Inflating Tyres with Nitrogen

[L.P.]

Its Good for all types of Compounds.

Particularly in Soft compound Tires U find the difference easily.
These tires tend to overheat with normal air.
However nitrogen keeps the tire cooler & for a longer time the tire stays in optimum condition for better performance.

In all types of Compounds as air inside the tire gets hot which leads to increase in the tire pressure.
An increase in tire pressure means less contact patch on the road which means less grip when accelerating, cornering & Braking.
This is where N2 makes the major difference.
It tends to be lot cooler when compared to normal air.
A commuter may no notice the difference, But a normal 15 Rider on a 200km ride will feel the difference easily.
For SBKs U'll notice it much quickly.

Commuter uses semi-hard to Hard tires for Durability.
R15 has an intermediate compound which is the softest compound available in a stock Vehicle.
The SBKs use semi-soft compounds.

Pure Soft Compounds on street will be good for hardly a 1000-1500 km.

Sirac is Semi Hard,
MRF on R15 is Intermediate,
Michelin Pilot sport etc are semi soft.

*Head Nods* UnderStood Sir!

Normal air consists of 78% of Nitrogen !

Your ID supports your Post..

[insanebiker]

Your ID supports your Post..

And ur Avatar pic represents ur maturity level

[KwokFist]

And ur Avatar pic represents ur maturity level

hahaha :P

@Prabhakar: thanks for the info!!! and wat about those who race at the tracks. N2 would make an obvious choice wouldnt it?

[Prabhakar]

hahaha :P

@Prabhakar: thanks for the info!!! and wat about those who race at the tracks. N2 would make an obvious choice wouldnt it?

Yeah thats true.

Ideal conditions N2 is better whether its track or Street.

However U also need to check the Track Temp, Ambient air temp, & the Compound of the tire.

Too many parameters to check.

Even though if U don gain anything U R not loosing anything with N2.

Exception : If the track is too cold & U are on a semi-soft tire & U R going for a very short race without even a warm up lap then U better shift to normal air.
The soft Tires need to get heat before they perform the best & U may end the race when the Tire is cold on N2.

[KwokFist]

Yeah thats true.

Ideal conditions N2 is better whether its track or Street.

However U also need to check the Track Temp, Ambient air temp, & the Compound of the tire.

Too many parameters to check.

Even though if U don gain anything U R not loosing anything with N2.

Exception : If the track is too cold & U are on a semi-soft tire & U R going for a very short race without even a warm up lap then U better shift to normal air.
The soft Tires need to get heat before they perform the best & U may end the race when the Tire is cold on N2.

True,

I have been thinking the same for some time now. Might test it out on my next tour. Altho on my last tour which lasted about 480+km/day normal air held up good enough. But the speeds were varying and a few top speed runs of 130+. But for street use i think N2 is worth the test, especially around some fast corners and see if there's any difference. But there shouldnt be much noticable difference because the temperatures on the street vary from those on track and arent the ideal place for a test. But maybe for a saddlesore run it might prove to be useful! Would it?.

It costs about 20Rs per tire fill here.

[Prabhakar]

True,

I have been thinking the same for some time now. Might test it out on my next tour. Altho on my last tour which lasted about 480+km/day normal air held up good enough. But the speeds were varying and a few top speed runs of 130+. But for street use i think N2 is worth the test, especially around some fast corners and see if there's any difference. But there shouldnt be much noticable difference because the temperatures on the street vary from those on track and arent the ideal place for a test. But maybe for a saddlesore run it might prove to be useful! Would it?.

It costs about 20Rs per tire fill here.

I would recommend it if U Plan to Ride/Drive any vehicle for more than 50-60 kms at a stretch or 200+ kms in a single day.
Even if U don go beyond 80also its good to have for these conditions.
400+ km any day N2 is a better choice.

Also @20 per tire it is worth a Coffee at a Coffee day for the four legs of a car!!!!!!!

