Nitrogen Fill For Tires in Lansing Michigan, Scam or not?

Nitrogen has actually been around for a long time in the Lansing Michigan commercial sector, but it's just starting to catch on for private vehicles.

Why nitrogen in your tires? Air is air, right? Actually, it turns out there is a difference.

Contact Professional Fleet Services to learn more about nitrogen in your tires
You can find us at:
615 E Kalamazoo St
Lansing, Michigan 48912
Or call us at 517-316-7999

The heart of the matter is maintaining proper tire inflation. When your tires are properly inflated, they last longer, handle better and more safely, and save you money at the gas pump.

The problem is that tires filled with regular air can lose a pound and a half of air pressure every month. This just happens as the oxygen in the tire seeps out. So if you don't check your pressure for a month or two, well, you can be significantly low – low enough to actually affect your handling, shorten tire life and waste money at the gas pump.

How does nitrogen help? Regular air contains about 78% nitrogen. Nitrogen is the largest molecule in air. It's dry and non-flammable. Air also contains 21% oxygen, which is smaller and seeps out of the tire three to four times faster than nitrogen.

So, a tire filled with nitrogen at our auto repair center will take about six months to lose as much pressure as regular air does in just one month. So it's more forgiving for those who don't check their tire pressure every week.

Also, when oxygen is at higher temperatures – like those inside your tire when you've been driving for awhile – it oxidizes the inside of your tire. Getting the oxygen out of your tire means that it'll last longer.

Who's using nitrogen? Well, let's start with NASCAR and Indy. These racers like nitrogen's ability to maintain consistent tire pressure and reduce tire temperatures under very demanding conditions. The US government requires all commercial aircraft to have nitrogen in their tires. NASA and the US Military use nitrogen. The mining industry has been filling those "humongous" tires with nitrogen for years. And semi trucks and trailers are starting to use nitrogen extensively.

You may have heard some detractors of nitrogen. But the studies and white papers from tire and vehicle manufacturers demonstrate that the technology really works.

In fact, a prominent consumer research group did a study where they filled some tires with air and some with nitrogen and stacked them outside for a year. They observed that the nitrogen filled tires did hold their pressure better, but they couldn't see the economic benefit. But that particular test has very little to do with the real world. Most tires are actually holding up cars and they also get driven around and do a lot of work. So if nitrogen helps them last longer, saves gas and gives safer handling, it's worth considering.

Feel free to give us a call or stop by if you have any questions concerning Nitrogen inflation.

For the most part Nitrogen inflation is just a sales gimmick to either force you to return back to the auto repair or tire installer who installed the tires or allow the installer to charge you more for the tires in the first place. We have found tires that loose air do so because of corrosion at the sealing surface of the tire and rim. This can be cleaned and sealed and the tire will not loose air any more. Just because the molecules are bigger it is not going to slow down a tire or rim leak!

I know of 2 places that will clean your rims and seal your tires without making you buy new wheels like all the other tire installers do in our area, give me a call @ 517 316 7999 and I will put you in touch with them.

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