View Single Post
Old 09-12-2008, 02:49 PM   #11
Kirk
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Texarkana, Texas
Posts: 959
I don't know, I think it has its place and I think there are some good reasons - but mostly as it applies to racing. Again, I've been looking into getting nitrogen myself so that I can adjust my shock reservoirs. From what I've read a lot of guys will get a 80 csf tank of nitrogen because to fill it is about $35. That one fill will last someone almost and entire season of autocrosses, track days, and light racing. They use the nitrogen for their shocks, air tools, and tires. When you're tuning a car at the track, tire pressure is a huge variable to play with to really get a car dialed in, which is checked and verified with a pyrometer. When you get to tuning a car to that degree, then yes variations of a few psi (and I think it's much greater than 1-2 psi) can be a hassle. That's where nitrogen comes into play by making the pressure more stable when going from cold to hot tires. For autocross tire pressure may be one of the only variables you can play with in relatively stock classes. So again, any advantage (using a pyrometer for setup and nitrogen for stability) may be desirable, although of course the driver is still the biggest variable!

For regular street driving... well I agree, there really isn't much of a good reason except maybe fewer stops at the gas station for air.


Quote:
Originally Posted by renzop
Air is 72% Nitrogen. There is no good reason to use pure Nitrogen for tires. Sure there are reasons, just none of them are good enough to justify the cost/hassle.

1) Nitrogen does not expand as much as it is heated as air which results in more even tire pressures but to such a small degree as to not matter (1 - 2 psi)

2) Nitrogen does not oxidize tire insides as much as air. True, but the cost of N2 fills is greater than the increased tire longevity.

3) Its terminally tech-cool. True, you got me there :-)

4) Nitrogen tire fills are a great profit maker for tire shops and dealerships interested in wallet lightening of the clientele. True, you got me there :-)
__________________
2000 Boxster S - Gemballa body kit, GT3 front bumper, JRZ coilovers, lower stress bars
2003 911 Carrera 4S - TechArt body kit, TechArt coilovers, HRE wheels
1986 911 Carrera Targa - 3.2L, Euro pistons, 964 cams, steel slant nose widebody
1975 911S Targa - undergoing a full restoration and engine rebuild
Also In The Garage - '66 912, '69 912, '72 914 Chalon wide body, '73 914
Kirk is offline   Reply With Quote