DWalt
Member
It's like beating a dead horse, but the main argument in favor of using nitrogen instead of air seems to focus mainly on permeability differences of nitrogen and air through rubber. It is claimed that oxygen in air is more permeable through rubber than nitrogen because oxygen in air has a slightly greater "kinetic permeability" than nitrogen. In other words, a tire loses more pressure over time when filled with air due to greater oxygen permeability through rubber. Consumer Reports did an actual year long test using a number of different tire brands filled with both air and nitrogen and found that indeed, tires filled with air do lose more internal pressure than tires filled with air. But the difference over a one year period was only about 2 psi more on average, ie, the air-filled tire lost 2 psi more pressure than an identical nitrogen-filled tire. Hardly anything worth losing sleep over. Otherwise, no difference. Regarding oxygen degradation of rubber, that is a pointless consideration because any significant tire oxidation damage from using air as a filler would take far longer to occur than the expected service life of the tire. Firestone put out a statement to the effect that as long as the tire is maintained at the recommended inflation pressure, it makes no difference what it filled with. In summary, if you don't mind the extra expense of filling your tires with nitrogen and it makes you feel more secure, go ahead and use it. But don't expect it to result in any meaningful improvement of tire performance or tire life.
Personally, I usually check my tire pressures a couple of times per year. If any need pressured up, I plug my portable air pump into the cigarette lighter socket and blow them up. Maybe 15 minutes each time.
Personally, I usually check my tire pressures a couple of times per year. If any need pressured up, I plug my portable air pump into the cigarette lighter socket and blow them up. Maybe 15 minutes each time.
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