Nitrogen Tire Fill?
Originally Posted by hotrod2448
I think your math is wrong. The air we breathe is already 60 percent nitrogen. It is going to be the amount of water vapor in hte air that makes the biggest difference in weight and most compressed air has been through some type of drying process so that is almost a mute point. There is no way you are going to save 7lbs of weight by filling your tires with nitrogen.
Originally Posted by kmcconn9
so..im pretty bored: Nitrogen is about 1.81 pounds lighter than air, pound for pound...so it probably wont make much of a difference if any...(7 pounds)
Haha, hydrogen. Kinda changes the meaning of "blowing a tire".
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 549
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From: Maryland
I hope there is no argument that you'll see no weight differences by using helium, hydrogen, air, oxygen.....whatever in a car wheel/tire... Only advantage, as has already been said, is steadier air pressure when hot on the track.
ok my math was just a little off, guess I should have used a calculator....
The biggest reason to use compressed nitrogen *in a racing tire* is that it's dry, compared to typical compressed air.
When a tire heats up, the air and any moisture inside it heats up as well. When the moisture inside the tire heats up, the water molecules move further apart, increasing the tire pressure. By removing this moisture, the pressure stays more consistent over the entire heat cycle of the tire.
On a racecar, a 1/4 psi difference can change the handling of a car significantly. The humidity inside a tire does not have to be zero, but if it is not at least kept consistent from one set of tires to another, to equal a 1/4 psi increase in the current set, a 1 psi change may need to be made in another set because of the differing humidities.
Is nitrogen completely necessary? No. Air can be dried using inline air dryers and such. However, it's much easier to keep tire humidity consistent when all the tires can be filled from the same 1500 psi bottle of nitrogen delivered to the shop.
As far as race tires go, this is the reason to use nitrogen. Because of the short life of a race tire, how much air permiates out of a tire over a year is of no concern.
The biggest reason to use compressed nitrogen *in a racing tire* is that it's dry, compared to typical compressed air.
When a tire heats up, the air and any moisture inside it heats up as well. When the moisture inside the tire heats up, the water molecules move further apart, increasing the tire pressure. By removing this moisture, the pressure stays more consistent over the entire heat cycle of the tire.
On a racecar, a 1/4 psi difference can change the handling of a car significantly. The humidity inside a tire does not have to be zero, but if it is not at least kept consistent from one set of tires to another, to equal a 1/4 psi increase in the current set, a 1 psi change may need to be made in another set because of the differing humidities.
Is nitrogen completely necessary? No. Air can be dried using inline air dryers and such. However, it's much easier to keep tire humidity consistent when all the tires can be filled from the same 1500 psi bottle of nitrogen delivered to the shop.
As far as race tires go, this is the reason to use nitrogen. Because of the short life of a race tire, how much air permiates out of a tire over a year is of no concern.
so there really is maybe like 100 grams difference between the two, from the above mentioned information, you can see the main benefits other than the minimal weight savings, if any any at all....
sorry for the confusion..
sorry for the confusion..
Originally Posted by Deca Auto
Correct. Regular air is mostly hydrogen anyways. Its all a gimick to me.
Air = 78% nitrogen, 18% 0xygen, the rest is co2 (IIRC)
Filling your tire with helium would last about a day. Helium is one of the smallest molecules and leaks out of everything.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 62
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From: Atlanta, GA
wingless, close. there are numerous other things, nitrogen oxides, argon, hydrogen, helium, neon, basically anything that can enter a gaseous state at STP will be present, but in low concentrations of course.
we use helium as the ultimate leak check gas here at work. if one of our vessels can hold pressure (1400 psi) with no leaks under helium.... then we did it right.
JJ
we use helium as the ultimate leak check gas here at work. if one of our vessels can hold pressure (1400 psi) with no leaks under helium.... then we did it right.
JJ
Originally Posted by Juiced
also compressed air can have tiny water molecules in it, hydrogen doesn't besides they give you those nifty green valve stem caps.....lol