Team-BHP - Inflating tyres with dry nitrogen

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Thanks to SS-Traveller for sharing this:

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Here's a very lucidly explained article about why it's a myth that nitrogen in the tyres of a regular road-going car has any advantages: http://www.l2sfbc.com/rmp/blog/is-it...-with-nitrogen. It's a recent article

Here's one more : http://www.powertank.com/truth.or.hype/

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Originally Posted by apachelongbow (Post 3948383)

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The other urban myth is nitrogen filled tyres, nothing can be further from the truth, especially when air contains 79% nitrogen. May be we must experiment with filling helium in tyres, it is inert, lighter than air, it would reduce vehicle weight or rather offset it and may be we can have better fuel economy?? lol:

Not an urban myth, it's very real, although for regular cars the practical advantages are relatively small. On some applications such as certain aircraft tyres it could be mandatory if not a formal legal requirement.

Jeroen

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Originally Posted by apachelongbow (Post 3948810)

On aircraft tyres it's used only to negate fire risks... just because of high speeds involved.... useless when it comes to road cars. In fact myth busters show has a episode on the same thing.. interesting to watch. People think it helps tyres run cooler.... big myth, or prevent tyre blowouts.. another myth

Correct.

The biggest urban myth about nitrogen is that people believe it is a total urban myth. The physics behind using nitrogen over air is real and factual. However, as said before on cars the practical use is less than minimal, but on aircraft the effects are much more pronounced, primarily due to the high temperatures and high pressures involved.

It is in fact the main reason behind for instance the FAA making it mandatory by for instance the FAA:

http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...light=87-08-09

And a more in depth article:

http://www.nitrogentiremachine.com/f...nistration.htm

Even for places where it is not mandatory, manufacturers such as Boeing will recommend it strongly:

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aer...nly/m03txt.htm

Technically it is not the high speed that is the problem, but the high temperature in combination with a potential chemical reaction between atmospheric oxygen and volatile gases from the tire inner liner producing a tire explosion.

During the take off roll, tire temperature do increase some, but it is during the landing and the braking that they get really hot. To your point, they don’t help to run the tire cooler, its just that when they are filled with nitrogen they are able to withstand those high temperatures better..

With the introduction of carbon brakes on aircraft, the brake temperature has gone up as well. Carbon brakes are most effective when they are run up to pretty high temperature.

Having said all of that. (Clean) Nitrogen has certain properties that do have additional benefits. Whereas on regular cars they have little or no practical use, on aircraft application you will see some of the benefits. E.g. less deflation, less corrosion, no ice formation. Note that due to the very high pressure and temperatures all such effects are more pronounced on an aircrafts then on regular cars.

But as stated before on aircraft first and foremost it’s the benefit of the high temperature and thus explosion protection which is the reason for use of nitrogen on aircraft. The rest is just bonus.

Jeroen

Never been a believer of filling nitrogen in my tyres. Here's an excellent article from Jalopnik:

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Yes, nitrogen is technically a better gas to fill tires with than air, though it’s not really so much about nitrogen itself as it is not having water vapor in your tires.

Is it worth it? For normal driving, probably not. The advantages, while real, are still really very miniscule. Also, remember, we live in a big soup of air, so even if your tires are full of nitrogen—and that actually means about 93 percent 95 percent nitrogen—there’s still a whole atmosphere of damp, oxygen-tainted air pushing its way into the tires.

If you’re a professional racing driver or even just like to track your car a lot, then, sure, nitrogen-filled tires may give you just that little bit of edge for handling and will keep their pressure better longer-term which may give a slight edge on the track. It can’t hurt, certainly.

Also, unlike oxygen, nitrogen does not support combustion, so there’s a bit of a fire safety advantage as well.

If you have the money and can tell when one of your tires is 1 PSI less than the rest, or you have a pit crew and make a living racing cars then, please, jam as much nitrogen into your tires as you want.

For everyone else, I think you can get by just fine by bragging that you fill your tires up with a special mix of 78 percent nitrogen.

There was a time when petrol pumps would charge 100 - 200 bucks for nitrogen. Now, there are some who've started offering it for free :). Just as well as I've always found the fad to be worthless. "Free" is the right price.

This is the Indian Oil pump opposite Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Prabhadevi:

Inflating tyres with dry nitrogen-20190503-19.18.17.jpg

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Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4584003)

Yes, since a few years all new/refurbished fuel bunks are offering this for free. Interestingly they provide both options as if normal air is some kind of special blend :)

Earlier there used to be a VIP section for nitrogen, no need to queue up and a quick fill as hardly anyone used to pay 40 INR.

Yes, in Gurgaon, most HP pumps are offer free nitrogen if you will buy fuel more than Rs.1000 (Rs.1200 at some places).

I have been getting it since 2016. Never got paid nitrogen before that. :)

Have seen this in Indian Oil pumps mostly. It's also there in the pumps in BKC and Bandra W but not yet in Juhu

And how does one determine these pumps are filling in 100% nitrogen and not 79%?

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Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 4584047)

Indeed it is!
Wait as the wheels of time turn and we'll see free nitrogen alongside an expensive mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and CO2 (= dry air) marketed with some technical nonsense.

"Normal air" is indeed a very special blend. It is able to support life as well as filling tyres!

rl:

Consumer Reports has chimed in on the subject and has told what I have maintained: Nitrogen doesn't harm but is not particularly beneficial for normal consumer user. High pressure/ speed applications could be different.

The article: http://flip.it/jbwUDE

Never believed in - nitrogen, Speed Diesel, HP Turbo, HP Powerjet, synthetic oil and those diesel additives. I go by the user manual of the car and stick to OEM and manufacturer recommendations.

Now GOI is pushing 'free' Nitrogen through petrol pumps. Most of the PSU petrol pumps are already being converted to Nitrogen equipped ones.

If it inflates tyres, and it's free (and does no harm), I don't care what gas they use!