There is a new strategy that everyone is talking about to save gas and money and more.  Actually it is using one type of gas to save another type of gas.  The gas you save is the liquid gas you fuel your car with.  The gas you would use is nitrogen instead of air.   

Racing cars have used this strategy for a long time. Airlines have used this same strategy on their jets and planes.  Even large retailers are starting to offer it to their customers.

Now you may be saying to yourself, alright already, what is this all about?  It is all about the new rage in car and truck tires.  That new rage is filling your tires up with nitrogen instead of air.  

Filling tires with nitrogen instead of air is becoming so popular that even Costco now offers it to its customers when they buy new tires.   Why do people want to fill their tires with nitrogen?  What do they know that we don’t?  Why do race cars and jets use nitrogen?

Here is what nitrogen is supposed to do. It is supposed to keep your tires inflated at the proper level longer than air will.  Apparently nitrogen seeps out of your tires at a rate reported to be three times slower than air.  The logic here is that if your tires are maintained at the proper pressure for a longer period of time then you will save gas because under inflated tires increase friction and decrease fuel economy.

The proponents of nitrogen also state that aside from the fuel saving benefits there are other benefits to using nitrogen.  Nitrogen supposedly runs cooler than air. Therefore your tires will run cooler and there will be less expansion in the tire.  That means that your tires will require less maintenance and may experience longer life.

The benefits of nitrogen are further enhanced by claims that there will be less internal corrosion of the rubber and the rim.  Since air contains oxygen it starts to oxidize everything it comes in contact with.  That means the tire rim will be oxidizing or rusting as soon as it is exposed to the air filling the tire.  The tire itself also is oxidizing and eventually will break down.  

Filling a tire with pure nitrogen means there is no oxygen in the tire.  Therefore there is no oxidation occurring. The claimed result?  Your tires will last longer and be safer.

Are these claims true?  Is nitrogen a wonder drug for your tires?  It is certainly worth a thorough investigation. The Jury is still out on this.