So whats all this fuss about filling your tires about nitrogen? I am not a MythBuster but I have been researching because my boss asked me about this in the office.
The claim is that nitrogen filled tires require less filling because the nitrogen particles will not escape the rubber walls. Also that filling tires will preserve the life of the tire because it will not oxidize the tire belt inside the tire. Also the claim is that Motorsports teams use nitrogen to fill race cars.
What people fail to realize is that air is essential a fluid mixture of 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen. So in essnce nitrogen comprises most of our air that we put in our tires. Nitrogen's atomic number is 7 and Oxygen's atomic number is 8. Both elements only come in N2 and O2 variations naturally in our environment. So they actually are 14 and 16 times bigger than a single Hydrogen molecule. If you notice Oxygen has a higher number, which means its bigger, which should mean that it escapes less through poruous rubber wall membrane. In terms of the belt oxidizing, maybe, but the sidewalls of tires usually crack first, and those have no steel belts. Motorsports teams do use nitrogen, but only becuase they can lug them around in pressurized tanks rather than lugging around a compressor for air. Also one reason why Motorsports teams use Nitrogen is becuase they know the exisitng pre-load and characteristics of a single gas than a heterogenous mixture.
Think about it.
Johnster the Monster
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