogen my diesel swift's tyres. Even if the benefits of using it are greatly debated, the moral of the story is that does no harm, so i am going ahead!
Excerpts of a couple of threads on sites i found interesting are as below:
Purified nitrogen is more stable and less corrosive than a compressed version of the air we breathe. By its lonesome, nitrogen clumps in large molecules. Even better, it's not oxygen, which is the root of oxidation, which eats rubber just like steel, just not as dramatically or visibly.
About Nitrogen:
•Nitrogen is an almost inert gas. Nitrogen does not react easily with other elements.
•For the same volume, pure N2 will be lighter than air.
About Nitrogen in tyres:
•N2 has been in use of racing cars for quite some time.
•The N2 gas is less resistant to heating and when it heats, it will expand uniformly, unlike air which when heated, its individual constituents expand as per their properties.
•Water Vapour is a killer in tyres of fast cars.
•The N2 filled tyre gives a smoother ride, uniform tread, better grip and better handling, especially at high speeds.
•N2 will not react with rubber whereas Oxygen at high pressure and high temperature becomes very reactive and will degrade rubber.
•Water vapour will also corrode tyre rubber.
•The N2 gas is less permeable and is retained in the tyre for a longer time. This means less visits to the pump.
•Many petrol stations have started offering N2 filling and they claim all of the above plus that your kms per litre will increase.
What is the procedure/cost?
•If you wish to replace air with N2 in your car tyres, you will have to visit one of such filling stations.
•The ideal way is deflate the tyre completely, fill with N2, defalte it again and then refill with N2.
•Note that the N2 reservoir is not 100% N2. It is more like 95%. The above procedure will achieve about 90~93% N2 in the tyre (but many stations do the procedure only once resulting in only 85~88% N2 in the tyre).
•Stations are known to charge Rs. 200/- for the first fill (all tyres)and Rs. 20/- per top-up (all tyres). At least that is what I paid/am paying.
Is it worth it?
•I have been riding on N2 filled tyres in my Santro for the last 7/8 months. The Santro tyres are not tubeless and as you are aware that tubed tyres require pressure check at least every 15 days.
•I have topped up only twice in the last eight months. A top up is due next month.
•Ride quality does seem to be better.
•I cannot honestly claim better fuel average. If at all, it may have increased marginally by 0.5 km/litre and this may be because tyres have optimum pressure most of the times.
•The intial cost is high.
•The cost seems to be high for top up also. But even though air is free at pumps, I usually tip the guy some Rs. 5/- every time. Assuming that I filled air six times in three months, and tipped four times, the cost to me is the same.
•But air is 78% N2 anyway. If you are mostly riding in the city, there is not much advantage.
(Source: http://www.indiabroadband.net/cars-india/19615-debate-nitrogen-really-useful-tyres.html)
Other links that are interesting on the topic of Whether Nitrogen is good for using in the car tyres or not:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2007/10/the-truth-about-filling-your-tires-with-nitrogen/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair-questions/4302788
http://www.tyresave.co.uk/nitrogen.html
Excerpts of a couple of threads on sites i found interesting are as below:
Purified nitrogen is more stable and less corrosive than a compressed version of the air we breathe. By its lonesome, nitrogen clumps in large molecules. Even better, it's not oxygen, which is the root of oxidation, which eats rubber just like steel, just not as dramatically or visibly.
About Nitrogen:
•Nitrogen is an almost inert gas. Nitrogen does not react easily with other elements.
•For the same volume, pure N2 will be lighter than air.
About Nitrogen in tyres:
•N2 has been in use of racing cars for quite some time.
•The N2 gas is less resistant to heating and when it heats, it will expand uniformly, unlike air which when heated, its individual constituents expand as per their properties.
•Water Vapour is a killer in tyres of fast cars.
•The N2 filled tyre gives a smoother ride, uniform tread, better grip and better handling, especially at high speeds.
•N2 will not react with rubber whereas Oxygen at high pressure and high temperature becomes very reactive and will degrade rubber.
•Water vapour will also corrode tyre rubber.
•The N2 gas is less permeable and is retained in the tyre for a longer time. This means less visits to the pump.
•Many petrol stations have started offering N2 filling and they claim all of the above plus that your kms per litre will increase.
What is the procedure/cost?
•If you wish to replace air with N2 in your car tyres, you will have to visit one of such filling stations.
•The ideal way is deflate the tyre completely, fill with N2, defalte it again and then refill with N2.
•Note that the N2 reservoir is not 100% N2. It is more like 95%. The above procedure will achieve about 90~93% N2 in the tyre (but many stations do the procedure only once resulting in only 85~88% N2 in the tyre).
•Stations are known to charge Rs. 200/- for the first fill (all tyres)and Rs. 20/- per top-up (all tyres). At least that is what I paid/am paying.
Is it worth it?
•I have been riding on N2 filled tyres in my Santro for the last 7/8 months. The Santro tyres are not tubeless and as you are aware that tubed tyres require pressure check at least every 15 days.
•I have topped up only twice in the last eight months. A top up is due next month.
•Ride quality does seem to be better.
•I cannot honestly claim better fuel average. If at all, it may have increased marginally by 0.5 km/litre and this may be because tyres have optimum pressure most of the times.
•The intial cost is high.
•The cost seems to be high for top up also. But even though air is free at pumps, I usually tip the guy some Rs. 5/- every time. Assuming that I filled air six times in three months, and tipped four times, the cost to me is the same.
•But air is 78% N2 anyway. If you are mostly riding in the city, there is not much advantage.
(Source: http://www.indiabroadband.net/cars-india/19615-debate-nitrogen-really-useful-tyres.html)
Other links that are interesting on the topic of Whether Nitrogen is good for using in the car tyres or not:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2007/10/the-truth-about-filling-your-tires-with-nitrogen/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair-questions/4302788
http://www.tyresave.co.uk/nitrogen.html
