Let’s find out what effect nitrogen has on tyres, when it is used to replace compressed air.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT NITROGEN?
We have much daily contact with nitrogen, seeing the air we breathe consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The rest consists of water vapour and carbon dioxide.
SOME ASPECTS OF NITROGEN GAS
The inert gas nitrogen is non-flammable, non-combustible, and non-corrosive when pure. This makes the gas environmentally friendly.
NITROGEN IN TYRES DOES NOT ATTACK RUBBER
Unlike air which attacks and oxidises tyre rubber from the inside, nitrogen does not do that at all. Being a pure gas, and containing minimal water vapour, it has no capacity for heat, and thus tyres filled with nitrogen run cooler. This is good news for tyres, because air-filled tyres build up considerable heat, which causes greater wear and tear. Compressed air contains water vapour, which can cause rust, corrosion and damage to steel or aluminium rims. This, in turn, can lead to leaks. Water vapour in air absorbs and keeps heat.
HAS NITROGEN HAS BEEN USED FOR LONG IN TYRES?
For quite a long time now, nitrogen has been used in tyres of F1 racing cars, trucks, aircraft and mining vehicles. It’s also used in bicycle tyres for the Tour de France, and in tyres of the Space Shuttle, and Moon Buggy. If air is used in aircraft that fly at temperatures of -40 °C, ice would form from the air’s moisture, and cause problems during landing. Nitrogen-filled aircraft tyres don’t have this problem.
NITROGEN GAS IS A LARGE MOLECULE
Because nitrogen gas is a large molecule it migrates slowly through a tyre and thus pressure loss is minimised.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF NITROGEN-FILLED TYRES?
One benefit is that tyres filled with nitrogen run cooler than air-filled tyres, thus extending tyre tread life by another 20%. Cooler tyres provide much better road holding. Because air-filled tyres heat up a lot more than nitrogen-filled tyres, such tyres will start to expand because of heat build-up. As a result, the contact patch sitting on the road surface decreases in size, thus lessening the traction. With the cooler nitrogen-filled tyres, the contact patch on the road stays the same size, and thus not affecting traction.
CHECK TYRE PRESSURES REGULARLY
You can fill car tyres with nitrogen till you are blue in the face, but if you don’t check tyre pressures regularly, it defeats the whole object of the exercise. Under-inflated tyres increase the wear and tear. Remember, that tyres on the drive axle of a car lose pressure faster than those on the non-drive axle.
HOW AVAILABLE IS NITROGEN IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Only until recently was it possible to fill up tyres of passenger cars with nitrogen. Before that it was just too costly. Today, some tyre dealerships have nitrogen-generating machines that can also store large volumes of nitrogen at cost-effective levels. Owners have to pay for the initial filling up of their car’s tyres with nitrogen. This is accomplished by deflating tyres to remove all the air, and then re-inflating them with purified, compressed nitrogen. After that, customers can come and top up their tyres with nitrogen at no extra cost. It’s important to maintain these top-ups with nitrogen and not with air, as this will take away the benefit of the nitrogen.
HOW SHOULD TYRES BE FILLED WITH NITROGEN?
According to a December 2018 article by Popular Mechanics, tyres should be filled and purged a few times in a row with nitrogen so that the concentration of the oxygen in the tyre can be diluted. In the process, water is also removed.
It should be noted that the concept of filling tyres with nitrogen is also met with some controversial articles. Despite the differences in opinion, it’s up to you, the motorist, to decide for yourself whether it has turned out a better experience for you with nitrogen-filled tyres.
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Disclaimer:
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Prime Meridian Direct (Pty) Ltd, FSP41040.The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
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