If I had no conscience I could be a millionaire

[Brad Johnson]

Just finished talking with someone who shelled out $10 per tire to get a nitrogen fill.  They fell for the sales pitch hook, line, and sinker, raving about how their tires weren't "being eaten up from the inside out" and how the nitrogen "had smaller molecules so it didn't leak as bad as air".  They didn't take it too kindly when I had to inform them the air they were breathing, and that most people used to fill their tires for free, was 78% nitrogen.  They got all huffy so I told them to go open their fifth-grader's science book and see.

Jeez but people fall for the dumbest crap.  I could retire a billionaire by this time next year if I didn't have a conscience or didn't mind taking advantage of all the idiocy that parades as common sense these days.  Sure, some things really are pretty complex and take some in-depth knowledge to figure out that you're being had, but getting your wallet lightened over something like this?  It's frikkin' grade-school science for crying out loud!

Brad

[Marnoot]

I get my tires at Costco, and they fill them with 100% nitrogen for free. It does seem to be a bit better than 78% nitrogen as far as temperature stability; could be no better than properly dehumidified regular air. Either way it's not anything I'd pay extra for.

[Fly320s]

Nitrogen-filled tires os so last week.  Helium is where it's at! 

Helium is lighter than nitrogen.
Lighter = less wear!
Lighter = Faster!
LIGHTER = BETTER!!!

Fill your tires with helium today and start saving money!  Only $10 per tire, or all of them for $50!!

[Brad Johnson]

Nitrogen-filled tires os so last week.  Helium is where it's at! 

Helium is lighter than nitrogen.
Lighter = less wear!
Lighter = Faster!
LIGHTER = BETTER!!!

Fill your tires with helium today and start saving money!  Only $10 per tire, or all of them for $50!!

Not a bad idea that.  Plus, the added leakage from the smaller helium atoms would mean they'd have to come back for lots of top-offs.  At a "preferred customer discount" of $5 per tire, of course.

Brad

[drewtam]

N2 filled started off in racing. The lower water vapor helped temperature & pressure stability; this leads to more predictable turn in and grip, which leads to faster lap times.

Legal street driving does not get any where near the tire temps as racing applications.

[Hawkmoon]

Nitrogen-filled tires os so last week.  Helium is where it's at! 

Helium is lighter than nitrogen.
Lighter = less wear!
Lighter = Faster!
LIGHTER = BETTER!!!

Fill your tires with helium today and start saving money!  Only $10 per tire, or all of them for $50!!

Try hydrogen. Then if you run out of gas you can just connect your tires to your intake manifold and keep on truckin'.

[230RN]

No, no!  Deuterium is where it's at!  Helium leaks through everything and regular hydrogen is more combustible than deuterium.  You don't want a nail to cause a leak and have your car burn up, do you?  Well, do you?

Or perhaps I could interest you in an upgrade to a tritium fill instead?  You will get lots of energy in your tires; you'll be amazed!  And you'll only need a refill every twelve years and four months!  Isn't that worth it for your peace of mind and your family?

It's for the children!

[280plus]

I've heard of A/C techs filling soft tires with freon. I'm sure that does wonders for stability.  

[Nitrogen]

I'm gonna be a contrarian and fill my tires with sodium hexafluoride.

I'll let Costco fill my tires with Nitrogen (HAH!) for free all day, also.

[sanglant]

remember n2 is slower leaking than normal air, so it's not really a bad idea. i just keep a little pump in my car. just easier. this pump. little hard on the cigarette plugs(i need to buy an adapter to hook straight up to the battery) but it's quite and fast. these are twice as cool, if you have space.

[Tallpine]

$10 per tire to get a nitrogen fill

Not to mention you need to change the nitrogen in your tires every six months or six thousand miles 

[Regolith]

remember n2 is slower leaking than normal air, so it's not really a bad idea.

This doesn't make sense to me.

Normal air is comprised of 78.09% nitrogen (in the form of N₂), 20.95% oxygen (0₂), 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and ~1% water vapor.

Oxygen, with an atomic mass of 15.9994, is a larger atom than nitrogen, which has an atomic mass of 14.0067, so 0₂ is going to leak at a slower rate than N₂.

Which means that filling your tire with pure nitrogen should mean your tires will leak at a faster rate than filling it with regular air.

[sanglant]

Molecular size a bit tricky. As a quick comparison, we can use the covalent radius defined as 1/2 the distance between to identical covalently bonding nuclei. This is measured in picometers (1 pm= 1x 10-12  m). Nitrogen's covalent radius is 75pm so the length of a nitrogen (N2) molecule ought to be 4 X 75pm or 300 pm. A molecule of oxygen (O2) ought to be just a shade smaller 4 X 73pm or 292pm. So an oxygen molecule is a little less than 3% smaller than a nitrogen molecule.

[lee n. field]

raving about how their tires weren't "being eaten up from the inside out"

Oh, really? 

And I always thought they wore from the outside in.

[GigaBuist]

Heck, I know a guy that made about $12 million selling a cure for diabetes on the 'net.  Turns out you're not allowed to do that.  Never did year how his sentencing went.

Thing is, if he'd just have tried selling something legit he'd have probably have been able to hold together a nice comfy small business.  He did this just 2-3 years after a previous venture (where I worked for him) failed.  Obviously he had some talent in getting people together, on task, and believing in the vision he had.  Just couldn't keep himself honest.

People.  They're weird.

[seeker_two]

Try hydrogen. Then if you run out of gas you can just connect your tires to your intake manifold and keep on truckin'.

No....try a neon/argon mix.....the colors are pretty....

[Fly320s]

N2 filled started off in racing.

I thought it started in aviation. 

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Or perhaps I could interest you in an upgrade to a tritium fill instead?  You will get lots of energy in your tires; you'll be amazed!  And you'll only need a refill every twelve years and four months!  Isn't that worth it for your peace of mind and your family?

I suddenly find myself wanting transparent tires.

[GigaBuist]

I suddenly find myself wanting transparent tires.

Heh.  We don't mine/harvest/whatever enough tritium in a year to fill all four tires.

[Nick1911]

Heh.  We don't mine/harvest/whatever enough tritium in a year to fill all four tires.

But, I know for a fact that Airgas sells bottles of deuterium.

[seeker_two]

But, I know for a fact that Airgas sells bottles of deuterium.

...and maybe a few gallons of heavy water for the radiator, perhaps?....

[TommyGunn]

Hey guys, I will fill your tires with unobtainium for one hundred dollars a tire.  It's magic; you will get 1500 miles per gallon no matter what kind of car you have .... and 0 to 60 miles per hour in two seconds flat!!!

[280plus]

Hey guys, I will fill your tires with unobtainium for one hundred dollars a tire.  It's magic; you will get 1500 miles per gallon no matter what kind of car you have .... and 0 to 60 miles per hour in two seconds flat!!!

The check is in the mail! 

[Owens]

Of course i fyou suffer from a bit of ledfootitis, we can always top your tires off with some of the heavy gas. You know what it is. Governmentium. The heaviest substance known to man.

[seeker_two]

Governmentium. The heaviest substance known to man.

Don't know about heaviest....but it's certainly the densest and hardest to get rid of....