Can nitrogen from GoNitroTire in a tire help a car "run green"?
Filed under: Etc., Green Daily
We hear about filling our car's tires with nitrogen from time to time, and it's not always good news. Today, we feature an announcement from GoNitroTire (available after the jump). Guess which side of the fence they sit on.
GoNitroTire's founder and managing partner, Ken Lawton, wants everyone to use nitrogen in their tires and, on the surface, doing so seems to make sense. GoNitroTire's UltraFill99+ & TireXtender nitrogen inflation inflation technology is now available from the company's website. And who wouldn't want a gas in the tires that takes longer to leak out, making your car more efficient without any modifications whatsoever? NASCAR and the military use nitrogen tires, so why shouldn't the average Joe reap the same rewards? Well, as we wrote in 2006, Consumer Reports puts the kibosh on nitrogen in passenger car tires. NASCAR vehicles can make use of nitrogen's benefits, but in your Prius or Mazda2, keeping the tires inflated with air to the correct PSI will work just as well. Who out there has tried nitrogen in your tires? What were your results?
Press Release:
GONITROTIRE BRINGS NITROGEN TIRE INFLATION TO THE MASSES WITH ADVANCED NEW PRODUCTS- TIREXTENDER & ULTRAFILL99+
NEW TIRE TECHNOLOGY PAVES THE WAY FOR A GREENER ENVIRONMENT, SAVINGS ON FUEL AND SAFER DRIVING!
NASHVILLE, TN -March 26, 2008-Previously utilized only by NASCAR, the Military, and the Airline Industry, GoNitroTire brings Nitrogen Tire Inflation to consumers and business fleets large and small with UltraFill99+ & TireXtender, advanced technology and products that provide high purity Nitrogen Inflation now available to consumers at GoNitroTire.com. GoNitroTire is a member of Global Green USA , an environmental advocacy organization that supports the use of "green technology" which best sustains the balance between man and the environment. Nitrogen Tire Inflation provides tire pressure longer, a safer, smoother ride, and better gas mileage for vehicles, while extending the wear of tire.
With gas prices at the highest ever, consumers and business are looking for effective means to save money as well as helping the environment, GoNitroTire Founder and Managing Partner, Ken Lawton states, "The day has come for Nitrogen Tire Inflation to be embraced in the public domain... tried and tested by large industry and professional motor sports for decades. It is the best piece of Green Technology to emerge in many years... Our other Nitrogen products will further revolutionize the way people maintain their tires and for GoNitroTire, simply another platform for growth."
Using Nitrogen versus conventional air in a tire effectively maintains the correct amount of tire pressure for longer and as a result, creates a smoother ride while improving steering and braking, while reducing the possibility of blowouts. Conventional air filled in a tire contains 21% oxygen with varying moisture amount. Air permeates through a tire wall over 3 to 4 times faster than Nitrogen, according to a Bridgestone statement. Oxygen molecules and moisture cause the air to diffuse thru tire rubber, THE basis for slow leaks, and deterioration of the tire and its durability. Another great advantage is the convenience of not having to refill tries as often. All American made cars fitted with tire pressure sensors will benefit because nitrogen reduces TPMS exposure to oxygen and moisture.
Law Enforcement Fleets, Major City Fleets in various parts of the United States have made commitments to Nitrogen programs to this end.
According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association, only one in five drivers check their tire pressure properly! A tire can be 30%-40% under-inflated and still maintain a normal appearance. This issue is dramatically reduced with Nitrogen inflated tires because the larger Nitrogen molecule maintains proper pressure longer thus extending the life of a tire by up to 30%. Longer-lasting tires means less work and tire maintenance for the vehicle owner. Just as an engine, with proper maintenance and top-offs, performs better longer – Nitrogen and GoNitroTire's other Nitrogen Products provide this same benefit of longer lasting tires, while improving gas mileage, reducing fuel costs and our dependence on oil as "green technology."
UltraFill99+ is advanced Nitrogen technology, which since its release in April of 2007, has become the bench mark for Quality, Performance, Versatility and Value in the field of Nitrogen Tire Inflation today. Its ease of operation and self contained design has made it the thoroughbred of Nitrogen Systems. No changes need to be made to the vehicle or tire and is designed to quickly fill automobile and truck tires, large and small. Versatility in varied climates further sets UltraFill99+ apart from other Nitrogen systems that are membrane based. Presently, race cars, Tour de France, airlines, and military fleets utilize nitrogen in their tires. Great technology, which benefits consumers, businesses and the environment, is here to stay! TireXtender is an aerosol top-off product that enables owners of Nitrogen Inflated Tires to easily maintain the Nitrogen purity, important for optimal benefits of improved fuel economy, tire wear and ease of maintenance. Analogous to the quart of oil, owners use to maintain optimal efficiency and performance with their engines. TireXtender & UltraFill99+ provides the winning combination for peak performance in all inflated tires.
