I have got Nitrogen in my tyres apparently
can I mix Nitrogen with air ?
I need them a bit harder and cant anywhere locally that does Nitrogen !

 

From what I believe you can, but obviously you loose the benefit that the gas gives you as the mix will be diluted ... ie the benefit is a more stable tyre pressure as it doesnt expand with heat etc

 

No problem you're breathing about 80% nitrogen anyway.

 

It's also lighter i think.

 

Nitrogen is a heavier gas, helium and hydrogen are the light ones. Nitrogen is used as it is barely effected by temperature increases.

 

I stand corrected; Chemistry was never a strong point at school.

Then again, nor was school...

 

Sort of right. Nitrogen is affected by heat exactly the same as any other gas. It's governed by Boyles law or Charles law, forget which chemistry o level was a long time ago. As previously said air is around 80% nitrogen anyway.

The difference is that if you fill a tyre with air the air will naturally contain some water vapour. Fill a tyre with pure nitrogen and there's no water vapour present. It's removing the water vapour which makes the tyre pressure more stable with temperature.

But for road use it's nonsense, the teperatures involved are negligible compared with the temperatures in racing and the change in tyre pressures are far less critical. So just go to your local garage and use the air line.

 

wow thats the most concise reply I have ever seen on SN
I thought it was nonsense for a road car !!
Anyway thanks

 

IIRC F1 teams fill the tyres with nitrogen. Something to do with being more predictable under expansion or something like that. Read it a long time ago now

 

I measured a difference of a few PSI just by driving a few miles - try it yourself; measure pressures first thing in the morning before driving, then measure them again after you've gone a few miles. I was really suprised (although not suprised enough to actually remember exactly how many PSI it had changed by I'm afraid)!

 

just been out hooning around for quite a while 28 psi before and 28 psi afterwards nitrogen has it's advantages
think they are too soft so they are now 34psi front and 32 psi rear, feels a lot better in the wet

 

Nitrogen only really benefits Truck drivers as generally you get 1 or 2 extra re-treads , with normal air - oxygen mix, water vapour and the heat causes premature vulcanisation hence causing the side wall to become crakcked and aged.

Therefore the tyres wear out from the inside out.There's currently a big N2 fad in the states. But for normal cars - the tyres are normally worn doneby use before the tyre carcass has expired.

 

I use nitrogen in my track day tyres (Bridgestone RE55S) to have consistent pressure, and if necessary (i.e. my pit crew failed to turn up on time ) I top them up with normal air - as was stated above that's 80% nitrogen anyway!

For road tyres its probably over-kill, unless its free!

Neil

 

Sounds like a clear advantage to me!

 

They don't warm up the rubber like they should, that is of course for everyday use.

As for trackdays it prolly works better that normal air.

 

All you need to know Technical Information Issue # 11