In general its worth if U don mind spending a little more to get some benefits even if U r not on a tour.

[HydBiker]

Normal unpolluted air at sea level has 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen then come Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, etc in smaller proportions. And the normal air compressors do a good job with pumping in extra moisture into the air we fill in.

Pure Nitrogen:
- doesn't have moisture in it
- is more stable across temperatures - very less expansion or contraction compared to regular air - consistent tyre pressure
- is very inert - no combustion hazard - no reaction with tyre compound due to no oxygen presence
- is lighter than normal air
- Larger molecule than most other gases in air - less leakage - Nitrogen permeates through the tire at a rate of 35% slower that oxygen (the next largest component in air)
- is dry compared to air and hence disperses heat faster than air - maintaining cooler air temperature.


and then, a strong number of accidents happen because of tyre blowouts. These blowouts happen because of overheated tyres. Many of them get overheated because they are running on lower tyre pressure - both situations can be helped well by using Nitrogen in tyres.


How many of you tried feeling how hot the tyre & the rim/alloy is just after you get down from your bike after a highway ride? I check it regularly and I know my R15 tyres defanitely ran cooler when they were inflated with Nitrogen. Apart from this, the air pressure was locked in without loss for months until I got a puncture in the tyre. I had to adjust the pressure every week otherwise... even after a long ride I used to find some change in tyre pressure at the destination.

There are benefits... Some want them and some don't mind them. Some feel it is pricey and some feel it is affordable. It finally melts down to our individual choice.

Yes, the for those who nag saying normal air has 78% nitrogen so what major benefit would we get from 100% nitrogen, I can say that it is a difference between fine tuning or getting a better product. For an example, let us take it as - HH Splendour and Kinetic Challenger. Kinetic has blueprinted the Honda engine and made a ditto copy of it for the Challenger - if you can find techincal details, please check them right upto the gear ratios - all of them would be same to same with the Splendour's engine but not the outcome - the power delivery, the smoothness, the efficiency... now, this is a 100% same specs engine at comparision. If you are wondering why is it so, the difference is in tuning. How well the engine material is moulded/casted/forged, how good the alloy is, how polished the surfaces are, how well each of the end product materials match each other and how well the outside the engine parameters (say, the carb, exhaust, can be more stuff than I know of) are tuned for the engine.

And, there is a premium one whould have paid for a Splendour over the Challenger, that we feel is absolutely justified.

I know that my text above is loosely knitted. It is not a planned & reviewed & researched marketting material. Please try to get the gist of it instead of pulling out one phrase or sentense off this to counter a different view.

[insanebiker]

Okay, so N2 is awesome , so lets all fill some N2 onto our tyres the next time

And nobody is nagging that air is made up of 78% N2 and that why should we go for N2 then. What i said was a fact and i wanted to know how people took it.

BTW, how do we know if the tyre shop wala is filling in pure N2 and not compressed air?

[Mindgrinder]

Okay, so N2 is awesome , so lets all fill some N2 onto our tyres the next time

And nobody is nagging that air is made up of 78% N2 and that why should we go for N2 then. What i said was a fact and i wanted to know how people took it.

BTW, how do we know if the tyre shop wala is filling in pure N2 and not compressed air?

dude, 78% Nitrogen is in ideal condition that is a concept of class 7th, things have changed a lot now and air used in station is pumped under the ground, it also has some other gases besides nitrogen. Plus to go against your argument here is something that might help you understand. pure nitrogen is bigger molecule, also its known for its inert nature. also how do u judge that only 22% of oxygen escapes from the air in your tire and nitrogen is left. If gases mixed in air, nothing would burn using oxygen.

