| Author | Message | ||
     Grianp |
I was curious to know if anyone has gone with nitrogen filled tires on their motorcycle. I know this is becoming more popular among automobiles, but wanted some feedback to whether this is a good idea or not. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
It's good. We use nitrogen now in the tires for the race bikes. Tire pressures stay more consistent. | ||
| Crusty |
Isn't air 78% nitrogen? | ||
| Slaughter |
Isn't air 78% nitrogen? Yes but there is a little bit of evidence that says that there isn't as much pressure change with heat in the pure nitrogen fill. Haven't seen the evidence but getting a nitrogen bottle and regulator is not too expensive. We do it at the track. Less hassle than a compressor. | ||
| Jaimec |
P.T. Barnum was right...  | ||
| Djkaplan |
Nitrogen in tires is pretty common at the higher end of the performance spectrum. It's not just the more consistent pressures across a delta T (PV = nRT) it's also because nitrogen doesn't migrate through rubber as fast as oxygen. Regular old compressed air is fine for everyday use, but for racing, you take advantages where you can find them. | ||
| Psyclonej |
I say fill 'em with helium and further reduce unsprung weight. | ||
| Greenlantern |
Is there a nitrogen based blinker fluid? | ||
| Edgydrifter |
Oh, you think you're joking about the helium, but it's been tried before! In a nutshell--no appreciable difference in unsprung weight and the helium migrates through the tire quickly. | ||
| Jaimec |
GL, Nitrogen is a gas, so you don't want to use it in your blinker fluid. Supercooling it to liquid form tends to make the rubber and plastic assemblies too brittle for standard road use. | ||
| Jaimec |
PS: As for consistent pressures... I put MAYBE two or three PSI in my tires once a month (I check weekly). I think I can live with how rapidly the oxygen permeates through my tire carcasses reducing my tire pressures. I actually think I lose more air checking the tire pressures than I do through diffusion. It's just another scam to separate the gullible from their paychecks. I went through this nonsense already on the K1200LT Yahoo Group. It's no wonder the guy who invented the "Pet Rock" made so much money. | ||
| Pammy |
I had a problem with the tires staying properly inflated on my 4 tire vehicle. The air pressures on these tires is fairly important and it became a PIA to keep them properly inflated. I had nitrogen put in the tires (while I was having the tires checked) and have not had to add air yet. That was several months ago... We have been using it in race bikes for a few years now. | ||
| Greenlantern |
It's no wonder the guy who invented the "Pet Rock" made so much money. What are you trying to say?  | ||
| Djkaplan |
I'll tell you a scam - compressed air! I remember the first time I ever saw one of those quarter fed compressors at a convenience/gas station, I was incensed that what used to be free now costs a quarter. This was a loooong time ago, mind you. I remember asking the guy working the mouth-breather job at the counter, "How can you charge anyone for air? It's all around us!". I was gesticulating with my hands showing how air is everywhere. He said, "Take as much air as you want and find my own way to get it in the tire". I handed him a dollar for some quarters... that was in Camden, North Carolina in the mid-80's. Never forgot that little town. | ||
| Jaimec |
Yeah, that pisses me off, too. The garage is ALWAYS running the compressor because they need it in the shop for the lifts, and the tools. Charging customers for something they'd be generating anyway seems "cheap" to me. I bought a tire inflator and just use it to keep my tires inflated. I find by mixing roughly 78% nitrogen with 21% oxygen and 1% trace gasses gives me the all around best combination of economy, reliability and performance. YMMV. | ||
| Slaughter |
Jaime, Your tire mix is almost exactly the same mix that Agostini used when he won Daytona on the first time out on the Yamaha TZ750!! I've seen people storing the same mix of gasses in their own compressed bottles at the track and using it too. Really, I'm not making it up! | ||
| Buellinator |
Wait just a minute.... Are you telling me I need to check the tire pressures? I knew that Buell was no damn good...  | ||
| Jaimec |
While we're on the subject... what blend of petroleum products are less likely to bleed out of my oil and gasoline storage units?? | ||
| Greenlantern |
Teflon impregnated ones of course!  | ||
| Thumper74 |
I too use the 78% nitrogen with 21% oxygen and 1% trace gasses to fill my tires. I figure the local shops have been doing it for years, it worked on my race car, why not use it for the bike? | ||
| Slaughter |
Yabbut, that mix of 78% Nitrogen is rumored to be used for combustion too! REALLY! I hope I don't get in trouble for revealing Buell proprietary information but I have it on good authority that the 1125R engine has been tuned specifically to use an induction gas with a 78% Nitrogen mixture. Please don't tell Buell that I posted that, My ultra-secret source of this sensitive information will get pissed off and that will be the LAST time he tells me anything hush-hush! | ||
| Igneroid |
So what you guys are saying is ...Im wasting my time farting in a jar??? | ||
| Skinstains |
I've used helium in my bicycles tires but never knew the expansion rates so I stopped because I would hate to have a tire blow off the rim on a 60mph downhill. Ouch ! Oh yeah I couldn't notice a bennefit either. | ||
| Brumbear |
so thats nothing I use my balls as a tempature guage for my toilet water | ||
| Slaughter |
Dunno... if you light it, will the jar blow up? (could be interesting) | ||
| Brumbear |
poke a little hole in it and light it it might burn like an olympic torch | ||
| Slaughter |
Poor Brian - the guy opens up a thread with a serious question and WE TRASH IT. Can't give a guy a break! | ||
| Grianp |
tell me about it Slaughter! I | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The garage is ALWAYS running the compressor because they need it in the shop for the lifts, When was the last time you saw a gas station with a shop attached? | ||
| Jaimec |
Every morning on my way to work... |
