Nitrogen in Tires

[Andrew Moser]

I went last night to buy a set of new tires for my SUV.  It was interesting that the "largest warehouse membership club" is promoting their new program to put Nitrogen in the tires instead of air.  They state that the nitrogen doesnt escape as quickly as the particles are larger than oxygen, that it has less temperature fluctuation, it improves tread life and that since it is drier than air it doesnt contribute to corrosion on the rims.  Anybody have any experience with this?

The downside to my tire experience yesterday.  As a practice I remove the wheels from my vehicle and take them to the tire store after I had a bad experience with a name brand "low price" tire store.  There IS a reason that a tire store tells you to check your lugs after 50 miles.  Because if their tire installer loses your original lug and replaces it with a non-matching, poorly fitting chrome lug and hides it behind your wire wheel hubcap - the lugs will come loose and damage your new rear brake caliper $$, rotor $ and rim plus endangering your life and your car.  

Anyhow, I brought my new nitrogen filled tires home, put them back on the vehicle and noticed that they looked awfully low.  Now the tire installer a the largest warehouse membership store made sure to tell me to keep them at 35 psi minimum as did the receipt BUT the tire installer either cant read a tire pressure gauge or his gauge doesnt work properly as my brand new nitrogen filled tires that cost almost $600 had only 28 psi in them.  

So I guess this afternoon I will have to make a decision - take the tires back off and trek back to the largest membership warehouse store and have them sufficiently inflate them with nitrogen or to heck with it - just fill them with good old US air and get it done with.

[denise 20352]

  We used to use nitrogen in aircraft tires.  I always thought that it was because there was no moisture in it.  Nitrogen is an inert gas, so mixing it with air is not a problem.

  Sometimes I think that its better just to take your rims to the tire store.  Ive seen tire installers using an impact wrench on aluminum wheels.

-denise

[Chris Arneson 22170]

I second Denise.  Fill them up with air and save yourself a couple of hours messing around with "that place"...

Dry nitrogen may be "better" than air but your old Cadillac will be so happly with its new shoes it wont even know the difference.

Chris.

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Ive been concerned about tire stores not tightening the lug nuts properly ever since my neighbor took his 73 SDV to have its first set of replacement tires put on and one of them came completely off of the car on the way home at 60 miles an hour and caused a good bit of damage to the undercarriage. It could easily have caused a wreck if Bill hadnt been able to keep the car in a straight line and come to a quick stop without getting hit.

[G.Lucas]

Well,if you consider that our air consists of 80percent nitrogen and roughly 20percent oxygen,then you are basically filling your tires with nitrogen.Now they use nitrogen in race car tires.The 100percent nitrogen does not expand and contract as much as the compressed air.It will not hold in moisture as does the regular air.Now I would image that you paid extra for this Nitrogen, so I would go back and get the tires topped up.I am sure that the halfwit does know how to fill a tire without you having to remove it form your suv,but then again nothing surprises me anymore.
I use nitrogen in my cars, because I like the consitance of it.It does not change very much with the changes of the outside temperture.Also I have my own tank and guages to fill my own tires. So the answer to your question is do what you are comfortable with.Good luck,G.L.

[Brian Rachlin]

How about this for an experience...

I have several Cadillacs, one of which is a very clean 94 Seville with Chrome Wheels.  When I bought the car, it had blackwalls, almost new, and I couldnt stand looking at the car with blackwall tires on it, so I went to a tire dealer and bought a set of Michelins with the very thin single stripe, which I think looks great on these cars.

The tire changer pried off the first center with a screwdriver, basically tossed it on the ground, then proceeded to take off the lugs with the air gun.  He heard me yelling over the sound of the air gun.  I had him pick up the center and hand it to me, and then I explained that its pretty ignorant to take a chrome center cap and get it all scratched up for no reason, other than being careless.

Then I watched another "tire professional" air hammer on 5 lugs, in sequential clockwise fasion (not cross tightening them gradually, so I told them to not touch my car.  I asked for a more experienced person to take care of the mounting, balancing, and putting the wheels back on the car, and I put the centers back on in the parking lot.

If I had more time, I would have just left and got the tires somewhere else, but I have since found a better place to get "shoes" for the "kids".

How bout filling the tires up with helium?  Will that make the car ride better?

Brian

[JIM CLC # 15000]

06-16-05
Brain, its just what Ive been telling folks for a long time. If the tire shop people continue to install the wheels NASCAR style, everyone will end-up with "warped" rotors or drums. Once warped, the only cure is a new rotor or drum as no amount of re-torquing will "true-up" a rotor.
What I have done is to offer to have the shop foreman test drive my car before they replace the tires, That way, there is no question as to who is to blame.
Good Luck, Jim

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Jim,

I dont even go to those places.   Let alone buy my tyres from them.

