Does filling your tires with nitrogen save you gas? There is a large group of advocates who say yes. Here is why they say that.
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 needs to work harder it uses more gasoline. The more the tire is under inflated, the more tire surface meets the road, the more friction is generated and more gas is used.As the friction continues to increase it takes more and more power to roll that tire. More power means worse fuel economy. A tire that is properly inflated will roll more easily using less power and less gas.
This is where nitrogen comes into the picture. It has to do with the way tires loose air pressure. Why do tires loose air over time? It is a common characteristic of the kinds of materials that tires are made of.
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.
The pro nitrogen camp suggests that tires inflated with nitrogen loose pressure 3 times slower than tires with air in them. This is explained by basic science. Nitrogen has a higher density than oxygen. Because of that, nitrogen has larger molecules than oxygen. The larger molecules of nitrogen will not filter through the permeable material in the tire as easily as the smaller oxygen molecules. . That results in 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.
Scott Siegel has written a 143 page book of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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