Posted by Bob_Chicago on 7/2/07 11:34pm
Msg #198273

OT - Tip re your auto tires. For those of us who put.......

a lot of miles on our cars, I have been advised that by filling
your tires with nitrogen instead of regular air, you will extend
the life of your tires considerably.
This was told to me by a family owned tire chain Chicago that has been in busiess
since 1914 and with whom I have dealt with for many years.
When I replace the tires on my last car , they suggested that I fill them with
nitrogen for something like an additional $20
I just had the tires on my new car re-filled with nitrogen
Below is a link that discusses the issue.
I have no special expertise in this area and have not resarched the matter.
It might be worth your wile to look into it.
I asked the guy what would happen if I used hilium ,instead, to make my
car float and save on gas. He did not think that it would work.
Seriously, check it out.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Selling-Nitrogen-In-Tires---Is-It-All-A-Lot-Of-Hot-Air?&id=38142

Reply by Kim_CA on 7/2/07 11:53pm
Msg #198277

Hi Bob,

I bought my last set of tires from Costco last year and they fill the tires with nitrogen. The tires are in great shape, but they are under a year old.

Kim

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 7/3/07 3:35am
Msg #198282

Don't waste your money ...

(Cars and racing are a hobby of mine)
Long term testing by, most notably, Consumer Reports indicate no difference in like cars where maintenance is properly performed.. The only advantage would be for those of you who don't properly check your air pressure and that advantage is small. Molecules of nitrogen are very large and will not pass through the pores of the tires and rims very fast at all ( that's why they fill shocks with nitrogen--large molecules and it won't leak past the seals, plus no moisture). Low tire pressure will, at the very least cost you extra fuel and cause the tires to cup and wear on the outside. They will also overheat and could fail due to excessive heat buildup. However, even this advantage decreases over time as air is 78% nitrogen, anyway and over time the other elements of the air you put in your tires leak out leaving the nitrogen. Some say that the O2 in the air will cause the tires to rot on the inside. Well, guess what, there is O2 on the outside and additives are added to the rubber to combat this and also UV. Next time you change your tires, check out the inside ...looks great compared to the outside. Moisture and rust. Well, most rims these days are alloys that don't rust. And I don't ever remember seeing a rusty rim when I was a tire flopper at a tire store in my high school days. If you air your tires at a tire shop, the compressors have water filters (as do I on my home compressor) on them to protect the air tools. But moisture is a non issue for the average Joe. You can find a lot of stuff on the internet, both pro and con on the subject, so you can decide. ..

For me, I will keep my vehicles properly maintained, check my tire pressure once a week and spend the extra money on something else ....

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 7/3/07 3:51am
Msg #198283

OT I forgot to mention ..

The average cost to a tire retailer to inflate the average set of tires is about a buck. The rest is profit ....

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070216.html

Reply by Todd/OH on 7/3/07 9:57am
Msg #198308

Helium? I could land at my next signing - no traffic stress n/m

Reply by Charles_Ca on 7/3/07 2:17pm
Msg #198371

I really don't like Consumer Reports but you are accurate

in that the jury is still out. I maintain my tires but the last time I changed Costco went to all N2 and so they just inflated them with it. I use high-end tires from the same manufacturer on all my vehicles and I have been using these tires since the '60s. I don't know if the N2 made a difference but because of the way I drive and where I drive my personal car tires last about 40,000 miles. I've gotten 60,000 on this current set with the N2 and the wear bars are only now starting to be visible in the grooves but i've still got the more than the minimum tread. I drive very hard and frequently at, ahem, elevated speeds so I have a great interest in my tires. I don't know, maybe tires are getting much better, I know that I get mine rotated regularly and since Costco provides free rotation, inflation, re-balancing and regular check-ups I have mine serviced very regularly. I have not noticed any difference in gas mileage so I have no idea if the N2 is beneficial or not but at least I haven't had any problems.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 7/3/07 3:23pm
Msg #198391

Re: I really don't like Consumer Reports but you are accurat

Well, actually, there is plenty of info from other sources over the years, because this ship first sailed in the late 70's during that round of fuel shortages. Long haul trucking companies, taxi companies, my former employer et.al all tested the stuff without any difference in performance one way or the other. It just cost money. As far as tire mileage, well you hit the nail on the head. Maintenance. My personal record is 113,000 miles on a set of Big-O touring tires on a 1992 Buick before it got to the 2/32" level.

Costco and a couple of other tire companies began using it as a marketing tool a couple of years ago. So if it is free, I say what the hell ... just don't pay for it and expect to get your money back in extended service. In opinion, it belongs in the same pile as the magnets on the fuel lines, Slick 50 (except Slick 50 was known for plugging oil passages) and other snake oil cures. I did get into synthetic oils from the 70's on as I saw the advantages first hand while racing motorcycles and I extended the oil change intervals in my trucks and cars due to my driving 40,000 to 60,000 miles per year so while I was employed.

Reply by NCLisa on 7/3/07 10:42am
Msg #198313

When we bought my daughter her SUV, they put nitrogen in her tires. I never really thought to much about it.