Nitrogen filled tires

newell

I have looked into a portable small tank fill system for filling and or topping off the factory nitrogen filled tires. About the best I've found between the tank, the gauges, hose, valve and gas combined is $300.00 or more.  Is there a cheaper version out there.  I know I could go to a tire place, but up in the mountains where I go, there aren't too many tire places.  Does a 1700lb. single axle trailer really need nitrogen filled tires? Yea, I know they last longer, maintain their pressure longer but really? 

ScottG

I certainly hope it's not really necessary. If it is, I guess I've been really lucky driving around on plain old air all these years!  ;-)

Sharon_is_SAM

Air is 78% nitrogen - that's good enough for me.  Just check your pressure frequently and add air.

KBaggins1

Nitrogen is a gimmick. My local tire dealer does not even offer it any more. And when you are 10 PSI low and all you have available is air, you are going to top up with air. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes.  Consumer Reports did a nice evaluation of this a couple years ago.

Homebodyatheart

Our new 2017 MaxS came with nitrogen filled tires. We do it for our cars at $5 a tire, but I was surprised to see it on the T@b.

Verna

"New tires are nitrogen filled with a great name brand trailer tire....."Westlake"...I think was the name, but I could be wrong. The name brand was recommended to me in Yuma, but the gentleman conceded that my Carlisle tires were good also.  There will be a 2 yr warranty on the new tires. The entire NuCampRV Line will have these new tires." as quoted from the thread "New 400 model T@B?" from September 2016 when I saw the first prototype of the T@B 400. 

Sharon_is_SAM

We picked up our new 2017 CSS yesterday and we have tires by Castle Rock.  What happened to Westlake?

wizard1880

Nitrogen can help tires run a little cooler, but just marginally.  If you keep the pressures right, it's pointless really.  It's a fad that's fading quick.  The only place around here that does it is Costco Tire Centers.

newell

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to put the $300 bucks towards a new awning.  

Cyclonic

newell said:

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to put the $300 bucks towards a new awning.  

Good choice.

GatorEgg

The benefit of nitrogen for trailer tires is the temperature regulation.  Nitrogen does not expand and contract to changes in temperature like air does.  So you don’t get the variations in pressure in trailer tires which heat up more than vehicle tires.  So wear, pressure and blowout problems are lessened.
So how many owners actually care and have maintained nitrogen in their tires or just swapped over to air?

pthomas745

Since I've never, ever, seen a nitrogen filler in any gas station, and I'm certainly not going to visit a tire store every time just to get a couple of pounds of nitrogen and a pitch for "looks like you need new brakes" and a "free inspection" I think I will just pass on nitrogen.

https://www.amazon.com/Gentec-GKNT20-TC-Nitrogen-Tire-Inflation/dp/B009TBDPBC

4ncar

Nitrogen is for new tires. It will be displaced by regular over time, if I have anything to do with it!

Luckyj

GatorEgg said:

The benefit of nitrogen for trailer tires is the temperature regulation.  Nitrogen does not expand and contract to changes in temperature like air does.  So you don’t get the variations in pressure in trailer tires which heat up more than vehicle tires.  So wear, pressure and blowout problems are lessened.
So how many owners actually care and have maintained nitrogen in their tires or just swapped over to air?

The other thing that Nitrogen is advertised for is the bigger molecule of N vs O2 and other gaz that is the component of air.  Meaning that a tire filled exclusively with N will take longer to deflate from air leaking between the rubber molecules.  But since air is composed of 78% nitrogen, over time, you will end up with mostly nitrogen when filling with a tire with air.

And unlike you said and some other have mentionned up-here, if filled with the right pressure, and speed rating and load is respected, a tire will not overheat., so internal pressure should not be much higher after getting off the road.