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MOTORING MADE SIMPLE
Motoring Made Simple
S. MURALIDHAR
"Procrastination is the thief of time. I have to kick the habit. In fact, I will tomorrow!"
Sounds like something you do too? Some of us tend to postpone taking decisions about some pretty routine issues in life and one of them also happens to be our car's maintenance.
One aspect of the car's regular maintenance needs that we all tend to oversee is tyre pressure. The need for and the advantages of maintaining the right air pressure in the car's tyres have already been highlighted in these columns.
But, one raging controversy in advanced automotive markets that is also threatening to spill over into the mainstream automobile market here is whether the use of pure Nitrogen instead of plain Jane air will make any difference to the ride quality and longevity of the car's tyres.
Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, environmentally friendly, inert gas that can genuinely offer some benefits to the tyres. But, the reason for all the controversy, claims and counter claims is the fact that the air (from the earth's atmosphere) that is compressed for filling into a car's tyres already has a composition of about 78 per cent Nitrogen and 20 per cent Oxygen. So, can the extra 22 per cent of Nitrogen in the pure form offer that much of a difference? It actually can.
Nitrogen was first used in aircraft tyres, racing car tyres and has even been used in the space shuttle's tyres, all of which needed Nitrogen to handle the extreme operating conditions, especially the heat. Cars may not be faced with such extremes, but heat is a threat where high- speed travel is involved.
The culprit in regular air, which is filled from the low-end pumps, that you find being vended for free in most fuel stations is moisture and of course, the Oxygen content. For one, the mix of gases in air tends to make it more susceptible for heat expansion, leakage and loss of pressure leading to its gradual flow out from tyre and tube valves. In comparison, the molecular structure of pure Nitrogen and its inherent characteristics enable it to be less prone to heat expansion and leakage.
Further, the moisture and Oxygen in air tends to react with the wheel rim and tube rubber leading to long-term deterioration. In tubeless tyres, the moisture and Oxygen leads to accelerated oxidization of both aluminium and steel depending on the type of wheels being used.
Nitrogen is lighter than air, but only marginally. As a result, the difference in the car's ride quality is almost not discernable. The rest of the benefits that the use of Nitrogen (compared to the use of air) brings to the car's ownership experience are also negligible, despite some of the claims that have been made. But, a couple of the big benefits are of course, the improved mileage from the more consistent maintenance of recommended air pressure in the tyres for a longer duration and the longer life of the tyres.
For many of us forgetful folks, Nitrogen could be worth it, if only it was more freely available in Indian cities. Where available, it could also cost you more than just the couple of bucks that you are used to handing out to the service station assistant.
A full pressure load of pure Nitrogen in the tyres could last more than twice as long as regular air. But, where it is not available, regular checks of air pressure at the local service station (double checked with a hand held digital pressure monitor) can be almost as good.
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