The use of Nitrogen to fill tubeless car tyres is becoming increasingly popular in the country today. Thanks to its advantages over regular compressed air, an estimated 30 per cent of Indian car owners in urban areas perfect to use it today. In its purest form, nitrogen is a naturally-occurring, non-flammable, dry and inert gas that can safely be used for tyre inflation. In fact, military vehicles, aeroplanes as well as Formula 1 cars have been using it for years.
The main advantage is that nitrogen is much better at retaining tyre pressure over long periods of time, preventing the hassles associated with under-inflation. While both nitrogen and oxygen (a constituent of regular air) permeate rubber, pure nitrogen does it slower, taking up to six months to lose 2psi, compared to just one month with normal compressed air. The reason is simple – a nitrogen molecule is larger and does not seep out as quickly as oxygen.
Nitrogen also disperses heat quicker than compressed air, rolling resistance, providing better fuel economy, extended tyre tread life and reducing the chances of tyre failure. Also, since nitrogen is dry, it eliminates wheel corrosion from the water vapour found in regular air. An increasing number of petrol pumps are now offering this service around the country, though data shows that nitrogen inflation has gained greater popularity in the west and the south of the country.
Earlier, tyre shops had discovered that nitrogen filling was a perfect way to increase their revenue and charged around Rs. 100 per tyre. Lately however, the cost has declined to around Rs. 20 per tyre, while some dealers even offer free for inflation for new tyres.
The main advantage is that nitrogen is much better at retaining tyre pressure over long periods of time, preventing the hassles associated with under-inflation. While both nitrogen and oxygen (a constituent of regular air) permeate rubber, pure nitrogen does it slower, taking up to six months to lose 2psi, compared to just one month with normal compressed air. The reason is simple – a nitrogen molecule is larger and does not seep out as quickly as oxygen.
Nitrogen also disperses heat quicker than compressed air, rolling resistance, providing better fuel economy, extended tyre tread life and reducing the chances of tyre failure. Also, since nitrogen is dry, it eliminates wheel corrosion from the water vapour found in regular air. An increasing number of petrol pumps are now offering this service around the country, though data shows that nitrogen inflation has gained greater popularity in the west and the south of the country.
Earlier, tyre shops had discovered that nitrogen filling was a perfect way to increase their revenue and charged around Rs. 100 per tyre. Lately however, the cost has declined to around Rs. 20 per tyre, while some dealers even offer free for inflation for new tyres.
Labels: Car-Tyres, Compressed-Air, Nitrogen, Tubeless-Tyres
