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04-30-2007, 09:05 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Louisville, Ga
Posts: 7,840
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Nitrogen for tires..
A friend of mine told me that he uses nitrogen in his tires because they don't leak down nearly as fast. He said it's because the nitrogen molecules are much larger than air. He also went on to tell me how cheap it is to buy.
Do any of you guys use nitrogen?
Thanks,
__________________
Pierre Smith
RV-10, 510 TT
RV6A (Sojourner) 180 HP, Catto 3 Bl (502Hrs), gone...and already missed
Air Tractor AT 502B PT 6-15 Sold
Air Tractor 402 PT-6-20 Sold
EAA Flight Advisor/CFI/Tech Counselor
Louisville, Ga
It's never skill or craftsmanship that completes airplanes, it's the will to do so,
Patrick Kenny, EAA 275132
Dues gladly paid!
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04-30-2007, 09:35 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 335
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Niiitroggen!!!
I use nitrogen, put it in these new fangled leak resistant tubes. Have to add the stuff every time I fly! Don't believe it's the nitrogen tho', I never had this problem before I installed these crazy high dollar tubes.
I do believe the nitrogen is a good thing!
__________________
Bill Waters
Based KCVC (Covington, GA)
RV6A - Gone, but not forgotten!
RV8 - Gone too, now winning races in the RV Gold Class!
RV4 - Flying!!!
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04-30-2007, 09:43 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: MKE
Posts: 1,519
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Well, considering that air is about 80% nitrogen, I'd say we all use nitrogen, at least 80% of it...
Ditto the leak-proof tubes. Michelon Air Stops are my choice. They leak maybe a pound a month, maybe. Not much more $ than cheap tubes either.
__________________
Jeff Point
RV-6, RLU-1 built & flying
Tech Counselor, Flight Advisor & President, EAA Chapter 18
Milwaukee
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04-30-2007, 09:49 AM
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,012
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by sprucemoose
Well, considering that air is about 80% nitrogen, I'd say we all use nitrogen, at least 80% of it...
Ditto the leak-proof tubes. Michelon Air Stops are my choice. They leak maybe a pound a month, maybe. Not much more $ than cheap tubes either.
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Second the Michelin Air Stops - the tubes I've been using for the last 2-3 years with 78% N2. If your goal is to hold pressure longer, use them. If you want to say you inflate your tires with 99% N2 versus 78% N2, go with the bottled N2.
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Bryan
Houston
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04-30-2007, 10:51 AM
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Canby, Oregon
Posts: 1,786
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If it really worked....
If the O2 leaked out faster then the N2, as you repeatedly put more AIR in your tire you would be increasing the N2 concentration. After all the O2 would have leaked out and you would be left with only N2 when you started filling.
Kent
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Kent Byerley
RV9A N94KJ - IO320, CS, tipup
AFS 3500, TT AP, FLYING....
Canby, Or
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04-30-2007, 12:39 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Azle, TX
Posts: 352
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More ways to spend your money?
The military (and I assume the airlines) uses bottled nitrogen to service tires and oleo struts to very high pressures because it is dryer than air and thus is more corrosion resistant. You don't want parts pressurized to 300 to 1500 psi failing! I doubt the risk is high in our RV's.
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Bill Grant, A&P
8KCAB, M20G
RV-4: Fuselage controls
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04-30-2007, 12:52 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Estacada, OR
Posts: 787
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Nitrogen seems to be the latest fad among car & truck tire dealers. If the reason is because nitrogen is drier than air, than it has to be because cars & trucks run tubeless tires, so wheels are exposed to the gas inside. Anyway, moisture is not an issue in a rubber tube--is it? I don't see how.
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04-30-2007, 12:55 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 19
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Air is good enough for me
Pierre,
As a chemist I spent years working with gases. Dry air is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% argon and other minor components. Nitrogen's only advantage over air is it doesn't react with the rubber and doesn't support combustion. Oxygen will react with rubber slowly and does support combustion, but it does that at a rate so slow we have no reason to worry. You'll wear out the tires long before the reaction will matter. At the speeds we land and the temperatures we develop the use of pure nitrogen is an unnecessary expense. If we regularly produced high temperatures in the tires for long periods as in a race car or very high temps as in heavys and fighter aircraft then the use of pure nitrogen makes sense but not for an RV.
Larry Dickinson
RV-9A 160 hrs
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04-30-2007, 01:01 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 335
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Use of nitrogen...
Nitrogen has been used quite a while in racing applications because of it doesn't change pressure quite drastically as the tires heat up, thus you are able to have better control over tire pressure change. Same may apply to using them in cars at today's highway speeds.
I believe the use of nitrogen, especially in high altitude aircraft, is for the same reason, you don't get the drastic pressure changes.
Someone else???
__________________
Bill Waters
Based KCVC (Covington, GA)
RV6A - Gone, but not forgotten!
RV8 - Gone too, now winning races in the RV Gold Class!
RV4 - Flying!!!
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04-30-2007, 01:28 PM
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Chief Obfuscation Officer
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Livermore, CA
Posts: 1,110
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I don't know if it is a national thing or not, but the last two sets of car tires I purchased at Costco (in CA) were filled with Nitrogen. They switch your valve caps from black to green to signify the change. The reasons why have already been mentioned, but here is an article explaining Costco's rationale.
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