Nitrogen or Air to inflate the tires?

Should you inflate tires with nitrogen rather than air? The answer is not as simple as you might think. Nitrogen is an inert gas and by...

Should you inflate tires with nitrogen rather than air? The answer is not as simple as you might think.

Nitrogen is an inert gas and by definition more stable than air, so less likely to escape the tire. Unlike air, nitrogen does not compress in cold weather. The tire, therefore, remains at the same pressure regardless of the temperature.

Well inflated, a tire wears less quickly and it follows a fuel economy. In light of these data, one would be led to believe that nitrogen is ideal. However, major tire manufacturers do not agree to systematically recommend it.

Nitrogen does not necessarily bring the expected benefits and gives the motorist a false sense of security.

Nitrogen is only recommended to inflate tires for aircraft and cars competing. For all other types of vehicles, oxygen is sufficient and nitrogen does not necessarily provide the expected benefits.

A tire can deflate for various reasons, whether it is inflated with air or nitrogen. Poor contact between the rim and the tire, a defective valve, the permeability of the rubber and a puncture are the main elements that affect the pressure of a tire.

Bottom line, it’s difficult to see how using nitrogen is going to give you any practical benefits, especially compared to its cost and inconvenience. But it’s your call and your decision – nitrogen does no harm to your tires and if you’re interested, you can test it out and If you don’t like it or don’t see any benefits, you can always go back to the free (or almost free) alternative that we’ve all used successfully for years.