Kwik Fit and Nitrogen Tyre Inflation - I call Bull!

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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:11 PM
  #1  
Unfortunately, Kwik Fit are now our company car tyre supplier.

They have sent out the following on a flyer:-

Quote:
Environmental awareness
Tyres inflated with nitrogen as standard at centres to
reduce wear and minimise pressure fluctuations. This
improves fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions.
What a crock of ****!

Another reason to go cash for car!

Steve
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:14 PM
  #2  
Nitrogen? I wouldn't trust a quick fit fitter with oxygen were it not for the fact that he needs it to breathe!
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:24 PM
  #3  
Quote: Nitrogen? I wouldn't trust a quick fit fitter with oxygen were it not for the fact that he needs it to breathe!
Eh? Nitrogen is an inert gas yet you suggest it is more reactive than Oxygen?

- They should fill tyres with Methane from cows though! That's cut down on the greenhouse effect!
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:26 PM
  #4  
errrr - it's true. e.g. see here:

Tyres : Car tyre safety advice - filling with nitrogen - The AA

and why wouldn't you trust a kwik-fit fitter with nitrogen? it's inert. (I remember being highly amused when watching terminator at the cinema - at one point arnie freezes the robot bloke with liquid nitrogen - a pillock in front of me shouted 'chuck a match!' - errrr, why?)

Gordo
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:29 PM
  #5  
errr it's not, read the last bit:-

Quote:
Changing to nitrogen involves removing all the air which is already in the tyres and then re-inflating them with purified compressed nitrogen. There will be a one-off charge per tyre but once filled with nitrogen any future top-ups would also have to be with nitrogen if any advantages are to be maintained.

Overall, while accepting the possibility of purified nitrogen being of benefit in certain applications, we don't think that the cost and possible inconvenience are justified for normal passenger car use.
Steve
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:42 PM
  #6  
More money then sense?! Nitrogen FFS.

TX.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 07:55 PM
  #7  
^^ in your wallet

TX.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 08:37 PM
  #8  
how do they get all the air out the tyre? Even popping the valve only gets you down to ambient air pressure so plenty left in the tyre.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 08:41 PM
  #9  
Quote: how do they get all the air out the tyre? Even popping the valve only gets you down to ambient air pressure so plenty left in the tyre.
They get MODS to suck the atmosphere out of them - Much like in here
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Feb 26, 2010 | 08:46 PM
  #10  
Good point, I doubt they vacuum it out!

So, by rough calculation, you'd start with 1Bar (absolute) in the tyre. My car takes about 2Bar (gauge) or 3Bar (Abs) so a third of the volume (assuming constant temp) would still be air.

So, 21% of air is oxygen therefore 7% of the tyre would still have oxygen in it!

Myth -BUSTED

Steve
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Feb 26, 2010 | 08:50 PM
  #11  
It's true, but impractical.

Race cars teams use nitrogen to get more consistent behaviour from the tyre.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 08:53 PM
  #12  
I have my tyres filled with Krypton at every possibility. Well that's what Charlie Brown's charge me for.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:18 PM
  #13  
F1 cars have tyres inflated with nitrogen

You probably get more nitrogen in if you use a vacuum pump (very slow though).

When I worked in a/c, we often filled the tyres on the van with Nitrogen (used to carry bottled of the stuff for pressure testing). Not for performance, but because the manager refused to get the punctures sorted in a timely fashion. At one point my van had three punctures; one on the spare and two on the road wheels. Had to re-inflate them on every journey (only took a few seconds with full bottles).

Problem was one day we ran out of Nitrogen. Flat tyre, flat spare, so used a little R22. Not a clever idea, owing to its rate of expansion when it gets warm (nor the ozone).
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:24 PM
  #14  
If you fill your tyres with Nitrogen, remember that you will need a re-map ... if you don't it is well documented in the ***** of SN that the wheel will detonate and drop a valve!!

That will be £600 please - ching, ching ...
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:30 PM
  #15  
Only £600?

Bargain!
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:31 PM
  #16  
How much would it cost to fill your average everyday car tyre with Nitrogen then??
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:47 PM
  #17  
Nitrogen air fill is free at loads of places, you just have to request it. Been using it for the past 3 years
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Feb 26, 2010 | 09:54 PM
  #18  
It has questionable vale on a road car...
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Feb 26, 2010 | 10:01 PM
  #19  
Quote: It has little to zero value on a road car...
EFA
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Feb 26, 2010 | 10:07 PM
  #20  
Quote: I fill mine with 78% nitrogen and can definitely feel the difference...
Wot, you mean like, as in, er, fresh air - cool

mb
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Feb 26, 2010 | 10:17 PM
  #21  
Quote: They get MODS to suck the atmosphere out of them - Much like in here
Post of the day award goes to...
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Feb 26, 2010 | 10:32 PM
  #22  
Unfortunately all that 100% N2 theory goes out the window when you get out the footpump the next month to top up the pressure................
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Feb 26, 2010 | 11:13 PM
  #23  
Quote: EFA
Youll need your own nitrogen cylinder if youre using it in a track car too.
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Feb 26, 2010 | 11:14 PM
  #24  
.. really who gives a ****

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Feb 26, 2010 | 11:42 PM
  #25  
Quote: Unfortunately all that 100% N2 theory goes out the window when you get out the footpump the next month to top up the pressure................
In theory nitrogeon filled tyres don't lose pressure so you won't need to top up each month.
Reply 0
Feb 27, 2010 | 10:11 AM
  #26  
Quote: errr it's not, read the last bit:-



Steve
haha - it's still right. you disputed the facts in your original post, which were all true. you're now questioning how it's done in practice, which is different. I agree I wouldn't pay Kwik-Fit to fill my tyres with nitrogen (or anyone else, for that matter, as Im not driving a 'race' car), but that doesn't mean the benefits of doing so are wrong.

but the main reason I wouldn't take a car to kwik-fit is I wouldn't trust them to do anything
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Feb 27, 2010 | 11:49 AM
  #27  
I'm a bit of a nerd , but here goes:

Using 2 barg as the inflation pressure and the fact that we don't have a vacuum pump to hand.

With tyre temperature at 10C, for a 10C rise in temperature the density change is 2.3% less using Nitrogen.


A few years ago someone asked about filling 4 tyres with Helium, on standard classic rims, If I remember correctly there was a 244g reduction in weight.


Nik
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Feb 27, 2010 | 12:12 PM
  #28  
The reason nitrogen inflated tyres vary less in their pressure vs temperature response is that there is less water vapour. Using compressed air inevitably introduces water vapour which changes to steam when the tyres get hot. My tyres were inflated with nitrogen at the factory and the dealer use it, but I still adjust the pressures with air for seasonal changes and when the dealer ***** up the correct tyre pressures. I wouldn't spend my own money on nitrogen.
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Feb 27, 2010 | 01:26 PM
  #29  
Ive got 2 bottles of N2 on my van. Never used it for my tyres but did used to use it to blow up the kids paddling pool in the summer

Chip
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Feb 27, 2010 | 02:12 PM
  #30  
Quote: how do they get all the air out the tyre? Even popping the valve only gets you down to ambient air pressure so plenty left in the tyre.
YouTube - Nitrogen Tire Filling
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