The Argument For Saving Gas Using Nitrogen

There seems to be a bit of a controversy as to whether nitrogen can help you save gas. The advocates claim if you fill your tires with nitrogen you will save gas. This is what they say:

A significant factor in poor fuel economy is under inflated tires. The EPA agency that monitors fuel usage has found that properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by 3 percent. The EPA also estimates that 30% of the cars on the road have at least one tire under inflated.

It is estimated that drivers in the US aggregately loose more than 2 million gallons of gas every day due to under inflated tires. Decreased air pressure causes the tire to flatten which creates more surface area between the tire and the road. The greater surface area increases friction which causes the engine work harder.

When an engine works harder it uses more fuel. The more under inflated the tire is, the greater the surface that meets the highway. This in turn adds more friction and more gas is used. As the friction continues to increase it takes more and more energy to move that tire. More energy means more fuel. If a tire is properly inflated it will roll easily using less energy and less fuel.

How does all of this relate to nitrogen? It has to do with how tires loose pressure. As has been described earlier under inflated tires require the engine to burn more gas. But why do tires become under inflated? It is a common characteristic of all tires, they loose air over time. That doesn't mean you have a leak.

Tires are made with permeable materials. That means that the small air molecules can escape from the tires over time. As the molecules of air escape the tire looses pressure. It is a natural occurrence for all tires. That is why it is suggested that you should check your tires once a month.

It appears that tires inflated with nitrogen loose pressure 3 times slower than tires with conventional air fills. This is because nitrogen has a higher density than oxygen. Higher density translates into larger molecules. Larger molecules will not permeate through the tire as easily as smaller molecules so nitrogen with it's larger molecules stays in the tire longer. That creates a slower loss of tire pressure over time.

Your tires will maintain themselves at close to the full pressure longer with the nitrogen because the pressure loss is so much slower. The result is properly inflated tires, with less friction, and less gasoline needed to move your car.

That is how nitrogen helps you get better fuel economy. The cost of filling your tires with nitrogen is around $10.00 per tire. Is it worth it? Those who advocate nitrogen say absolutely it is. However there are those that don't agree. Before you run off and spend $40.00 getting your tires filled with nitrogen it might make sense to hear from the other camp.