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nitrogen saves moneyBack in 2010, G. E. Miller wrote an article about nitrogen tire inflation, and questioned whether or not the practice really provided the benefits that nitrogen providers claimed. Yes, the article is almost two years old, but it’s one of the most recent articles out there. However, G. E. Miller makes several factual errors in his arguments against nitrogen tire inflation, and this misinformation could be steering people away from a money-saving practice. We’re going to clear up some of that misinformation, and show you that nitrogen tire inflation does improve gas mileage and save you money.

About midway through the article, Miller says,“Dry air (the stuff we breathe) actually consists of 78.09% nitrogen, and 20.95% oxygen.” Although Miller’s percentages are correct, notice that they don’t equal 100 percent. That’s because the last one percent includes other elements, including water vapor. Meaning, the air we breathe is not dry air, and neither is the compressed air going into your tires. Miller’s statement isn’t accurate at all. Yes, air is over 78 percent nitrogen, but it’s the other elements of air that can damage tires and not be as reliable to maintain proper tire pressure.

After that, Miller refers to a Consumer Affairs article on nitrogen tire inflation, which says that “the person filling the tires would actually need to completely purge and refill the tire 3 times to get a 95% nitrogen consistency.” That may be the case, but a tire doesn’t have to be purged completely in order for the affects of nitrogen tire inflation to take place. Nitrogen helps maintain proper tire pressure for a longer period of time, and it is less affected by temperature changes than compressed air, even topping off your tires with nitrogen will help them in the long run.

Towards the end of the article, Miller says, “The other argument for nitrogen over air is that oxygen within normal air causes ‘oxidation’ within the tire. However, I haven’t seen any concrete evidence as to what oxidation really is or why its such a bad thing.” Oxidation is the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue. According to this definition, rust counts as oxidation, and I hardly believe that Miller has never seen rust before, or would argue that a rusty nail is as good as a non-rusty nail. Rust is concrete evidence of what oxidation is (even though it isn’t the only example), but to write off a scientific word just because it’s hard to understand doesn’t mean that it’s harmless or made up.

Miller also says that “If it’s rubber deterioration from the inside, I have a feeling that tire tread wear on the outside from normal use probably has a much larger impact, regardless of what’s inside the tire.” But, tire tread wear and rubber deterioration are not the same thing. Tire tread wear is obvious, but rubber deterioration is the break down of the actual tire. Both not only have an impact on tire performance, but both are also affected by proper tire pressure and nitrogen tire inflation. If you are driving on tires that are over or underinflated, then that will affect how your tire tread wears over time. The strength of the tire rubber is just as important as the tire tread wear itself.

The science behind Miller’s article is wrong and misinformed, misguiding readers into thinking that nitrogen tire inflation can’t be any good, when in fact it can do a lot of good once you understand the science.

proper tire care

This tire was made in 2007, in the 51st week of the year.

Industry suggests getting new tires once they are between six and 10 years of age. The reason why is that air migrates through the tire, making it brittle and reducing its strength. The only way to prevent the air from migrating and reducing the strength of your tire is to remove the air from you tire all together. Then, replace it with pure nitrogen with nitrogen tire inflation. That way, you extend the life of your tire, giving it more of those golden years on the road instead of in the dump.

Just like how you can find the maximum tire pressure allowed for your tire, you can figure out how old your tire is looking on the outside. If the tire was made after the year 2000, it has four digits. The first two indicate the week, the last two the year. If the tire has only three digits, it was made prior to 2000, with the first two indicating the week, and the last digit indicating the year of the decade. Tires that are older than 10 years old are considered unsafe for driving. Perhaps it’s because by then, they’ve become brittle and have suffered from the old tire disease of oxidation. Give your tires the fountain of youth with nitrogen tire inflation.

Nitrogen tire inflation has been proven to extend the life of your tires.  Many tires companies, including Michelin and Goodyear, support the practice of nitrogen tire inflation. It’s a practice that’s already being used by the airline industry and NASCAR. It’s about time that it’s used in the consumer market as well.

tire care

This is what oxidation can do to your tires. Prevent it with nitrogen tire inflation!

Oxygen and moisture are destructive to your tires. Oxidation can cause bubbling or flaking of the chrome finish as seen to the left, which at that point can degrade the base material of the wheel itself. Since water vapor also permeates the tire rubber, it can separate the layers and even rust the steel belts, making for an extremely unsafe driving condition.

Deterioration from oxidation isn’t localized. It spreads. It can start within the tire interior and moves outward, where it first invades the tire liner and then consumes the insulation rubber adjacent the liner. It marches inexorably outward, and as it does, the rubber itself deteriorates, losing elasticity. This decay is constantly being fueled by the fresh, and all too often moist, air injected.

It sounds costly! So, how do you prevent this and make your tires last Million Mile Tires? One way to do it is with nitrogen tire inflation? Nitrogen tire inflation takes the air and the water vapor out of your tires, and replaces it with nitrogen. Yes, air is 78 percent nitrogen, but it’s the other 22 percent that’s causing problems. It’s such a simple solution that doesn’t require a whole lot of extra time or expertise to get it done. To learn more about nitrogen tire inflation, check out Nitrofleet99.

nitrogen tire inflation

Nitrogen tire inflation can keep your tires healthy!


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