Is Nitrogen Right for your Tires?

So why use nitrogen in your tires? Air is air….right? Wrong. Turns out that there IS a difference. At the heart of the matter it really comes down to maintaining proper tire inflation. When your tires are properly inflated, they last longer, handle better, and ultimately save you gas money!

The problem is that tires filled with air can lose around a pound and a half of air pressure every month. This is nothing more than oxygen in the tires seeping out. The moral of this story is that if you don’t check your air pressure for a month or two, you could be significantly low.

A tire filled with nitrogen will take about 6 months to lose as much pressure as regular air does in a month. So it’s more forgiving of those who don’t check their tire pressure every week.

Also, getting the oxygen out of your tire could be very beneficial because oxygen at higher temperatures, like when you have been driving for a while, oxidizes the inside of your tire.

So who is using nitrogen? Let’s start with NAPA NASCAR driver Chase Elliot and the rest of the racers! These racers like nitrogen’s ability to maintain tire pressure and reduce tire temperature under very demanding conditions. Also, the U.S. government requires all commercial aircrafts to use nitrogen in their tires. NASA and the U.S. Military are in on it too!

The good news is that nitrogen doesn’t cost very much. It also does not affect your tire warranty. If you decide that nitrogen is best for you, remember that it is still important to check tire pressure. If you have a leak, you can always top your tire off with regular air if you need to.

Visit your local AutoCare Center and learn more about putting nitrogen in your tires!

Posted August 7th, 2014