From low-rolling resistance tires to reprogrammable engine chips, there are plenty of ways you can modify your car in the pursuit of better fuel efficiency. Commonly used by race car teams, nitrogen-filled tires have recently become an alternative for those looking for improved fuel economy and overall performance.

You may even be wondering if it's worth it to ditch the compressed air currently in your tires in favor of nitrogen. The following takes a look at how nitrogen-filled tires differ from their ordinary counterparts and the benefits and drawbacks they offer.

How Pure Nitrogen Differs from Ordinary Air

The compressed air commonly found in automotive tires represents a motley mix of elements that are already found in the air you breathe: 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen with traces of various other gases, including carbon dioxide, argon and water vapor. At first glance, it doesn't seem like there's much to worry about when it comes to ordinary compressed air.

Unfortunately, oxygen molecules are very reactive with a number of elements, including those that make up the rubber in your tires. The end result is an oxidation process that continuously robs your car's tires of their elasticity. Ordinary compressed air also supports varying amounts of moisture depending on its temperature, creating conditions ideal for rust and corrosion of steel and alloy wheels. Oxygen's smaller molecule size also means it's more likely to escape through the microscopic gaps between the rubber compound, allowing the tire to lose pressure over long periods of time.

Nitrogen, on the other hand, is an inert gas with larger molecule sizes and a lower sensitivity towards temperature changes. A tire completely filled with nitrogen is also unable to support moisture, resulting in a drier environment where the effects of oxidation and corrosion are less pronounced. Nitrogen-filled tires also suffer fewer changes in tire pressure when subjected to extreme temperatures.

The Results Are Mixed 

So how does nitrogen perform when it comes to your car's fuel efficiency? As it turns out, there's some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that filling your tires with pure nitrogen can help reduce tire pressure loss over a period of time. In a Consumer Reports comparison between nitrogen-filled tires and tires filled with compressed air, the former offered a 1.3-psi advantage over the latter when it came to pressure retention.

Keep in mind that a car's fuel economy can drop by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in tire pressure. By keeping your tires properly inflated longer, you can boost your car's fuel economy by as much as 3.3 percent.

The bad news is that the expense of filling your tires with nitrogen will likely wipe out any savings you'd get from using nitrogen-filled tires. According to Angie's List, it can cost $5 per tire for nitrogen fill-up, with some shops charging as much as $70 for all 4 tires. In comparison, compressed air stalls found at gas stations typically cost $1 or more to use. As a result, it may take some years and plenty of driving before you're able to recoup the cost of a nitrogen tire fill-up.

The Choice Is Yours

Nitrogen-filled tires might not offer the spectacular fuel efficiency gains you might've been looking for, but the relatively small role they play in improving fuel economy shouldn't be brushed off. Nevertheless, you might want to save your money and stick to conventional compressed air instead of making the switch to nitrogen.

Instead, keeping a close eye on your tire pressures could prove more beneficial than using nitrogen as a compressed air substitute, in most cases. By conducting regular tire pressure checks with an analog or digital tire gauge, you can ensure that your car achieves the best possible fuel economy and ward against excessive tire wear caused by low tire pressures. For more information, contact companies like Free Service Tire.

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