Not many are aware of the fact that Nitrogen fills up the tyres of aircraft and F1 cars. So, why is this important? Nitrogen can be used to fill your tyres too!
So what with all this talk about nitrogen?
Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic gas that forms about 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere. The benefits claimed for using nitrogen over compressed air for inflating tyres are that it:
- Reduces the tyre’s running temperature
- Improves the ride quality
- Increases tyre life
- Keeps tyre pressures more constant
- Slows the rate of pressure loss
- Doesn’t react with the tyre and rim materials
The air that is filled in our car tyres contain oxygen and water vapor which can cause corrosion due to presence of moisture and also the size of the oxygen molecules is very small, so they can easily escape from the tyre .
This is where nitrogen comes into the picture. It performs better than normal air in your tyre.
Nitrogen slows the rate of pressure loss from tyres and helps to maintain the optimum tyre pressure for a longer period. Also nitrogen being a dry gas helps in keeping the tyre temperature down and thus improving the longevity of the tyres that would otherwise cost a fortune to replace. Nitrogen increases the life of the tyre by about 25 to 30% and reduces the fuel consumption by a considerable 5% giving you more mileage and lesser carbon-di-oxide emissions.
Moreover nitrogen does not react with the metal parts of the tyres unlike oxygen and so the question of rust and the resultant wear and tear is ruled out. However this does not mean that the tyres wont wear out. Rather their life will improve considerably.
Ofcourse just as a coin has two sides, nitrogen also has its own downsides. The first such drawback is general awareness about its properties. Not many of us know that nitrogen can be used in place of normal air to inflate the tyres of our cars. Second is its availability. Though it has gained popularity in recent times, it is still not widely available like normal air. Very few gas stations have the facility for filling nitrogen. Its benefits must be publicized to further augment its use.
And next comes the cost. Nitrogen is not available for free like normal air. The cost of filling nitrogen in one tyre can range between Rs. 10 to Rs. 30.
Finally filling nitrogen doesn’t mean that there is no need for you to stop checking the pressure regularly as the risk of a puncture or a leak remains unchanged. Once a tyre is filled with nitrogen , you should not revert to normal air. This will reverse all the benefits previously accrued.
A nitrogen filled tyre does not exempt you from the responsibility of regular maintenance. Regardless of what inflation gas is used, maximum tyre life will only be achieved if the vehicle and tyres are properly maintained. That means regular checking of tyre pressures, wheel balance and alignment.
To find out whether your car tyres are filled with nitrogen check out the tyre cap. If it is of green colour then it means the tyre is filled with nitrogen.
A bit of trivia to finsh things off- the Nissan GT-R comes pre-filled with nitrogen right from the Nissan factory!
