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The Argument for Saving Gas Using Nitrogen

By: Scott Siegel There seems to be a bit of a controversy as to whether nitrogen can help you save gas. The advocates claim if you fill your tires with nitrogen you will save gas. This is what they say:

One of the biggest drains on fuel economy is under inflated tires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by nearly 3 percent. The EPA estimates that at least 30% of the cars on the road have at least one under inflated tire.

It is estimated that under inflated tires are responsible for the loss of more than 2 million gallons of gas every day. A tire with low air pressure begins to flatten which creates additional surface area between the tire and the road. This increases friction between the tire and the road which results in the engine needing to work harder.

When an engine needs to work harder it uses more gasoline. The more the tire is under inflated, the more tire surface meets the road, the more friction is generated and more gas is used.As the friction continues to increase it takes more and more power to roll that tire. More power means worse fuel economy. A tire that is properly inflated will roll more easily using less power and less gas.

What does this all have to do with nitrogen? I'm getting to that. So we have established that under inflated tires use more gas. Why do tires become under inflated? The simple answer, it looses air. That doesn't mean you have a leak.

Tires are made from materials that are permeable . The small air molecules can escape from the tires over time through the permeable material. As those molecules of air seep out of the tire it causes the tire to become under inflated. It is a normal occurrence that all tires suffer from. It is the reason that car experts suggest that you check your tires every month.

A tire that is inflated with Nitrogen looses its pressure 3 times slower than if it were inflated with air. This is because Nitrogen is denser than Oxygen which means it has larger molecules and will seep out of the tire less easily than air. That will result in a significantly slower loss of tire pressure over time.

Your tires will maintain themselves at close to the full pressure longer with the nitrogen because the pressure loss is so much slower. The result is properly inflated tires, with less friction, and less gasoline needed to move your car.

The price to fill your tires with nitrogen is around $40.00 per set of 4 tires. Is it worth $40.00? Those who support nitrogen as a substitute for air say absolutely it is. There is, however another side to this issue. There are those that argue that it is not worth $40.00. It might be worthwhile to find out why critics of nitrogen suggest not using it before you commit to spending that $40.00.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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