For your tyres only

Nitrogen inflators are a relatively new addition to India. So should you spend extra and get your car’s tyres filled with nitrogen? While you ponder that, we tell you its advantaged and what detractors have to say. So read on.

Nitrogen = fewer refills

Nitrogen for tyres is only 93% or 95% pure. Check with the outlet for purity

Thanks to the above two characteristics, a nitrogen filled tyre will lose less air over the same period of time. Consequently, they require fewer refills than a tyre filled with regular compressed air. This is of special importance to those who are not careful about checking the tyres. They can fill the tyres up with nitrogen, not worry about checking too often and still derive the benefits of running the car on correctly inflated tyres. However, we always recommend regular checking of the tyres since they can get punctured, develop leaks and suffer different damages.

 

Nitrogen is more stable

One of the biggest advantages of nitrogen over compressed air is the absence of water vapour. This makes it more stable than air since moisture in the air expands or contracts drastically when exposed to severe temperature fluctuations. So, in India, where roads and ambient temperatures get very hot in summers, nitrogen filled tyres will stay correctly inflated longer.

Nitrogen leaks less

Nitrogen molecules are larger than air molecules. As a result it tends to leak out less from the tyre. This leads to a longer period of correct inflation.

Nitrogen reduces degradation of the tyres

Nitrogen is also devoid of oxygen. Consequently the inner lining of the rubber tyre suffers less degradation. In the case of compressed air the oxygen in the air speeds up the oxidation of the inner rubber lining of the tyre and slowly corrodes it.

However, critics of nitrogen filling say that while it does lower degradation of the inner lining, the tyre's outer wall will corrode over time any way. You’re also likely to wear out the tyre long before it has been destroyed by oxidation.

Also, at Rs 80 to Rs 100 to fill all five tyres and Rs 50 for a refill, nitrogen filling is expensive. More so, since you can get your car tyres filled with air for free at any petrol pump that offers this service. Availability too is an issue since there are only a select few outlets offering nitrogen inflation services.