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Nitrogen for tires?

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Nitrogen inflation for on-road vehicles is basically a scam. On a vehicle in normal use it won't buy you anything. There are situations where nitrogen inflation helps:

1. In underground mines, subways, and high altitude airplanes nitrogen is used because if there is a fire the nitrogen in the tires won't add any oxygen to the mix. Above ground and at road altitudes, there is already plenty of oxygen and the amount extra in tires won't make a difference.

2. High end racers use nitrogen inflation because it's guaranteed to be dry so they can tweak the suspension to reduce the lap times by that last 1/100th of a second.

3. Low end racers use nitrogen inflation because the smaller tracks often don't have electricity in the pits and nitrogen is as cheap and safe as anything.

Other than that the best thing you can say about nitrogen is that it won't hurt the tires any because air is already mostly nitrogen. Just get a compressor and an in-line dryer (which will also keep any air tools you have in good condition).
 
I think my Model S came with nitro in the tires by default? There is a green cap on the tires which indicates nitro, correct?

Heh heh heh. Interestingly (or maybe not) in scuba diving, a green band on a tank indicates a NITROX mixture which contains less N and more O2 thN "normal" air. .

Like everyone else I always fill my tires with 78% Nitrogen.

We are way off topic now...
 
Believe it or not, Bridgestone says Nitrogen is recommended because Nitro is more likely to keep the tire inflation...
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Their data is 195/65R15, 60 degrees celcius for 100 days, after that air tire went from 240kpa to 140kpa, whereas Nitro tire went from 240kpa to 180kpa.
I'm not sure this test is relevant or not though. :)
 
Their data is 195/65R15, 60 degrees celcius for 100 days, after that air tire went from 240kpa to 140kpa, whereas Nitro tire went from 240kpa to 180kpa.
I'm not sure this test is relevant or not though. :)

It's not. If you haven't checked your tire pressure in 100 days, you have a bigger problem than what to put in them. Both tires were 25% or more underinflated (assuming 240 kPa was the correct pressure).
 
It's not. If you haven't checked your tire pressure in 100 days, you have a bigger problem than what to put in them. Both tires were 25% or more underinflated (assuming 240 kPa was the correct pressure).

This is one the big downsides to using nitrogen in tires. You cannot easily just top off at home, so you are less likely to keep them at optimal inflation.