• Consistent inflation pressure over longer periods
  - Nitrogen permeates through the tire at a rate of 35% slower that oxygen (air)
  - Under inflated tires flex and build up heat, breaking down the rubber over time
  - 60% of blowouts are caused by under inflation
  - Consistent inflation improves tread life
  - Vehicle handling is improved
• Longer Tire Life
  - Nitrogen is a dry gas which disperses heat more rapidly resulting in cooler running tires. This preserves the integrity of the rubber, belts, and bead
  - This inert gas also significantly slows the chemical aging process associated with oxygen and moisture (air)
• Improved fuel efficiency
  - Passenger cars realize 2-3 miles per gallon gains (4% on average*)
  - Trucks realize gains of 2+%
• At 4% fuel efficiency enhancement, the savings are significant to the car owner
  - At 4% on a vehicle with 20 mpg rating, this saves approximately 2.5 gallons per week based on 40 miles per day @ $1.90 per gallon that adds up to $228 savings per year
  
  Source: Tire Review, July 2004

Test for Nitrogen for the curiosity:

Test for Nitrogen Gas, N2(g).

Nitrogen

1) Has no colour or smell.

2) Has no effect on moist litmus paper
or moist universal indicator paper, it is neutral

3) Will put out a litsplint.

[insanebiker]

Okay guys, lets not give 78% what more than it is worth for.

Discussion about advantages of N2 can continue!

[onlinesatish]

Okay, so N2 is awesome , so lets all fill some N2 onto our tyres the next time

And nobody is nagging that air is made up of 78% N2 and that why should we go for N2 then. What i said was a fact and i wanted to know how people took it.

BTW, how do we know if the tyre shop wala is filling in pure N2 and not compressed air?

Dai, naye Thevaillama sandaiya valakatha!


and how do you know if the guy at the petrol bunk is actually filling spped or the normal unleaded petrol? It all boils down to trust da machi!

Bottom line as KP said if u feel its worth it go for it else pay 2 rs and check ur tyre prusseure ever two weeks.

P.s - its been over a month since i checked tyre pressure on both my bike

[KwokFist]

I would recommend it if U Plan to Ride/Drive any vehicle for more than 50-60 kms at a stretch or 200+ kms in a single day.
Even if U don go beyond 80also its good to have for these conditions.
400+ km any day N2 is a better choice.

Also @20 per tire it is worth a Coffee at a Coffee day for the four legs of a car!!!!!!!

In general its worth if U don mind spending a little more to get some benefits even if U r not on a tour.

Ok great! so come june this should be put to the test! 40 bucks for two tires aint very expensive.. and i rarely go to CCD :P.

[Prabhakar]

Ok great! so come june this should be put to the test! 40 bucks for two tires aint very expensive.. and i rarely go to CCD :P.

Coffee day I just Quoted as an example!!!
May be a Bottle of beer or a fruit Punch.
Its only that U pay very little & definately get some advantages even though U don't lose anything.

As I mentioned all of these advantages will not hold true for every1.
It depends on UR Vehicle, Riding/Driving Style, Lazyness, etc.

Different Views & this is my personal View.
-- Try it once & There is no harm in it!!

[KwokFist]

Coffee day I just Quoted as an example!!!
May be a Bottle of beer or a fruit Punch.
Its only that U pay very little & definately get some advantages even though U don't lose anything.

As I mentioned all of these advantages will not hold true for every1.
It depends on UR Vehicle, Riding/Driving Style, Lazyness, etc.

Different Views & this is my personal View.
-- Try it once & There is no harm in it!!

I know it was for example...Haha! but no bottle of beer or fruit punch here.. lol.. barely couple of times in a year :P. All of the extra cash goes into fueling up my bike always!

No lazyness here :P riding style is moderate to hard at times. So should be worth the test.

[Prabhakar]

I know it was for example...Haha! but no bottle of beer or fruit punch here.. lol.. barely couple of times in a year :P. All of the extra cash goes into fueling up my bike always!

No lazyness here :P riding style is moderate to hard at times. So should be worth the test.

Did U check how it is working??
U may not feel the difference in short runs.
But on a long ride in this hot summer it'll show U the difference.

Please post a review when U check it.