jackrrose
Fort Myers, FL
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Joined: 05/03/2005
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Looking for opinion on filling tires on RV with Nitrogen, pro and con
Thanks
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JFG
TN
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Joined: 07/01/2007
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Discussed several times... no real benefit
Fred
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Skip and Norine
Fulltiming since Oct 2006
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Joined: 05/07/2005
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You may find the following to be of interest.
(these aren't my words)
Most tires are filled with compressed air, which when dry consists of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases by volume. Water vapor (humidity) can make up as much as 5 percent of the volume of air under worst-case conditions. Filling your tires with nitrogen mainly does two things: it eliminates moisture, and it replaces skinny oxygen molecules with fat nitrogen molecules, reducing the rate at which compressed gas diffuses through porous tire walls. That means, theoretically at least, that a tire filled with nitrogen retains optimal pressure longer, leading to more uniform tire wear and better gas mileage. The commonly quoted figure is that tires inflated to 32 psi get 3 percent better mileage than at 24 psi.
Does nitrogen make any practical difference? You couldn't prove it by me. I found no scientific tests showing that nitrogen-filled tires stayed inflated longer than average under normal conditions. A car-buff buddy was sure it worked but conceded he had only anecdotal evidence that it did.
As for moisture, changes in humidity affect tire performance two ways. First, the density of humid air fluctuates more with temperature than that of dry air, so removing humidity can keep your tire pressure more consistent, especially when the temperature climbs over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That may be a legitimate concern in Formula One racing, but it's not much of an issue if you're just tooling around town.
Humidity can also be a factor in wheel maintenance - since pure nitrogen doesn't have moisture in it, supposedly your wheels won't rust as quickly, which could lead to improved wheel performance and air sealing. The question is, how big a problem is wheel rust these days? According to a few tire and wheel shops we contacted, not very. Seriously rusted wheels are uncommon in typical steel-wheeled cars, and many high-performance cars have alloy wheels that don't rust at all. One exception is work vehicles such as dump trucks, which are exposed to a much harsher environment.
Another claim I've seen is that since nitrogen is slightly lighter than air, you'll save weight and get better performance. However, we're talking about a weight difference of less than 4 percent of the gas in the tire - in other words, a difference of less than an ounce for most vehicles. A possibly more realistic benefit is that nitrogen is largely inert chemically at low (i.e., normal) temperatures, so it won't attack the rubber in your tires like oxygen does. Oxygen attack is something both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ford Research have studied, and can be a problem for tires used for a long time or in rough conditions.
Traveling our country and seeing the sights, enjoying fun-filled days and campfire nights
See our travel pics
The rig: 2006 SportsCoach Cross Country SE
The toad: 2006 Saturn Vue
The Captain: Skip
The Co-Captain: Norine
Furry passengers: Penny & Biscuit
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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Joined: 08/11/2007
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25 pages of information using the RV Net search feature: "Nitrogen" - RV Net Search. Bottom line is that normal air leaks thru rubber in the tire casing and Nitrogen does not leak as much. So instead of leaking off 2 pounds of air a year, nitrogen only leaks one pound. Something along that line. Still have to check your tires for proper psi. And if they are low, where are you going to find nitrogen and what are you going to pay for it? More trouble than it is worth, and certainly not cost effective. Benefit to you - Zilch, except for wasting you money.
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scottmohr
jupiter fj
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Joined: 11/12/2006
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I have nitrogen in my Rv,two cars and tow dolly,my tmp show I run cooler and have not loss any air in six month, yes also check before each trip
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skipnchar
Google Kansas USA
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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PRO
sells more tires for the dealer.
Will give you a slight advantage in any motor home race you participate in because your tires will be less subject to pressure change due to heat build up while racing. Might just bring home the checker based on use.
CON -
makes the owner less apt to stop and fill up a low tire unless he can find some place that has nitrogen to fill it with.
- Makes the owner pay for something that he could get for free.
2004 F-250 SCREW Long Bed (new)
OR 2004 F-150 HD (85,000 towing miles)
Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
We have enough YOUTH...how about a fountain of SMART
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Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
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Joined: 10/07/2008
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Bridgestone Tire's take on nitrogen use in tires:
"Should you stop putting air in your tires"
Dutch
'95 Coachmen Catalina 322XL
F-53 chassis, 460 V8
Bigfoot EZE-Leveler jacks
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2oldman
Indio CA
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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Nitrogen post
Nitrogen II
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Mr.Mark
California/Tennessee
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For what it's worth, my neighbor (a single women) has two cars and lets one sit much more than the other. She complained to me that the tire pressure warning keeps going off telling her the pressure is low. I took my compressor over 8 months ago and filled the tires for her.
When she took the car in for service, she mentioned the low pressure issue and he told her about nitrogen. She had the dealer put the nitrogen in the tires ($98) and swears that she is not losing air now. I think it's been 4-5 months since it's been done. The car is a 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
MM.
Mr.Mark 
2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42ft., 4 slides, 425 hp clean-air Cummins diesel
2007 Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, w/Nav and the M&G braking system
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scottmohr
jupiter fj
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I carry a tank filled with 98% nitrogen and can fill two or more tires
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