Kwik Fit and Nitrogen Tyre Inflation - I call Bull!
26 February 2010, 07:11 PM
#1
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Kwik Fit and Nitrogen Tyre Inflation - I call Bull!
Unfortunately, Kwik Fit are now our company car tyre supplier.
They have sent out the following on a flyer:-
What a crock of ****!
Another reason to go cash for car!
Steve
They have sent out the following on a flyer:-
Environmental awareness
Tyres inflated with nitrogen as standard at centres to
reduce wear and minimise pressure fluctuations. This
improves fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions.
Tyres inflated with nitrogen as standard at centres to
reduce wear and minimise pressure fluctuations. This
improves fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions.
Another reason to go cash for car!
Steve
Last edited by Steve vRS; 26 February 2010 at 10:01 PM.
26 February 2010, 07:24 PM
#3
- They should fill tyres with Methane from cows though! That's cut down on the greenhouse effect!
26 February 2010, 07:26 PM
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errrr - it's true. e.g. see here:
Tyres : Car tyre safety advice - filling with nitrogen - The AA
and why wouldn't you trust a kwik-fit fitter with nitrogen? it's inert. (I remember being highly amused when watching terminator at the cinema - at one point arnie freezes the robot bloke with liquid nitrogen - a pillock in front of me shouted 'chuck a match!' - errrr, why?)
Gordo
Tyres : Car tyre safety advice - filling with nitrogen - The AA
and why wouldn't you trust a kwik-fit fitter with nitrogen? it's inert. (I remember being highly amused when watching terminator at the cinema - at one point arnie freezes the robot bloke with liquid nitrogen - a pillock in front of me shouted 'chuck a match!' - errrr, why?)
Gordo
26 February 2010, 07:29 PM
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errr it's not, read the last bit:-
Steve
Changing to nitrogen involves removing all the air which is already in the tyres and then re-inflating them with purified compressed nitrogen. There will be a one-off charge per tyre but once filled with nitrogen any future top-ups would also have to be with nitrogen if any advantages are to be maintained.
Overall, while accepting the possibility of purified nitrogen being of benefit in certain applications, we don't think that the cost and possible inconvenience are justified for normal passenger car use.
Overall, while accepting the possibility of purified nitrogen being of benefit in certain applications, we don't think that the cost and possible inconvenience are justified for normal passenger car use.
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26 February 2010, 08:41 PM
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26 February 2010, 08:46 PM
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Good point, I doubt they vacuum it out!
So, by rough calculation, you'd start with 1Bar (absolute) in the tyre. My car takes about 2Bar (gauge) or 3Bar (Abs) so a third of the volume (assuming constant temp) would still be air.
So, 21% of air is oxygen therefore 7% of the tyre would still have oxygen in it!
Myth -BUSTED
Steve
So, by rough calculation, you'd start with 1Bar (absolute) in the tyre. My car takes about 2Bar (gauge) or 3Bar (Abs) so a third of the volume (assuming constant temp) would still be air.
So, 21% of air is oxygen therefore 7% of the tyre would still have oxygen in it!
Myth -BUSTED
Steve
26 February 2010, 09:18 PM
#13
F1 cars have tyres inflated with nitrogen 
You probably get more nitrogen in if you use a vacuum pump (very slow though).
When I worked in a/c, we often filled the tyres on the van with Nitrogen (used to carry bottled of the stuff for pressure testing). Not for performance, but because the manager refused to get the punctures sorted in a timely fashion. At one point my van had three punctures; one on the spare and two on the road wheels. Had to re-inflate them on every journey (only took a few seconds with full bottles).
Problem was one day we ran out of Nitrogen. Flat tyre, flat spare, so used a little R22. Not a clever idea, owing to its rate of expansion when it gets warm (nor the ozone).
You probably get more nitrogen in if you use a vacuum pump (very slow though).
When I worked in a/c, we often filled the tyres on the van with Nitrogen (used to carry bottled of the stuff for pressure testing). Not for performance, but because the manager refused to get the punctures sorted in a timely fashion. At one point my van had three punctures; one on the spare and two on the road wheels. Had to re-inflate them on every journey (only took a few seconds with full bottles).
Problem was one day we ran out of Nitrogen. Flat tyre, flat spare, so used a little R22. Not a clever idea, owing to its rate of expansion when it gets warm (nor the ozone).
26 February 2010, 09:24 PM
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If you fill your tyres with Nitrogen, remember that you will need a re-map ... if you don't it is well documented in the ***** of SN that the wheel will detonate and drop a valve!! 
That will be £600 please - ching, ching ...
That will be £600 please - ching, ching ...
26 February 2010, 10:07 PM
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26 February 2010, 10:17 PM
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26 February 2010, 11:42 PM
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27 February 2010, 10:11 AM
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haha - it's still right. you disputed the facts in your original post, which were all true. you're now questioning how it's done in practice, which is different. I agree I wouldn't pay Kwik-Fit to fill my tyres with nitrogen (or anyone else, for that matter, as Im not driving a 'race' car), but that doesn't mean the benefits of doing so are wrong.
but the main reason I wouldn't take a car to kwik-fit is I wouldn't trust them to do anything
but the main reason I wouldn't take a car to kwik-fit is I wouldn't trust them to do anything
27 February 2010, 11:49 AM
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I'm a bit of a nerd , but here goes:
Using 2 barg as the inflation pressure and the fact that we don't have a vacuum pump to hand.
With tyre temperature at 10C, for a 10C rise in temperature the density change is 2.3% less using Nitrogen.
A few years ago someone asked about filling 4 tyres with Helium, on standard classic rims, If I remember correctly there was a 244g reduction in weight.
Nik
, but here goes:Using 2 barg as the inflation pressure and the fact that we don't have a vacuum pump to hand.
With tyre temperature at 10C, for a 10C rise in temperature the density change is 2.3% less using Nitrogen.
A few years ago someone asked about filling 4 tyres with Helium, on standard classic rims, If I remember correctly there was a 244g reduction in weight.
Nik
27 February 2010, 12:12 PM
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The reason nitrogen inflated tyres vary less in their pressure vs temperature response is that there is less water vapour. Using compressed air inevitably introduces water vapour which changes to steam when the tyres get hot. My tyres were inflated with nitrogen at the factory and the dealer use it, but I still adjust the pressures with air for seasonal changes and when the dealer ***** up the correct tyre pressures. I wouldn't spend my own money on nitrogen.
27 February 2010, 02:12 PM
#30
