Benefits Of Nitrogen in Tires

Benefits of Nitrogen in Tires

The compressed form of nitrogen is used for inflating tires of both aircrafts and race cars. This is done because the water vapor and oxygen found in regular air can degrade wheels and tires, lessening tire life. Nowadays, nitrogen inflation is easily accessible from most commercial dealers in car tires.

1. Lessens corrosion

Oxygen causes oxidation of the rubber in the tires as well corrosion of the alloy and metal wheels. Water vapor accelerates the aforementioned processes, particularly under high pressure. These corrosive effects of water vapor and oxygen are increased when the tires overheat as a result of under inflation. On the other hand, nitrogen is one of the inert gases and thus it is not going to cause rust or corrosion. Nitrogen will also not damage the seals present in air valves, preventing loss of pressure.

2. Reduced pressure loss

Tires inflated with regular air will likely lose 2 psi of pressure monthly. If you replace the regular compressed air with 98% nitrogen, the pressure loss can be reduced to one psi each month. Since most drivers do not check their tire pressure regularly, nitrogen inflation is going to enable their tires to sustain proper inflation levels. A key advantage of tires that have been proper inflated is the fact that you will save a lot of money on fuel.

3. Enhanced tire life

The use of nitrogen to inflate tires increases the life of tires. The greatest dangers to tire life include uneven tread wear, heat and degrading of the inner rubber lining of the tire. The best thing about nitrogen is that it is not going to cause any degradation of the inner rubber lining. According to a recent study, inflating tires using nitrogen could possibly extend tire life to 25%.

The only drawback of inflating nitrogen in tires is that nitrogen costs money as compared to air, which is normally free.