Filling Nitrogen in Tyres

[Arun]

There is routine here around our place every time we fill fuel we check the tyre pressure and fill air.
My uncle(yes, the one who is getting the Bullet) has Nitrogen filled in the tires of his Indica. I would like to know how this will affect tire performance/traction/high speed driving etc. My uncle says it feels the same and also admitted he was scared to drive the car faster as he feared the tires would burst.

Anyone has nitrogen filled in their tires? Is the difference noticable? At what cost?

 

[vijay]

nitrogen is now a days more preffered pressure for tyres, as they run more duration then our normal airs, holds on ground much better and no need for frequent reffiling.
In mumbai its charged around Rs 100/- for first filling, then Rs20/- at about 4 -6 months time for refilling.Havent seen one in my city yet but other cities do have this facility and the people who have filled are satisfied and found it durable and convinient.

 

[Neil.Bhujbal]

Filling nitrogen costs 50 per tyre here in Pune & the 20-30 rs for top-up.

Yes nitrogen helps in many ways.I had been to a nitrogen filling station and that guy had a big board with all the advantages written.Some i remember are -

1) It keeps the ties cool.

2) You don't need to fill them often (like normal air).

3) They even cause less wearing of tyres (The process was properly explained but i don't remember it now),Etc.

 

[Zinam]

This thread is just a co incidence!

I just filled up nitrogen Air today for my car :)

We have a offer here in chennai only at HP bunk Anna Nagar!

If you put petrol for Rs.1000 Nitrogen filling is free :)

But even i felt a pretty well difference after i filled in nitrogen.

The car was little oversteered at high speeds, may be its just my feeling !!

 

[Arun]

All I am able to conclude is better traction, less refills better tire life and a little over-steering.
No more inputs?
@ Zinam: What high-speed are we talking about? 120+?

 

[Zinam]

Yes, I usually drive @ 140 after i take on Highways.

But today i could manage only lesser than 120 because i felt it was little oversteered & i even felt the tyre noise inside my cabin

To mention i never heard tyre noise even @ 150+ Km/hr.

I 'm suprised. Can anybody share their views on this!

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

The fact is nitrogen reduce tyre noise. I have seen sign board at the alignment centres.

Must be tyre wear , coincidence !

But i don't fill nitrogen .

 

[Aditya]

Beyond the hoo-haa that is displayed on the boards outside the nitrogen filling station, the two main advantages of Nitrogen are :
1) Less sensitivity to air pressure changes when the tire heats up.
2) Lower rates of permeability : Translated, you will loose pressure slower than with ordinary air ... this is because of the larger molecule size of Nitrogen.

BUT !!!
Isn't ordinary air 70% odd Nitrogen anyways?!!!

 

[Aditya]

Yes, I usually drive @ 140 after i take on Highways.

But today i could manage only lesser than 120 because i felt it was little oversteered & i even felt the tyre noise inside my cabin

To mention i never heard tyre noise even @ 150+ Km/hr.

I 'm suprised. Can anybody share their views on this!

Zinam : Just wondering, could it be that the pressure meter at this center was calibrated different from your usual ... which means that you were maybe driving with a different pressure than normal.
That can lead to a different feeling on the highway, because otherwise, everything else remaining same, there should be no difference with air or nitrogen, unless your tires are really heating up.

 

[Zinam]

Thanks Aditya! Even i consoled myself stating the same.

May be. I felt only on that day.

But from next time onwards My car was pretty fine.

 

[Arun]

Sorry for updating this thread quite late. I'm busy with my studies and hardly get time to sleep. Forget switching the PC on..

Somewhere in mid/end of November, the Estilo had wheel balancing and alignment done. The tyres were filled up with Nitrogen. 100 bucks. The first refill was free. [Though they said they'll charge me for it.]


What I noticed...

The ride quality is better. No more harsh bumps. Personally I don't feel it. It can be the hard suspension up front. Didn't have a ride in the backseat for a long long time now. Addy deliberately put the car through world famous Mumbai pot-holes. Did just fine. For a change my bum didn't hurt. Neither did my cold drink spill. Pretty smooth as of now.

The only downside to this, as I see..

There are not many refilling centers around. We had to actually drive 16 kms from our place to get the nitrogen refilled.

My verdict: Worth the100 bucks!

 

[Akash]

Update this thread again after some days after checking the tyre pressure as it is said that you don't need to fill them as often as normal air.

 

[Arun]

30 PSI. Came down to 29 in a month or so. But the difference is quite noticeable. The one PSI difference reflects on my cars handling.

 

[Akash]

So no difference between normal air and nitrogen filling as far as the reduction in PSI is concerned.

 

[rocky]

1.Nitrogen reduces the running temperature of the tyre, results less chance to bust the trye
2.Nitrogen has larger molecules and it leak out slowly, so no frequent filling required.
3.Oxygen reacts with the tyre and rim materials causing rust formation in the metal parts. Nitrogen, being an inert gas, does not react with the tyre and rim materials.
4.It says by reducing operating temperature will increase tyre life.