Using Nitrogen Gas in Tires Increases Gas Mileage
I have heard of nitrogen being used in place of oxygen in tires but never really thought twice about the concept until I received a press release detailing the “Ride on Nitrogen Initiative†that was created by an Ohio-based company, American Frame. Putting nitrogen in your tires increases gas mileage by between four and ten percent according to the Get Nitrogen Institute.
Environmental Impact
Increased gas mileage does have a direct effect on vehicle emissions and thus a direct effect on the environment. In addition, properly inflated tires also increase your gas mileage and according to the Get Nitrogen Institute (GNI), “Americans could save 3.7 billion gallons of fuel per year by maintaining proper tire inflation with nitrogen.â€
Savings
The homepage of the GNI website has a savings calculator to help you determine what your savings would be by switching to nitrogen air. I input the following variables: 15,000 miles driven per year, $150 cost to replace a tire, $3.45 average gas price per gallon (it is what I paid today) and I used a 20 MPG rating. The calculator determined that I would save $103.50 per year in reduced fuel costs because of the improved mpg seen with nitrogen-filled tires and a $66.67 increased tire life savings for a total yearly savings of $170.17.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Manufacturer’s Warranty
A couple of questions come to mind when considering the switch to nitrogen – namely will my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) continue to function as intended and will using nitrogen void the manufacturer’s warranty on the tire. Thankfully, the GNI has included the answer to these questions in their FAQ.
If your vehicle is equipped with a TPMS, the use of nitrogen will not affect the system in any way – if your TPMS light comes in when your tires are filled with nitrogen, it simply means that the tire is not properly inflated. Concerning the manufacturer’s warranty on the tires, the use of nitrogen does not void or otherwise affect the warranty.
If you are convinced that switching to nitrogen will help you in your green motoring endeavors, you can search for a nitrogen dealer near you on the GNI website. The results are currently restricted to those that reside in the United States and Canada.
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“Nitrogen air”? You probably meant “nitrogen gas”.
You know that “air” you put in your tires now ?
It’s already 78% nitrogen and less that 18% oxygen.
You really think that the extra 22% is going to improve gas mileage ?
Rick - thus my comment: “If you are convinced that switching to nitrogen will help you in your green motoring endeavors, you can search for a nitrogen dealer near you on the GNI website.”
Michael - yes, nitrogen gas would have been the better phrase. Thanks.
Hi,
My whole point was that the quote “Putting nitrogen in your tires increases gas mileage by between four and ten percent according to the Get Nitrogen Institute.” is misleading when your tires are already filled with mostly nitrogen (78% give or take).
Gotcha Rick, my attempt in writing that was not to mislead - merely stating the information that is published on the GNI website here in my post. Thanks for your clarification.
My understanding is that the 100% Nitrogen in your tires is better not because you magically get better mileage, but because it keeps a more consistent pressure. So, when you set your tires to 44psi with nitrogen, it has less change when the tires heat up or cool down. That lower amount of change is what results in higher mileage. You can check with people who know over at cleanmpg.com
I put nitrogen in my girlfriends tires because they always lost pressure and the car got bad gas millage due to that fact. I routinely pumped in more air but the problem continued. Since putting in the Nitrogen, ive noticed the tires stay a constant pressure and even though the ride is a little stiff, the gas millage is improved because of the constant tire pressure.
Hello, I am a Nitrofill Representative! I noticed the blog here and would like to drop in a couple comments. For michael- we breath 78% nitrogen, you don’t have 78% in your tires with wet complressed oxygen. with wet compressed oxygen you might have 9% or 12% nitrogen in your tires. When you use our Nitrofill tire service you should be around 96.4% and 99.7% nitrogen in your tires. The Nitrofill tire service and process purges any wet compressed oxygen from your tires then successfully. Nitrofill also extends the life of your tires by 30 - 40% which in turn, means savings $. Nitrofill will increase your fuel economy by 10% on most vehicles because unlike regular old air that you have in your tires, nitrogen won’t expand and contract. Ntirogen is always consistant to the psi that is set for your vehicle. For more information please see the Nitrofill web site where there is a list of Nitrofill Dealers. http://www.nitrofill.com
Nitrogen in tires really does improve gas mileage, mine went from 17 to 19!
[...] Nitrogen gas has been touted as a great way to maintain tire pressure in passenger vehicles. The use of nitrogen gas is not without controversy, but it is becoming a popular alternative. In order to help offset the costs for installing nitrogen gas tire inflation systems, Pennsylvania is offering grants to companies in the state that sell tires. [...]