Nitrogen in tires, where to fill up?
 

Hey guys,

i was coming home from washing my car today and my low tire pressure light came on. I checked the tires and the lowest one is sitting at around 30PSI which i imagine is causing the warning.

I'm from Southern ontario, where can i get Nitrogen from? I've called around to a bunch of gas stations and most people don't even know what i'm talking about. It would seem that the only place you can get it is the dealer. Does that make sense, to have a tire that can only be filled up at a place thats only open 9-5? What happens if i just add air?

Thanks,

D

I'm actually having the same problem, temps dropping and my warning light keeps going off. As far as Nitrogen goes your only bet would be the dealer. I think they charge a one time fee of 30$ or so for a lifetime fill up of Nitrogen anytime.

Considering air is something like 75% N2 using it in your tires is not a problem.

costco in the area? all costcos use nitrogen and nothing else. as stated, the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen. its not neccassary to keep nitrogen in them. in "theory", nitrogen has many benefits but none of them work consistently on all vehicles. In my opinion, its over analyzed sometimes but whatever.

So i can add air, i do not have to remove all the nitrogen prior to doing so?

Yes nothing will happen. Your only adding 3PSI, no big deal.

correct

Air is 78% nitrogen. Besides the fact it's a scam. There are no benefits to a road car.

just filled up with air all at 35 PSI light still on, reset tire maintenance, light still on, WTF?

Nitrogen is not a scam. First year chemistry students can tell you that. Pure nitrogen does not fluctuate as much in presure compared to straight "air". It also doesn't contain the moisture of air, thereby reducing the chance for corrosion of the TPMS, etc.
I have personally tested the differences in pressure fluctuation and it is actually quite drastic.
Pure nitrogen also leaks much slower than air. Saying that air is 78% nitrogen is a bogus argument. It's 22% other components. It's those components that are the problem. That's like saying water is part Oxygen, so go ahead and breathe it.

dont worry it will go off within about 10 miles or so i believe, i remember getting a warning a while back and filled the tires back up to spec and took a while for the warning to go away...as far as that tire maintenance you are mentioning that is just a reminder for rotating your tires which is kinda silly cause its not really needed on our Z's

:owned:

i agree, its not a scam bh any means but its nothing people should be charging for.there are people who refuse to out anything but nitrogen and its a little extreme. if yiu have access to it, then yes, its worth putting in over normal compressed air but nothing to worry about paying for IMO. Most of its benefits like the pressure fluctuation isnt a big deal if you just check your pressure once a month like recommended....

I think its still a scam even though the theory is sound. Taking this measure is totally unnecessary for the average driver yet, dealerships hype it up like they are doing you some huge favor.

Paranoia alert:
I actually don't think they even fill them up with nitrogen in the first place. I think a lot of dealerships just put those little green caps on the valve stems and call it a day. At the very least, I can almost guarantee that when they check tire pressure and fill as necessary, they use an air compressor and not nitrogen.

Um... No, it's NOT a scam:shakes head:
:iagree:Thanks for the more correct info.


Honestly, the big issue with the argument of air is 78% nitrogen is BS, the biggest thing with PSI fluctuation is probably the water inside the compressed air...
Have you ever noticed water coming out when taking air out of your tires?


You COULD fill with a pump that has a drier (The chemical lab I work for has driers in the lines and after the compressor to remove water, and holy crap there is a LOT of water)



My advice, if there is a Costco near you, become chummy with the tire guys, they use nitrogen, either they'll top you off with Nitrogen for free or they might deflate all your tires on the rack and refill them with Nitrogen for free :tup::tiphat:

SO THATS WHY YOU BECAME MY FRIEND!!!! :gtfo2:

JK, besides at Costco we will top anyone off at the very least if you just pull up outside the tire bays and ask for an air check.

:icon18: LOL!!! I never came to YOUR Costco!!! But the other Costco did rack up my car, let all the air out then refilled them with Nitrogen

Nitrogen has its place - in aircraft tires for example. For street tires though, no. The nitrogen hype is a money grab. I've used 78-80% nitrogen for over 40 years in my tires. Not once has a tire of mine disintegrated from plain old air. My vette has had its tires on since 1995. They are due to be replaced due to age - not because they are rotten with a lack of pure nitrogen. Save your money!

mainly nitrogen is less susceptible to pressure changes when the air temperature changes. So basically your tpms will be more accurate.

"So, to answer your specific questions: With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel and tire-maintenance costs. There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking, unless your tire pressures were seriously out of spec and changing to nitrogen brought them back to the proper numbers."

Source:
Nitrogen vs Air In Tires - Why Nitrogen in Tires - Popular Mechanics

Now, do I only put pure nitrogen in my tires? Nope!

Mine came filled with nitrogen from the dealer. I top it off with regular compressed air.

They fill up. Serious.

Are you a Nitrogen salesman? :rolleyes:

If you want me to prove its a scam, I can. But I am not going to take the time..

Water = H2O wonder what the O stands for??

Most tire shops around here (S Arkansas) carry N2.

Doesn't make sense to me, but you may be in a more remote area than I am.

Not much. There are some minor advantages to N2 (see posts above - IMNSHO the biggest one is TPMS sensor corrosion and that shouldn't be anything major), but just adding some air to your N2-inflated tire will not do any damage (assuming it is reasonably clean and doesn't contain too much oil or other contaminates). Only 20-something% of what you're adding is not N2 and you're only adding a small amount, so you're not diluting it by much.
There will more than likely be some water entrained in the air (how much depends on the compressor setup, humidity, &c), but it should be minimal and the N2 that is already in the tire will absorb some of it.
Unless you are obsessive about having 100% N2 in your tires, all you need to do is have the tire(s) bled down and refilled with N2 at your convenience. If this is the only time you've added air, I wouldn't give it a second thought.


Edit: Neither Goodyear nor Hankook even mention N2, much less recommend it. YMMV

No, but if you DRINK it you will oxygenate your blood.

5 Immune System Benefits of Drinking Water / Nutrition / Healthy Eating

pee in a pond. the benefit to hassle/expense ratio is a joke. I race offroad, have my own nitrogen setup for the shocks. guess what's in all my tires. A good friend has a high end tire shop, for many many years.... how many sensors is he replacing due to corrosion? zero. drink the koolaid all u want.

Is it better? yes, is it worth it or needed? hell no. what's it cost the dealers to fill four Z tires? $2-300 in initial equipment and about $2 for each car, if that.

Do NOT do this, if you add regular atmospheric air to a tire that contains pure nitrogen, the resulting exothermic reaction once the tires heat up can trigger rapid atom-shearing which can set off a chain reaction degranulating the nitrogen atoms which has been shown to combust, destroying your car and any surrounding cars in traffic.

Below is a picture (taken from CNN) of a car which was filled up with regular air when it already had nitrogen in its tires:
http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/...8h52m41s77.jpg

In all seriousness though, normal air may fluctuate a little more with temp changes outside and may leak a teensy bit more. So just check your tire pressures. On track pure nitrogen would expand less I assume making tire pressures and thus temps fluctuate less but I have yet to see anyone use nitrogen on track regularly.