So I bought got a new set of tires the other day and the sales guy asked me if I wanted to pay an additional $20 to fill the tires with Nitrogen.

He started explaining why I should do this but I just told him I'm not interested so I wouldn't have to listen to his speech or give him more money.

Anyone ever heard of this? Is this some sorta scam to make more money?

 

Whenever I fill my tires I use at least 70% nitrogen

Seriously though, I've heard of it before. Maybe something having to do with differences in temperature or weight of the air or something like that. I'm not really sure, always seemed like a dumb idea to me, thus why I don't really know much about it.

 

Nitrogen is supposed to hold the tire's pressure longer, and it's not supposed to absorb moisture like oxygen can. It also helps to lighten up your heavy wallet! I still prefer good old air since it's free.
If you like gimmicks, then try helium in the tires. I think that would be much better since it would make your car "float on air". Just watch out for the big bumps in the road, or the rebound could launch the car straight up.

 

Yea...Think about it as a $30 profit for the tire dealer puting free air in your tires.

 

BAHAHAHAHAHA u beat me to it!

in my last chem lab we were using nitrogen bags for an experiment. I walked up behind one of the groups, sniffed a couple times and said "I smell nitrogen... do you guys have a leak?"
only 1 of them looked at me. the rest looked for a leak lol

gasses arent really thought of as absorbing moisture. usually its talked about as liquid water dissolving gasses (which is how fish breathe ) but anyways, the tire itself is air tight so you wont be picking up any moisture along the way. anything getting in your tire to make it heavier was in the canister/pump to begin with

and if anyone is wondering why im laughing with slvr... the atmosphere is a little over 70% nitrogen already.

 

Your air compressor doesn't know those rules though.

 

In the automotive side, I think its not worth it, but for racing it definitely is. My 1st hobby/low source of income is motocross racing. Tire pressures run 10-14lbs normally, and after a 20 minute race you wouldn't believe that a tire with 12psi can get up to 17psi. Just the opposite in winter when you put your bike away with 12psi, and the next morning it has 8. In a car you don't feel that, but on a bike with sensitive cornering, and jumping it makes $10,000 suspension feel like junk! So, I tried a very pure tank of nitrogen and psi never rises or falls more than .25psi no matter what the temp. So there is some merit to it.

 

nitrogen tanks are also compressed.
as far as im concerned its a wash (really? was the assumption here that i didnt know moisture can be in the lines of a compressor?)


and the pressure of all gasses (regardless of mixture) is temperature dependant. i would say there is something else at play. you are only replacing 30% of the gas in air by going pure nitrogen, so even if the nitrogen volume is fluctuating less w/ a change in temp it will change your psi by a percentage of what air does, but not go away all together

 

Really Nope, that wasn't the assumption at all. Nitrogen is compressed, yes. But it's in a sealed tank. An air compressor takes in surrounding air, and pumps it into the tires. Surrounding air = levels of humidity = water in the air. I wasn't even hinting about possible water in the air lines, but since you bring it up, it would be a contributing factor.

 

Maybe I should start selling "Denver Air" to put in peoples tires for $10 instead of $20 for nitrogen. I mean, it's high altitude, so there's less oxygen (I'm sure I can make a marketing scheme off of that) and it's pretty dry here, so that's less moisture in the tires.