Originally Posted by
nitropowered
Nitrogen in car tires is a big scam.
It is a complete scam for passenger cars.
Originally Posted by
nitropowered
The only reason why race cars use 100% nitrogen in their tires is so there is no water vapor in the tire. The tires get so hot that the water vapor will alter the air pressure thus throwing off handling. Normal car tires or bicycle tires will never get that hot.
This isn't quite right either. Water vapor is a gas, which means that temperature will effect it just like other gasses (like N2). If water were to be a problem (and it probably isn't, in practice), it would be the result of a phase change between liquid/solid and gas.
I suspect that N2 is used in race cars because using tanks of compressed gas is more convenient/faster than using a pump. Compressed N2 isn't that much more expensive than compressed air and, the extra cost is negligiable consindering the overall cost of fielding a race car. It would seem that compressed N2 is safer, with respect to risks of fire, too.
Originally Posted by
Crank57
Folks, I think before you start trashing an idea, maybe you should do a little research.
The bearest minimum of research establishes that it iis
bogus for passenger vehicles.
Originally Posted by
Tracon
It's a crap article. It's mostly a lazy regurgitation of a press release.
Originally Posted by
CloudyBright
Worth doing if it's cheap & easy, but for tire dealers it's a profit tool, hence their high prices for it.
There are no studies that establish that it is worth anything in practical use. There are theoretical advantages but there's nothing that indicates that these work out to any real-world advantage.
Originally Posted by
HillRider
Argon is used for it's inertness to protect valuable artifacts from oxidation. BTW, The Nitrogen molecule isn't larger than "air" since it 78% of air already.
N2 is pretty inert. Argon might also be preferred because it's heavier.