Ken Lawton is the founder of GoNitroTire, a three year old company helping Consumers and Fleet Operators to improve their bottom line through safer, longer lasting tires, greater fuel economy and a better balance between man and our environment has become GoNitroTire's mandate.
For more information, please visit www.gonitrotire.com
[Source: GoNitroTire]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-03-2008 @ 12:17PM
5 watt said...
I think everyone should have nitrogen in their tires. Personally I recommend 78% nitrogen. It keeps my tires rolling just fine.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 12:33PM
rar said...
I had nitro fill on my Charger, it did improve the mpg by +1. Not a big change but every little bit helps. It also fixed the problem with the low tire pressue light coming on when there was a big change in the outside air temp.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 1:20PM
Sayyad said...
Someone smarter than me pointed this out a while ago:
As 5 watt says in the first comment, air is about 78% nitrogen already.
If oxygen and all 22% of the other necessary gases in the air leak out quickly, by the time your tire is at 78% inflation you now have a tire inflated entirely with nitrogen (that's a 40PSI tire at 32PSI, for example).
You then fill up with another 22% of air that contains 78% nitrogen from the pump, which means that out of the 22% you are adding another 17% nitrogen to the total for the whole tire, bringing the percentage of nitrogen in the tire to 95%.
The tire pressure may drop another 5% and you'll fill it back up, and every time you top it up you're adding 78% nitrogen... asymptotically approaching 100% nitrogen after a few top ups.
Just keep your tire pressure at the recommended level (or a little bit above) and you will get the best mileage possible for your tires while not compromising safety, stability or ride comfort.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 2:27PM
Joe said...
One of the reasons you run Nitrogen in a racecar's tires is fires. In the event of a fire, when the fire reaches the oxygen filled tires the tires explode and the fire is fueled with fresh air from inside.
Nitrogen doesn't do that.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 2:45PM
steven said...
@4: I'm sorry, that is just plain wrong. No one fills tires with oxygen. Only NASA was stupid enough to do that...
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo1info.html
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4-03-2008 @ 2:48PM
BlackbirdHighway said...
I guess having pure nitrogen would really suck if you tried to do that James Bond breathing out of a tire while underwater thing.
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4-03-2008 @ 5:17PM
Whopper said...
rar, when you filled your Charger's tires with nitrogen and improved your mileage, it was probably the first time your tires were properly inflated. That's why your mileage improved...you didn't used to drive a Ford Bronco with Firestone tires did you?
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 5:23PM
MikeW said...
RAR, I think your tires were just low.
Nitrogen doesn't do anything. Dry air already 78% N2, wet air is still about 75% N2.
If you wanted something exclusive, fill you tires with Argon (yeah monoatomic noble gas)
The biggest improvement comes from removing the water vapor for the captive gas.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 5:25PM
Joe said...
@5: Oxygen filled meaning there is oxygen in them since they are filled with air which has oxygen in it. Think about it for a second. Jiminey Cricket.
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 6:31AM
dgw3049 said...
Having nitrogen in your tires works so well 9 months latter the pressure is still the same.
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4-04-2008 @ 9:50AM
Alex said...
can i fill my tires with helium? wouldn't that make my car lighter?
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4-04-2008 @ 11:42AM
paulwesterberg said...
Filling your tires with hydrogen or helium would make your car lighter and more importantly it would reduce rotational mass which might help improve acceleration efficiency. But the gas would leak out pretty darn fast.
You are probably better off using tires that are engineered to be lighter and have less rolling resistance.
Reply
4-11-2008 @ 5:33PM
FRE said...
Because gas mileage constantly varies somewhat, small changes in mileage cannot easily be detected. The claims that nitrogen improves mileage probably result form normal variations in mileage and the impossibility of always filling the tank to the same level.
The best way to ensure that tires are properly inflated is to make it convenient to check and inflate the tires properly. That's why I recommend that people keep an air compressor in the garage. An adequate one costs only about $100 and it's well worth it.
I also suggest that people who have not studied physics buy a physics text book and read it. That would reduce the number of comments that make no sense.
Reply
4-22-2008 @ 9:38PM
Stevo said...
hello
Reply