Is Nitrogen the Key to Better Fuel Economy?

A new strategy that is being talked about claims that it will save you gasoline and dollars and more. In essence it is using one kind of gas to save another kind of gas. The gas you will save is the liquid gasoline you fill your car with. The gas you use is nitrogen instead of plain old air.

Racing cars have used this strategy for a long time. Airlines have used this same strategy on their jets and planes. Even large retailers are starting to offer it to their customers.

So what exactly is this strategy? It seems to be the new rage in tires. It involves using nitrogen to inflate your tires instead of air.

Filling tires with nitrogen instead of air is becoming so popular that even Costco now offers it to its customers when they buy new tires. Why do people want to fill their tires with nitrogen? What do they know that we don't? Why do race cars and jets use nitrogen?

The claim is nitrogen offers a number of advantages over air. The first claim, nitrogen can keep your tires at the correct pressure longer than air can. The claim suggests that nitrogen loss from your tires is up to three times slower than air. (All tires loose pressure through air loss through the semi permeable surface of the tire). It is assumed that if your tires are at the correct inflation for longer periods, you will save fuel because under inflated tires produce increased road friction and this in turn decreases fuel economy.

Nitrogen advocates state that in addition to fuel saving benefits there are other advantages. Nitrogen is thought to run at cooler temperatures than air. If this is the case your tires will run at a cooler temperature creating less expansion in the tire. With less expansion your tires should require less maintenance and last longer.

Corrosion protection of the rim and of the tire itself are other claimed benefits . Air contains oxygen so it begins to oxidize anything it is in contact with. Rims of your tires will be oxidizing or rusting because it is exposed to the oxygen in the tire. The walls of the tire itself begin oxidizing and breaking down with exposure to oxygen.

If you fill a tire with pure nitrogen then there is no oxygen in the tire. The result: no oxidation will occur. The claimed benefit? Your tires should be safer and last longer.

Are these claims and benefits of using nitrogen true? Is nitrogen a wonder drug for your tires? It is certainly worth considering. There are many car experts who say that the benefits of nitrogen are limited and given the extra cost and hassle of filling up with nitrogen it is not a good investment. There is still much controversy and many questions as to whether nitrogen filled tires are the way to go.

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Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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