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The Argument for Saving Gas Using Nitrogen

There seems to be a bit of a controversy as to whether nitrogen can help you save gas. The advocates claim if you fill your tires with nitrogen you will save gas. This is what they say:

One of the biggest drains on fuel economy is under inflated tires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by nearly 3 percent. The EPA estimates that at least 30% of the cars on the road have at least one under inflated tire.

It is estimated that drivers in the US aggregately loose more than 2 million gallons of gas every day due to under inflated tires. Decreased air pressure causes the tire to flatten which creates more surface area between the tire and the road. The greater surface area increases friction which causes the engine work harder.

When an engine has to work harder it burns more gas. More tire surface due to under inflation means it takes more power to roll that tire. More power needed means less fuel economy. A tire that is correctly inflated is going to roll more easily using less power from the engine and less gas.

How does all of this relate to nitrogen? It has to do with how tires loose pressure. As has been described earlier under inflated tires require the engine to burn more gas. But why do tires become under inflated? It is a common characteristic of all tires, they loose air over time. That doesn't mean you have a leak.

Permeable materials are used in making tires. The permeable material allows the small oxygen molecules in the air to escape from the tires over time. As the small molecules of air permeate out of the tire it results in the tire becoming under inflated. It is an malady that all tires suffer from. It is why car experts maintain that you need to check your tire pressure every month.

A tire that is inflated with Nitrogen looses its pressure 3 times slower than if it were inflated with air. This is because Nitrogen is denser than Oxygen which means it has larger molecules and will seep out of the tire less easily than air. That will result in a significantly slower loss of tire pressure over time.

Your car's tires will maintain themselves at full pressure longer when filled with nitrogen because the gas loss through the tire is so much slower. The result is tires that roll with less friction, and that translates into less gasoline needed to move your car which means better fuel economy.

That is how nitrogen helps you get better fuel economy. The cost of filling your tires with nitrogen is around $10.00 per tire. Is it worth it? Those who advocate nitrogen say absolutely it is. However there are those that don't agree. Before you run off and spend $40.00 getting your tires filled with nitrogen it might make sense to hear from the other camp.

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Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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