Looking to boost fuel economy, tire life? Consider the benefits of nitrogen

Sometimes it takes just a small change to make a big difference. If you want to improve gas mileage, reduce your chances of a blowout and slow the rate of wear on your tire treads, inflating your tires with nitrogen vs. traditional air may be the key.

This method has been used for years in tires for racing, commercial and military aircraft, and heavy-duty equipment, so this isn’t a new technology. But it only fairly recently hit the automotive consumer market.

We offer it at CARS of America because we see as a valuable money-saver for you: Investing $28 in nitrogen can go a long way toward reducing fuel economy and prolonging the life of your tires. When you factor in the cost for a gallon of gas and for a set of new tires, we think you'll agree!

Here's why we're fans of nitrogen.

Benefits #1 & #2: Proper Tire Pressure = Better Gas Mileage, Longer Tire Life

Tires are typically inflated with air that’s about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% miscellaneous gases. The problem is that all gasses expand when heated and contract when cooled.

This means your tire pressure changes by about 1 psi for every 10-degree change in temperature. When you consider the drastic temperature swings we experience in Chicagoland, it wouldn't be uncommon for your tire pressure to drop 3 to 4 psi in a fairly short span of time.

Nitrogen molecules also leak from tires, but they do so much more slowly than oxygen because the molecules are much larger. This means nitrogen is not nearly as sensitive to temperature extremes like oxygen is, which helps prevent underinflated tires. This, in turn, decreases fuel consumption and prevents premature tire wear.

Benefit #3: No more leaks due to rust

Nitrogen helps prevent oxidation of the rim and wheel. Oxygen can react with tiny amounts of hydrogen in the tires to create water vapor that leaks through sidewalls. This reduces air pressure and causes rust to form on the rim. You can avoid this problem by putting nitrogen in your tires. It won't react with the rims.

Benefit #4: Minimize low tire pressure warnings

When it comes to vehicles built after September 2008, nitrogen greatly reduces the number of times the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) will trigger a low tire pressure warning light on the dash. (To learn more about TPMS, view our blog post, "Low tire pressure warnings waking up your mornings? Here's the 411.")

This light is set to turn on when your tire pressure falls below a pre-set psi. As we already mentioned, having nitrogen in the tires instead of air will make the tire pressure less susceptible to fluctuations from extreme temperature changes.

Interesting Stats

Here’s a few numbers to keep in mind, courtesy of the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration:

• If you drive with even one tire underinflated by 20 percent, you’ll use about two weeks extra of gas per year and will wear your tire tread six to nine months faster.

• Most drivers can improve gas mileage nearly 3 percent just by keeping tires at the recommended psi.

• Nearly 30 percent of cars, vans, pickups and SUVs on the road have at least one tire that is substantially underinflated (at least 8 psi below the recommended minimum pressure).

Brian Blohm is the Service Manager and Managing Partner - Operations for CARS of America in Glenview. He is an ASE-Certified Automotive Service Technician and ASE-Certified Service Advisor with more than 25 years of automotive experience. A graduate of Triton College with an associate's degree in Automotive Technology, he has continued his training and education with the Automotive Training Institute and RL O'Connor. You can reach Brian via email at brianb@carsofamericainc.com.