free website stats program Air or nitrogn pros and cons | Harley Davidson Forums

Air or nitrogn pros and cons

dfbales

Active Member
been wondering if any one has tried this but me, I have found that from cold to hot (and it gets hot here) the tire pressure stays the same with in a pound.
 
This forum also has a wealth of established information if the search function is used:

The WHAT?

How do I find it, is there a search feature to find it? :lolrolling

I'm lazy, would you post the answer for me Lou? :lolrolling
 
I have Nitrogen in my tires at no cost. One of the local shop put it in along with a ten point inspection free. They found a small oil seep and pulled the primary cover and fixed the leak by the shifter. Nice to have a warranty.
 
I know some say it is Great and some say it's a Waste of time. On some topics I have to see the results with my own eyes. Nitrogen happens to be 1 of those topics.

The main questions I had regarding Pure Dry nitrogen were:

1) Will the tires experience less of an increased of pressure after the tire gets hot and if so by how many psi.

2) Will the tires experience less loss of pressure over time (months) due to the fact that nitrogen molecules can not pass through rubber as easily as oxygen.

3) Will I experience less corrosion at the bead area of the rim due to the nitrogen being dry and without any trace of moisture.

6 month test running pure (99.99%) dry nitrogen. Tires were repeatedly purged to completely replace standard compressor air. New scradder valves were installed in each tire valve and metal "o" ring caps were used in place of standard plastic valve caps. Tires tested were both Dunlops. D401F front & K591 rear. In the course of 6 month, 5,400 miles were driven.

Results I recorded on my set of tires.
1) After tires got Hot, pressures did not rise as much as air but did rise more than I expected.
Using Air Cold 30 Front 35 Rear. Hot would be 34 Front 40 Rear.
Using Nitrogen Cold 30 Front 35 Rear Hot would be 32 Front 38 rear. There was a reduction but I was really expecting better.

2) I was shocked with the loss of pressure over time. The loss of nitrogen was almost the same as standard air. It was maybe a little better than straight air but nothing like I expected it to be. After 3 months, I had to top off both tires with more nitrogen because the cold readings were low by 3 psi. I was expecting a lot better results.

3) Pulled off my tires today to change brands and had the same bead area corrosion just like I had many times before with aluminum or mag wheels. I know the inside of the tires were dry, so it must not really be corrosion due to internal moisture.

So to sum it up for me, I certainly would not pay extra or go out of my way to obtain nitrogen. But if it was free and there for the asking I probably say "go ahead".:p
 
Thanks for the info its always good to get some real world figures
Just one wee thought on the pressures it might have been worth setting them hot to the hot pressure of air as the cold pressure is only a guide to get the correct hot pressure as athe tyres when in use would mostly be at the hot pressure
i hope that rambling makes sence

Brian
 
I know some say it is Great and some say it's a Waste of time. On some topics I have to see the results with my own eyes. Nitrogen happens to be 1 of those topics.

The main questions I had regarding Pure Dry nitrogen were:

1) Will the tires experience less of an increased of pressure after the tire gets hot and if so by how many psi.

2) Will the tires experience less loss of pressure over time (months) due to the fact that nitrogen molecules can not pass through rubber as easily as oxygen.

3) Will I experience less corrosion at the bead area of the rim due to the nitrogen being dry and without any trace of moisture.

6 month test running pure (99.99%) dry nitrogen. Tires were repeatedly purged to completely replace standard compressor air. New scradder valves were installed in each tire valve and metal "o" ring caps were used in place of standard plastic valve caps. Tires tested were both Dunlops. D401F front & K591 rear. In the course of 6 month, 5,400 miles were driven.

Results I recorded on my set of tires.
1) After tires got Hot, pressures did not rise as much as air but did rise more than I expected.
Using Air Cold 30 Front 35 Rear. Hot would be 34 Front 40 Rear.
Using Nitrogen Cold 30 Front 35 Rear Hot would be 32 Front 38 rear. There was a reduction but I was really expecting better.

2) I was shocked with the loss of pressure over time. The loss of nitrogen was almost the same as standard air. It was maybe a little better than straight air but nothing like I expected it to be. After 3 months, I had to top off both tires with more nitrogen because the cold readings were low by 3 psi. I was expecting a lot better results.

3) Pulled off my tires today to change brands and had the same bead area corrosion just like I had many times before with aluminum or mag wheels. I know the inside of the tires were dry, so it must not really be corrosion due to internal moisture.

So to sum it up for me, I certainly would not pay extra or go out of my way to obtain nitrogen. But if it was free and there for the asking I probably say "go ahead".:p

And where are u going to get it on the road, Jack
 
Just like global warming on a really small (molecular) basis. A little knowledge makes humans both vulnerable and sometimes dangerous. Just use air! Like the other posts, air is 80% N2 (don't panic, N2 is nitrogen). Smiddy is right too. Tires don't last long enough to oxidize from the inside out. Snake oil works well in your tranny too. Buy it at WalMart! Hey, I'm being sarcastic. Walmart quit selling snake oil a while ago...
WAP.gif
 
Funny Larry...but good news! The Walmart down the road in Oxnard is upgrading to "Super Store" and is now carrying Mobil I V-Twin...hmmm...maybe not "snake oil", but certainly worthwhile price of admission, only $8.99 a quart everyday...!

As for Nitrogen, just be happy that our bikes do not get the "bends" from decending or rising in the canyons too fast when using the stuff...all I know is regular air in my tires get me "pressurized" just fine without it!
 
Last edited:
My Dad has been running N2 in his Hyundai since he got it 3 years ago. Never had to top up the tires, other than 1 flat. The car has been across Canada without incident. Just put new skins on last week in Palmer, Alaska. Wife did that so I don't know if they did the N2 or not. I've been running N2 in my F350 since new in August'09. Had a set of winter tread/studs mounted this past fall. One thing I did notice is that the tires don't get as noticeable a flat spot when sitting in -30C for a week. The flat spot is there, but disappears after about a block of driving, not like the regular air which takes about a mile to disappear and has you bouncing in the seat until it does disappear.
But hey....each to his/her own. BTW, N2 is free at my Ford dealer.
 
Back
Top