I go to the dealer, get their best price, buy them, take them to where I used to work and fit them myself and do my own balancing.

But then, we all cant do that.

Most of these "El Cheapo Tyre Stores" dont even have the correct hoists to pick up an older car let alone know how to remove and replace the wheel spats and caps.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[Chris Short CLC 18814]

Hello,
    The place I used to get tires I got so sick and tired of being forced to wait in a waiting room with a little tiny window in it.  And the tiny window was to the oustide..  Its like they are hiding what they are doing.  I walked out of the waiting room to the main service counter where from there I could see into the shop..  I was horified, there was my beautiful 89 Brougham.  Up in the air, wire hubcaps face DOWN on the cement around it.  They were finishing up at this time..  I saw the mechanic go around with a impact wrench and buzz all the nuts on the wheels.  And then he went around with a tourque wrench.  But the scary part was the tourque wrench didnt move when he used it on the nuts.  So I know they were WAY over tourque.  But he did use a torque wrench if asked.  I never went there again.  Now I found a little shop that I know the guys at personaly.  They let me drive my pride and joy into the shop, and they let me stand right there while they do it.  And I found that the new guys give me a better deal than the dealership I used to go to.  Even tho the guys are good in this little shop, I take the hubcaps off before they get to the car.  And on my favorite cars I only take the wheels in..  I do all my own work in my garage up to tires.  Im scared to death to take my cars anywhere because of the young punk workin on it or the screw job my check book is getting.  I used to work at a car parts store in town..  In the couple of years I worked there I sold dozens and dozens of wheel studs.  I wonder why..  Takeing are cars in for maintence shouldnt have to be a tramatic event!!

Chris Short

[densie]

  I like to fill my tires up with Nitrous.  It doesnt stay in the tires very long, but somehow it makes driving more enjoyable.  Sometimes I notice things in the road that were never there before.

-densie

[JIM CLC # 15000]

06-17-05
Brian, good idea, but, you would have to re-inflate just about every day as the Helium would go thru the tire and the rim area about as fast as salts thru the hired-hand. I have my doubts that Helium would ride any better.
Good luck, Jim

[Brian Rachlin]

The Helium was a joke, but i do like the Nitrious idea...

BR

[Erik]

Ive pretty much had terrible luck with most tire dealers--either they argue about what tires they will and will not mount (Costco) or they cant balance the wheels accurately (Costco, Les Schwab) or they flake out and dont even order the tires and then lie about it (Firestone).  Nitrogen?  Nitrogen has long been used on jets because it reduces the risk of a flaming blowout, but unless you drive at 200mph with 15,000 lbs of kerosene in your trunk, save yourself the hassle and just fill up your tires at the nearest compressor.  Just my two cents.

Erik

[Dave MacGregor #18998]

After having gone to a famous mall department stores tire and auto center once about ten years ago for tires on an S-10 Blazer I had, I vowed never to go there again.  On my way home that night, not even two miles from the store, I heard some racket in my rear wheel wells, then in the front right wheel well.  Sounded like stones were thrown, but much louder and I was traveling at highway speed at the time.  Also, after all those sounds, my vehicle began to shake and shutter some.

I pulled over and found that all the wheel weights, except for those on the front left tire, had been thrown off!!!  Lucky I found no damage on my vehicle although Im not sure if any of my weights hit any other vehicles on the road, but I turned right around and went back to the place.  It was found that the tire installer put on the WRONG wheel weights for my alloy wheels so they would not hold properly!  The evidence was still on the front left tire with one weights loosened and just about ready to fly off!

I vowed to ABSOLUTELY NEVER EVER go there again for vehicle work!

Now, I go to local a small town private tire dealer whos knowledgable, caring, does fine work, and doesnt mind one hanging over his shoulder while on the job.  Im real happy with him!!!

[Dave MacGregor #18998]

imagine floating down the highway in a Cadillac equiped with set of helium filled treads!!!  :-)

[Ivan Zanatta]

I used to run a taxi years ago, and after having many arguments over patch up tube vs new tube(which one do you think they make the most money on, and is far quicker?) at the franchised tyre store, I made a tyre de-beader,  blew the dust off the tyre levers and rubber mallet, and havent looked back since.
 It seems that the stores are told to replace rather than repair the tubes.This store also had a policy of "slash any tyre casings so they cant be retreaded"
So much for the enviroment!
I used to put nitrogen in aircraft tyres (less expansion at high altitudes) where I worked. But unless my Caddy weighs in at 350 tons (Its not quite so heavy), and cruises at 35000 ft, Ill stick to air in my tyres. The nitro is just another scam by the stores so that you pay to top up- you guessed it-
at their stores.