Goodyear Tires

[0533]

Joe,

Airplanes have been using nitrogen for years for three reasons. First, it's very dry, no moisture at all. Second, the molecules of nitrogen are much bigger than oxygen, although I will yield that you only have 25 to 30% oxygen in your typical outside air, it leaks out slower and all tires do leak. Third, oxygen does not do well with heat...it gets hot and stays hot, the molecules get hot and start moving like Banshees and the pressure goes up......nitrogen on the other hand gets hot but cools quickly. Yes the pressure will go up but not nearly to the degree as standard outside air. While nitrogen is not one of the inert gases it can be stated that it's behaviour is inert.

I will yield to fact that nitrogen probably is not required in most typical operatios, especially with these busses however the evidence is out there that nitrogen is a far better medium. My personal reason for supporting nitrogen has to do with road heat. It is not uncommon for the roads and highways in the Desert Southwest to reach 130 degrees or more. I cannot tell you how many truck/trailer recaps are spread over the highways and byways of the Desert...they get hot and fail although we all know that most truckers use the low speed rated tires and usually re-cap as well...cheaper. Nitrogen, while it does not run any cooler, at the end of the day it will take longer to heat up will dissapate the heat much faster and that's enough for me.

I guess we can agree to disagree....

John

I purchased 8 Michelin's at Jacksonville Prevost the other day. They are in the process of installing a nitrogen service there.

The Marathon Florida location is considering installing one as well. When you dump nearly $7K in new thread adding a few $100 doesn't seem like too much for all 8. My concern was when I needed to top off the tires, this will not be an easy process finding Nitrogen, plus there is no reason in the world it has to be so expensive. Get the price down and more people will get onboard. The machine costs $5k, how much does a really good balancing machine cost. Price it right and all trucks and RV's will fill up on it.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

The pressure increased and dissipated EXACTLY THE SAME WITH AND WITHOUT. As well as the degree that took place.

And what would be the advantage considering the set of tires on our bus that made it 10 years, while stored outside, without issue with just "normal air".

Orren unfortunately yes.

[flyu2there]

Joe,

I cannot argue with that however, as mentioned earlier, the hot, and I mean hot roads of the Desert Southwest puts a bit of a different tint on things. Also, and by no means am I an expert, but having broken down a tire or two in my day, it is not uncommon to find water, rust, dirt and even blow by oil from a compressor inside of the wheel and tire. The aluminum wheels may well corrode and certainly steel wheels will rust, although I am still unsure of how a steel belt inside of the steel belted radial could ever rust, aside from a huge puncture wound, I would sumize that they are at risk as well.

I must agree that the chances of a failure caused by using compressed vice N2 are slim, however there certainly is a trend to switch. Costco puts N2 in all new tires sold...............

As Bruce mentioned, if one drops 7k for a set of skins then the extra couple of hundred is chump change....just in case. Do agree that the machines are way too much money but they offer convenience for the service facility. No luggin around 6 foot by 1 foot bottles of gas containers, no calling the gas guy for a re-load, no huge pipe wrenches to make it all happen.

I am still willing to wager that N2 will be standard fare in the next few years.......


John

[Jon Wehrenberg]

While N2 may be standard fare in XX years may be true, I think this falls in the category of "feel good".

Carbon credits, One-A-Day vitamins, XM radio, and Bio fuels all fall in the same category in my opinion. In each one there may be a measurable benefit compared to the alternative but it is so slight that emotion drives the use of them.

I have no idea how our society managed as well as it did with compressed air for tires. I have no idea how my grandparents who lived into their late eighties or nineties managed without their One-A-Day vitamins. Heaven knows how we will manage to survive by actually having to dial a radio station instead of just tuning in XM.

Our society sure is easily fooled.

[flyu2there]

Jon,

You are not playing by the rules!!

One a Day will keep you sticker pecking out...that should solve that!!

Go with the flow...N2 is the way

[jonnie]

What about N2 at the nudist parks?

[0533]

What about N2 at the nudist parks?

Please leave my Nudist theme out of this thread, as this is between Queen and Myself.

As for Jon's comments, I would like to do a complete check of his house and shop, bet we will find some pretty interesting "Very Modern" gadgets hidden in the corners.

For a brief moment Jon, I thought you were about to trade in your Air Filled tires for a set of wagon wheels.