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The Pro Side Of The Argument On Whether Nitrogen Saves Gas |
By:
Scott Siegel |
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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 cause of poor fuel economy is tires that are under inflated. The EPA estimates that 30% of the autos on the highways have at least one tire that is under inflated. The U.S. department of energy has determined that tires inflated to the correct pressure can improve fuel economy by 3 percent.
It is estimated that under inflated tires are responsible for the loss of more than 2 million gallons of gas every day. A tire with low air pressure begins to flatten which creates additional surface area between the tire and the road. This increases friction between the tire and the road which results in the engine needing to work harder.
When an engine works harder it uses more fuel. The more under inflated the tire is, the greater the surface that meets the highway. This in turn adds more friction and more gas is used. As the friction continues to increase it takes more and more energy to move that tire. More energy means more fuel. If a tire is properly inflated it will roll easily using less energy and less fuel.
What does this all have to do with nitrogen? I'm getting to that. So we have established that under inflated tires use more gas. Why do tires become under inflated? The simple answer, it looses air. 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 tires will maintain themselves at close to the full pressure longer with the nitrogen because the pressure loss is so much slower. The result is properly inflated tires, with less friction, and less gasoline needed to move your car.
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.
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com/. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage. This and other unique content 'lower gas costs' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article54092.html |
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