Which Is Better for Your Tires: Nitrogen Vs. Compressed Air

Have you ever used nitrogen in your tires? Sometimes manufacturers fill tires with pure nitrogen instead of just normal air. And here’s the reason why.

If you thought all air is equal, think again. Stuff like nitrogen could give you the edge when it comes to monitoring tire temperatures on track, according to the Team O’Neil Rally School. Inflating your tires with nitrogen and properly flushing the air out of them will remove all of the moisture out of your tires, allowing you to calculate how much your tire pressure will change with temperature fluctuations.

In the end, it all comes down to moisture. Regular compressed air contains lots of water, so when it’s heated up during driving it expands rapidly and unpredictably. This could cause your tires to over-expand and work against the rubber’s effectiveness.

On the other hand, nitrogen is a much drier substance and doesn’t collect as much moisture as regular air when compressed into a tire. Because nitrogen-filled tires don’t have as much moisture, they’re less prone to expansion than those with only compressed air.

Source: Popular Mechanics