Using Nitrogen In Your Tires – Is It Worth It
You may have been hearing a lot lately about inflating your tires with nitrogen instead of compressed air. Car dealers, tire shops and online auto related forums have all had their share of discussions, some heated, over the pros and cons of using nitrogen.
One thing we have noticed is that there is a lot of myths and misinformation being put out on both sides of the debate. So it brings us around to the biggest question; is using nitrogen in tires really worth the effort?
First off, we want to avoid the scientific discussion that most can’t understand anyway. We’ve all heard the numbers that our air is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen and 1% water vapor. We’ve heard talk of CO2, neon gases, argon gases and other terms that require one to basically be a scientist in order to understand what it all means. But what about some simple talk for the rest of us who just want to drive our cars and get the most performance out of our tires as possible? Let’s see if we can make some sense from it all.
Benefits To Using Nitrogen
Nitrogen Maintains Pressure Longer Than Air
One of the biggest benefits in using nitrogen that we hear discussed the most is that it keeps the pressure stabilized for a much longer period of time. We’ve seen claims that that nitrogen will maintain its pressure up to 3 times longer than air.
The vast majority of drivers rarely, if ever, check their tire’s pressure on a regular basis, so it’s easy to see that this could be a helpful benefit. Low tire pressure is one of the leading causes of premature tire wear.
Nitrogen Does Not Contain Water Like Air Does
Another argument for using nitrogen is that it doesn’t contain the water vapor that you find in most compressed air lines. Pure nitrogen is also dry nitrogen. Why is that an issue? Water vapor, or even a small drop of water inside the tire, leads to corrosion and damage on steel or aluminum wheels.
Have you ever noticed how you can depress an air hose with your finger at a gas station or service garage and find it getting wet or oily afterwards? That immediately tells you that there is water in the line, and that water is also going into your tire when you inflate it.
To be fair, most all tire shops and garages keep their air free of humidity. However, many gas station convenience stores do not. If you are running on a set of expensive rims, this is on earea to pay particular attention to.
Other Benefits Of Using Nitrogen
Other claimed benefits of using nitrogen in your tires include improved fuel economy. This is supposedly due to a lower rolling resistance because your tires are no longer under-inflated.
This is an area where we feel there is not enough data to back up the claims, at least not from what we have seen. Unless you run your tires severely under inflated, using regular compressed air will get the best fuel economy out of your tires regardless.
Increased tire life is another benefit. Again, if you properly inflate your tires and check them on a regular basis when you fill your tank with gas, you will get the same benefits.
Some people will also try to tell you that their tires ride more smoothly with nitrogen. We do not believe that at all. It’s a perception and not a fact. There is no evidence that nitrogen improves ride quality.
Cons Against Using Nitrogen
Costs
The biggest knock against inflating your tires with nitrogen is often times the cost. We have heard from drivers who have paid $30 per new tire to have them filled. (We’ve also heard from a few drivers who say that tire dealers have added in the cost of nitrogen service without asking or telling them about it, which is just plain wrong. We won’t name names, but be sure to ask questions in advance.)
Availability And Convenience Issues
A lack of availability in filling your tires with nitrogen is also a concern. Nota lot of gas stations or tire shops offer nitrogen inflation. Many car dealerships do, but it can often be an inconvenience to go to one, as well as go to one that is open when you need it. So this also becomes a convenience issue. Not to mention that if you travel on vacation and need more nitrogen in your tires, you have to spend time finding a place that can provide it.
What we would advise is to get a list of stations/dealerships in your area that offer the service. You can visit sites such as https://www.getnitrogen.org/ and use their handy online locator to get a quick list of places around your zip code.
Verdict
As you can see, there are many legitimate pros and cons to using nitrogen in your tires. It really boils down to a personal preference as to which is best for you. We have a hard time recommending anyone pay out $30 a tire for nitrogen inflation. Unless you have a great deal of disposable income in your wallet, maintaining proper inflation by using air makes better sense.
On the other hand, if it is offered free of charge when you buy a new set oftires, or a particular station or dealership wants to provide it to you for free, we’d say go for it.
Our opinions could easily change in the future as more test data becomes available. But for now, simply keeping your tires properly aired up and checking their pressure on a weekly/monthly basis is truly all you really need to do in order to get the most from them.