[JimD]

I have an RT with the 20" summer tires. My dealer put Nitrogen into my tires. Says there is various advantages. Some of which I agree with.
My question is they raised the tire pressure from 36 to 40 psi. They state is is proper to raise the pressure when using nitrogen instead of air. Does anyone have any factual knowledge of this? I would appreciate your input. Thanks

 

[jkelly16]

Not sure about that one. To me pressure is pressure, does not matter what the medium is.

 

[jordan0316]

I used to have nitrogen in the tires of my Avenger, when the mechanic put it in it was at the same pressure as regular air.

 

[JimD]

Thanks to both of you. After doing some research, it appears that the pressure should not be increased for nitrogen. However, I normally run about 2 psi higher than factory specs since I feel that the factory trys to give you a soft ride at the expense of control and tire life. So I'm not too much higher than thatat 40psi and the tires read 51psi as the maximum cold inflation under load. We just did a 1500 mile trip at 75 to 80 mph with 4 people and luggage. It was a good setting. I may keep the setting until the weather in south Florida drops 10 degrees. then it should be perfect?

 

[ChuckR]

I understand that the biggest advantage of nitrogen is that it is more stable across the temerature range, meaning that it will not expand as much as plain air when the tires heat up when driven moderate distances. With a lower pressure increase at full tire temp you might compensate with a slight pressure increase when cold to achieve the same target pressure at full temp. Everyone has their own idea about tire pressures for their own valid reasons so I won't throw a number out there, only saying that your cold pressure would be higher with nitrogen versus air.

 

[JimD]

Thanks

Thanks Chuck. That makes sense and I have noticed the nitrogen doesn't grow in pressure like regular air. I brought the pressure down to 37 cold and it seems to work well for our 90* heat in South Florida. Dodge says 36psi.

 

[MrPEZO]

"Older Post"

Yeah tire pressure should be the same with air or nitrogen, I had nitro in my Charger RT and when we got new tires I never went back. All tho it is stable across various temp ranges. I personally opt for just plane old air as I have a compressor at the house I can adjust the pressures as needed.

Ahh good to see your in FL Jim, I am right up the road a few miles.

 

[roborin]

I live in Florida too and personally I have not noticed much difference between nitrogen and plain air except for expense.

 

[guruatbol]

OK, I used to manage a tire store. They may have added pressure because the Nitrogen doesn't grow like compressed air. Nitrogen is a dry gas. Our atmosphere is made up primarily of nitrogen, bit with compressed air you get water vapor which under use will turn to steam which will cause your pressure to get higher as you drive.

Nitrogen will maintain a more steady pressure even when hot. Hot Rodders and racers have been using this for years with huge success.

If for instance you have Big-O put nitrogen in your tires, it will cost you $70 but you get road side service and free top offs.

Oh, I have nitrogen in my work truck and in 9 months have not had to put air in them unless of course I run over a nail or screw and get a flat.

Nitrogen will also help you tires run cooler. Two things cause failure, under inflation and heat which is cause most of the time from under inflation.

Needless to say, I am for it! Especially in these 20" tires on our Citadel!

Mel

 

[BigNutz]

I worked in aviation where that's all we used. The reasoning was for all the pressure stability reasons, but also for safety reasons that don't really apply to autos. If when landing there is an accident and fire, the tires turn into oxygen bombs if not filled with nitrogen.

Also, to prevent corrosion on the rims. They usually use split rims so any corrosion could potentially lead to catastrophic failure. Bad news...

For cars, I think it's a bit gimmicky. I'd like to see the blow out data over 5-10 years comparing air to nitrogen filled tires.

 

[Rec 26]

I worked in aviation where that's all we used. The reasoning was for all the pressure stability reasons, but also for safety reasons that don't really apply to autos. If when landing there is an accident and fire, the tires turn into oxygen bombs if not filled with nitrogen.

Also, to prevent corrosion on the rims. They usually use split rims so any corrosion could potentially lead to catastrophic failure. Bad news...

For cars, I think it's a bit gimmicky. I'd like to see the blow out data over 5-10 years comparing air to nitrogen filled tires.

I keep getting asked if I want nitrogen in my tires at the dealership. Never understood the difference nor why until now. Thanx for explaining it!