To Nitrogen or not to Nitrogen, That is the Question
03-04-2016
Author: in RV Full-Time with Us
To Nitrogen or not to Nitrogen, That is the Question
Benefits and savings of Nitrogen VS Compressed Air
(Tire Maintenance)
Over the weekend Vicki and I worked the Dallas RV Super Show in Dallas Texas. We had a great time while there and had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people from Nitrogen to you. We could not have asked for a better set of neighbors at the show! While working next to them over the weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to Rick Pulliam in Detail about the real benefits of replacing the air in your RV tires with Nitrogen. By the end of the weekend I had a great understanding of all of the benefits of this process as well as a real desire to pass this information on to you so that you can also begin to understand what benefits Nitrogen can provide you.
Nitrogen Molecules are larger and are much dryer then compressed air thus giving you a host of benefits when replacing compressed air with Nitrogen. Now let’s talk about what those benefits truly are and why they are important.
Next let’s take a closer look at what happens when water is introduced into your tire. There are actually a couple of things to consider. First off we touched on the fact that water turns to a gas when it heats up, and this will cause your tires to increase their pressure. That means that the rubber is expanding and contracting. We all know what happens to a piece of metal that you bend back and forth constantly, it breaks. Now rubber is made to expand and contract but if it’s not flexing then it will help your tires to last longer. Also with water being introduced into your tire it can contribute to dry rot. Dry rot is what contributes to those side wall blowouts.
Replacing the compressed air in your tires with Nitrogen will increase the life of your tire. This is achieved through reducing dry rot. As well as increasing tread life by maintaining proper inflation on your tires. Your tread will wear more evenly thus increasing the overall life of the tire. Another way that it increases the life of the tire is by not introducing water into the tire therefore your rims wont rust. This is beneficial to the tire, rim and the valve stem. According to several studies it is estimated that by replacing compressed air in your tires with Nitrogen you can increase the overall life of your tires by 30% - 50%. Let’s face it, TIRES are NOT CHEAP!
I want to thank, Rick, Teena and Robert of Nitrogen to you for all of the beneficial information they provided for this week’s article.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog, next week we are going to talk about some of the things you should be thinking about as spring and tornado season quickly approaches.
Until next time, Safe Travels!
Benefits and savings of Nitrogen VS Compressed Air
(Tire Maintenance)
Over the weekend Vicki and I worked the Dallas RV Super Show in Dallas Texas. We had a great time while there and had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people from Nitrogen to you. We could not have asked for a better set of neighbors at the show! While working next to them over the weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to Rick Pulliam in Detail about the real benefits of replacing the air in your RV tires with Nitrogen. By the end of the weekend I had a great understanding of all of the benefits of this process as well as a real desire to pass this information on to you so that you can also begin to understand what benefits Nitrogen can provide you.
Nitrogen Versus Compressed Air – Technical stuff
First let’s get some of the science and techie stuff out of the way then we will discuss how this helps you as an RVer. The first piece of the puzzle is the actual molecular structure of the two, Compressed air is made up of smaller molecules then nitrogen. Because Nitrogen molecules are larger your tires will stay at the recommended tire pressure longer. Based on national studies your tires lose about 1 PSI for every 10 degrees of rise or fall of temperature change. Nitrogen has a much more stable pressure therefore is not affected by this change in temperature. In turn this also allows your tires to run cooler, when you go to the gas station and use compressed air the air has humidity in it. When you put this air in your tires, and they heat up, that water turns to a gas and expands. When the gas expands it increases your tire pressure and then can cause your tires to run hotter. NASCAR fully understands the benefits of Nitrogen and has been using it for several years because it allows the tires to run cooler. So in summary for the technical side:Nitrogen Molecules are larger and are much dryer then compressed air thus giving you a host of benefits when replacing compressed air with Nitrogen. Now let’s talk about what those benefits truly are and why they are important.
Benefits of Nitrogen in your RV tires
The first benefit is consistent tire pressure this is important because it increases your fuel economy. In studies conducted by the EPA it has been estimated that you lose about .3% MPG for every 1 PSI your tires are under inflated. Unless you are checking your tires every few days then you are losing MPG. Let’s take a look at that math a little closer. I have a 90-gallon tank in my RV, so if my tires are underinflated by only 5 PSI that means I’m losing about 1.5MPG or about 135 miles per tank. With current Gas / Diesel prices that adds up quickly.Next let’s take a closer look at what happens when water is introduced into your tire. There are actually a couple of things to consider. First off we touched on the fact that water turns to a gas when it heats up, and this will cause your tires to increase their pressure. That means that the rubber is expanding and contracting. We all know what happens to a piece of metal that you bend back and forth constantly, it breaks. Now rubber is made to expand and contract but if it’s not flexing then it will help your tires to last longer. Also with water being introduced into your tire it can contribute to dry rot. Dry rot is what contributes to those side wall blowouts.
Replacing the compressed air in your tires with Nitrogen will increase the life of your tire. This is achieved through reducing dry rot. As well as increasing tread life by maintaining proper inflation on your tires. Your tread will wear more evenly thus increasing the overall life of the tire. Another way that it increases the life of the tire is by not introducing water into the tire therefore your rims wont rust. This is beneficial to the tire, rim and the valve stem. According to several studies it is estimated that by replacing compressed air in your tires with Nitrogen you can increase the overall life of your tires by 30% - 50%. Let’s face it, TIRES are NOT CHEAP!
Summary
Nitrogen molecules are larger and dryer then compressed air. Because of this Nitrogen will help you maintain a more consistent tire pressure increasing the safety and life of your tires. In turn it will save you money with increased MPG and extended tire life.I want to thank, Rick, Teena and Robert of Nitrogen to you for all of the beneficial information they provided for this week’s article.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog, next week we are going to talk about some of the things you should be thinking about as spring and tornado season quickly approaches.
Until next time, Safe Travels!
Comment
jadatisMarch 21, 2016 | 06:25 AM
As Dutch Pigheaded selfdeclared tirepressure-specialist , I once did some research on nitrogen filling. Made a document about it that turns it around and claimes that filling with normal air is better then Nitrogen filling. Here copied, hope it will stay standing here . Some remarks about the article of matt
Author: Matt & Vicki Hulbert
