Nitrogen has come up as a very popular filling for tires these days. If you are thinking of using this as a substitute for normal compressed air, it is important to know if the tire pressure is measured the same with nitrogen?
Tire pressure is measured the same with nitrogen as it does with compressed air. The reading of a TPMS, when filled with normal air, is exactly the same in the case of nitrogen as well.
According to several tests conducted, nitrogen came up to have more advantages over normal air when it came to tire pressure. The tests so conducted saw a bigger drop in pressure in the case of normal air when compared to nitrogen. Therefore, a tire filled with Nitrogen would have more pressure over time.
What are the other factors about tire pressure that you should know about when choosing nitrogen as an alternative? Let us find out.
Nitrogen and Tire Pressure Sensors
When getting your tire filled with any type of gas, it is important to consider the effect it will have on the monitoring system. So, while getting your tires filled with nitrogen, what effects would you notice?
Fortunately, nitrogen does not have much effect on your tire pressure monitoring system. Moreover, these two are very much compatible and work perfectly fine. The reading a tire pressure monitoring system shows when filled with normal air is the same in the case of nitrogen as well.
This stands out as one of the best advantages of using nitrogen as a tired gas. Unlike other sources of tire gas, nitrogen does not harm the tire or the pressure monitoring system.
Some gases may start to react with the system and eventually lead to its corrosion. However, in the case of nitrogen, no such reactions come up. However, you should always make sure that the reading never shows ‘too low pressure’.
It is important to keep the pressure up or down as per the manufacturer’s recommendation. Otherwise, various unwanted reactions would start to surface.
What should be the tire pressure with Nitrogen
When getting your tires filled, you should always refer to the recommended tire pressure the manufacturer of the tire has given. For most vehicles, the recommended tire pressure is usually 36 PSI only. This recommendation could be either found in the tiring manual or online as well.
The pressure recommendation may change if the size of the vehicle is too big or small. For instance, in the case of trucks, the tire pressure changes. Moreover, some cars have a different weight than the usual ones.
For such cars, the tire pressure can also go up to 44 PSI. However, it is important to know exactly what category your car falls under. If you have recently brought a car, or even purchased a pair of tires, going by the manual is important.
By doing so, you will also learn a plethora of other things related to tire pressure. A tire manual would also tell you ways to maintain the pressure in a tire when you are not using the car much.
Does the temperature affect nitrogen pressure
The pressure of a tire can change depending on the temperature around the tires. As the temperature would changes, the pressure in the tires will start to vary over time. The same thing happens when the tires are filled with normal air.
It should be noted that the situation in normal air, as well as nitrogen, remains similar when the temperature is in ambient conditions. Moreover, the nitrogen and normal air will react similarly in these cases.
When you have your car parked in a space it starts to lose some amount of pressure. This pressure starts to show some changes within every ten degrees of temperature change. This change can be seen in cases of nitrogen as well as air.
Experts, however, follow a thumb rule which guides you towards clearer answers. According to this rule, at every ten-degree temperature change, a 1.9% pressure change would be seen in a tire. This means, no matter what pressure you keep in a tire, it is susceptible to change as the temperature would change over time.
No matter what gas you fill in these tires, the fluctuations in the pressure would be noticeable even to a layman. However, tire manufacturers are aware of this phenomenon. This is the reason why these manufacturers keep a recommended pressure for tires.
The recommended pressure also depends on the kind of design the tires have.
Nitrogen and Temperature
Despite the similarities between normal air and nitrogen, there are certain properties in nitrogen that give it an edge over normal compressed air. The best thing about nitrogen is that it contains less or no moisture when it is used in tires as gas.
Although normal air has moisture as well as some contaminants which can degrade its quality even more with time. Due to this property, the pressure in a normal air-filled tire would be seen more.
Nitrogen, on the other hand, will show very less fluctuations which may be considered as nil by some observers. To put to simple words, the pressure in the tire will change, but the tires due to nitrogen will remain cool.
When the tires of any vehicle are filled with nitrogen, the amount of changes in these tires concerning temperature changes is very less. In simple words, a tire filled with nitrogen would stay less susceptible to the changes in temperature.
You must have seen tiny holes made in tires that let the air inside the tire leak slowly. With constant pressure and time, you would notice the tire gradually losing its inflation. However, in the case of nitrogen, the gas molecules are much larger and don’t leak of these tires that easily.
This provides you more consistency when it comes to tire pressure and also provides convenience. There have been many experiments done on these properties of nitrogen-filled tires.
Beneficial properties of Nitrogen
As nitrogen is less reactive it maintains good health for your tire. It could be costly for some, especially when you get it from a high-end service station, but gives you several advantages that other gas options for tires don’t provide you.
If you are thinking of using nitrogen instead of normal compressed air, you should know the benefits that this gas would bring to you.
Some of these benefits are mentioned below. Have look
- Less susceptible to temperature changes
- Good for heavy vehicles and race cars
- Does not require constant maintenance of tire pressure
- With long-run benefits, initial costs can be covered
- Keeps tires rust-free
Final Verdict
The tire pressure in the tire due to nitrogen or normal pressure would vary slightly. The reason behind this variation is the difference in properties that both these gases show. Due to this, nitrogen has started to become a more favorable gas over its counterpart.
Moreover, as nitrogen keeps the tire cool, the effect on the drive is considered when comparing both options. You also tend to save up on time, money, and energy in the long run as the nitrogen maintains its pressure even over time.
Due to its bigger elemental form, nitrogen wins in another category against normal compressed air. These factors are important and should be considered while judging tire gas based on pressure.