Nitrogen Tyre Inflation: Pros And Cons

Inflating nitrogen in tyres has been a common practice over the years. Even though there are some mixed opinions about it, the advantages are obvious. Basically, the idea of nitrogen tyre inflation revolves around replacing air with nitrogen as a more stable element and one that can improve the overall performance.

This is why nitrogen is inflated in tyres of vehicles which require more precision tuning, race cars, aircraft, industrial machines and even spacecraft. All of this makes people believe that nitrogen is a better choice than air when inflating tyres – but is this true?

Below, we are expanding on the topic of nitrogen tyre inflation for non-commercial uses. In other words, we are talking about whether you should inflate your tyres with nitrogen or you should do the standard air inflation.

Things You Didn’t Know About Nitrogen

Did you know that the air we breathe contains 78% of nitrogen? Or that a nitrogen-filled tyre is about 93% to 95% nitrogen?

In other words, the main difference between a regular (air-inflated) tyre and one filled with nitrogen is minimal. Just like that, you should know that not all race cars or aircraft machinery uses nitrogen in their tyres. Generally speaking, only larger and more robust vehicles use it. When it comes to aircraft in particular, the main reason of using nitrogen in their tyres is the fact that this element can reduce the risk of high altitude tyre explosions which can damage or destroy an aircraft.

Additionally, nitrogen tyre inflation is common in tyres of vehicles that operate in hazardous areas such as mines in order to reduce the risk of fire. Also, it is used in off-highway vehicles where the tyres operate at their maximum load.

But is nitrogen something you should consider for your vehicle? Let’s see the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages Of Inflating Your Tyres With Nitrogen 

There are numerous advantages to nitrogen tyre inflation. Below, we are listing all of the ones you should consider:

• Stable Tyre Pressure: Tyres filled with nitrogen remain steady in the long run because the element hardly goes through the rubber. There is also less pressure fluctuation with the chance of temperature which is why nitrogen is popular in the racing arena where tyres are constantly changing their pressure.
• Less Leakage From Tyres: As you probably know, air escapes through the structure of your tyres as the rubber flexes and stretches while rolling. Here, an atom of nitrogen is a tiny bit bigger than the one of oxygen and is therefore less able to permeate rubber and escape from a tyre.
• More Consistent Fuel Economy: Vehicle owners know that driving with the correct air pressure optimizes their fuel economy. The logic is simple – higher tyre pressure results in better fuel economy because it reduces rolling resistance and because nitrogen stays in your tyres for longer, preventing more work to keep them rolling. This is how nitrogen ensures the best fuel economy.
• More Consistent Handling: Similar to fuel economy, nitrogen ensures more consistent handling. This is made through the stabilized tyre pressure which optimizes the handling. This is why race cars use nitrogen in their tyres. However, the difference is minimal and may not be noticed by all regular drivers.
• Reduced Wear And Tear: Nitrogen can also reduce the wear and tear on the wheels and perhaps other components, too. Air contains water vapor and nitrogen doesn’t. This water vapor is what increases the pressure in your tyre as it heats up. With nitrogen, there is no water vapor and no rusting inside the wheel (and its valve stem) or corrosion on the sensitive sensors used by cars that have tyre pressure monitoring systems.
• Durability: Nitrogen tyres are more durable. The math is simple – they don’t have any corrosive properties such as air-filled tyres. Nitrogen is dry and does not form rust which often degrades the tyres and metal wheels.
• Eco-Friendly: Believe it or not, more than 300 million tyres are thrown every year – and most of them are air-inflated. Nitrogen in tyres can reduce this number by 30% and has a lower carbon footprint by reducing fuel combustion.

Disadvantages Of Inflating Your Tyres With Nitrogen 

Below are the disadvantages about nitrogen tyre inflation:

• Cost: Nitrogen tyre inflation is more expensive than conventional air inflation. This is a fact and the cost of nitrogen adds up to more than $5 for inflating a single tyre. In the long run, the cost adds up.
• Maintenance: Nitrogen is not an element which can be filled and forgotten. Just like air inflated tyres, tyres inflated with nitrogen need maintenance and pressure checks from time to time – mostly because the inflation level and tyre pressure will not be the same forever.

Now that you have seen both sides of the coin about nitrogen tyre inflation, we hope that you can make a solid decision. Besides the increased cost and the fact that maintenance is still required, some point to availability as another potential problem of nitrogen tyre inflation.

As a professional auto service in UAE, our team at Tyres Online fully recommends and stands behind nitrogen tyre inflation as one of the best decisions one can make about their vehicle. Speaking of which…

Where To Get The Best Nitrogen Tyre Inflation In UAE?

The bottom line of inflating your tyres with nitrogen is that besides the cost, it is an element which is absolutely worth it. Even though you will never achieve 100% nitrogen purity, the element is definitely going to help you maximize your vehicle’s performance and reap the rewards.

Many believe that nitrogen tyre inflation in UAE is with limited availability. Luckily, you are in the right place.

At Stop & Go, we pride ourselves on our nitrogen tyre inflation service in Dubai. For more details and a chance to schedule a nitrogen tyre inflation appointment in our service, contact us today!