Nitrogen in tires?

[dsb411]

So with the weather getting cooler, I’ve gotten a low tire pressure warning on 2 tires. This means adding air back up to 35psi but it got me thinking of getting tires filled with nitrogen instead. Has anyone done this to their Tesla and does it affect anything, i.e range or acceleration?

 

[MXLRplus]

N2 for tires has very little effect on street applications. You simply don't get the tires hot enough to matter.
If you are going to race it, it will keep the pressure more consistent over the temperature window.

 

[MY-Y]

I always use 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen in my tires.

Seriously, using nitrogen tanks to fill tires is one of the strangest fads I've ever seen in the industry.

 

[Rockster]

This issue has been hashed and rehashed here on the forum. In this post I reference a white paper and a letter on the subject of effusion and permeation as it relates to O2 vs N2 in tires. The short answer is that if the two are completely dry, there's no appreciable difference between O2 and N2 in volume change due to temperature at the pressure and temperatures seen in automobile tire usage. The difference comes from moisture that is typically present when tires are filled with ambient air and the fact that O2 is 3-4 times more likely to pass through tire compounds than N2 is. These combined moisture/permeability issues do make a difference.

Tyre pressure stability (air, nitrogen, temperature etc)

 

[SSedan]

Getting air from a compressor with a storage tank goes a long ways towards ensuring it is dry.

Using a 12volt emergency pump to fill tires pushes condensation right into the tire.

 

[amnesty_that]

My Costco pump only offers Nitrogen now, i don’t think it’s a fad. Just topping it off. And yea your likely to lose less tire pressure in the cold

 

[brkaus]

Costco does it because it's easy and makes for nice marketing.

I think about it this way - if "air" is already 78% nitrogen and you believe the folks that say "air" will escape faster than nitrogen. After a few refills then you should be at a much higher concentration of nitrogen! After all, it's the other stuff that must be escaping.

BTW - I do have my tires changed and topped off at Costco. Both cars had to go in and get air added with this last cold spell. So, to me, marketing fluff.

Edit: If they store nitrogen in liquid form, they can get a lot in a tank. May end up being cost effective over maintaining a large compressor setup.

 

[MY-Y]

...
Edit: If they store nitrogen in liquid form, they can get a lot in a tank. May end up being cost effective over maintaining a large compressor setup.

It will be in comprssed gas tanks. Liquid nitrogen must be stored very cold. It doesn't conveniently liquefy at room temperature like pressurized CO2. Liquid N2 tanks can be seen continuously venting as the N2 boils off and they usually have an icy radiator to warm the gas - they are hard to miss.