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October 2-8, 2008
editorial@boulderweekly.com
| Deflating the nitrogen myth |
Dear EarthTalk: Is using nitrogen to inflate my car’s tires really better for the environment than using air? And if so, how?
— Roger Mawdsley, Abbotsville, BC
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Whether or not it makes environmental sense to inflate car tires with nitrogen instead of air is a matter of much debate. Proponents of nitrogen say the element is a smart choice for the environment primarily because it leaks from tires at a slower rate than air, so tires stay inflated longer at full capacity, which helps a vehicle attain maximum fuel efficiency, i.e. better gas mileage. According to the Get Nitrogen Institute, a Denver-based non-profit which advocates for replacing the air in our tires with nitrogen, under-inflated tires inadvertently are a big contributor to global warming as they cause drivers to waste fuel. Although auto experts recommend checking your car’s tire pressure weekly, studies
show that the majority of drivers rarely if ever check to see if their tires are properly
inflated and usually only add air when a tire is visibly low or beginning to  go flat.
A recent study by the European division of tire maker Bridgestone found that 93.5 percent of cars in Europe have under-inflated tires, wasting some 2.14 billion gallons of high-priced, polluting fuel every year. Analysts believe that a similar percentage of North Americans are driving around on under-inflated tires as well.
| | | A recent study found that 93.5 percent of cars in Europe have under-inflated tires, wasting some 2.14 billion gallons of high-priced, polluting fuel every year. Analysts believe the situation is no less severe in North America. But filling tires with costly nitrogen instead of air would likely make little difference -- best to just keep an eye on your tires and keep them properly inflated. | | © Getty Images |
While properly inflated tires certainly promote better fuel efficiency and are thus good for the environment, not everyone is convinced that filling tires with nitrogen instead of plain ol’ air makes a difference. Terry Jackson, who writes the influential “Driving for Dollars” column for the Bankrate.com website, points out that air is composed primarily of, you guessed it, nitrogen; some 78 percent of the regular air you put in your tires is nitrogen, with oxygen making up most of the remainder. “So going to pure nitrogen only squeezes out a small amount of the oxygen molecules that nitrogen proponents argue are so detrimental,” relates Jackson. Nitrogen proponents may quibble that it’s the oxygen in the mix that causes problems, though, as oxidization can start to degrade the rubber inside tires while corroding the interior of the wheels as well. But Jackson counters that tires and wheels will have been long worn out on the outside before any oxygen-induced interior damage causes them to come apart. Also, he adds that a lot of the leakage from tires happens because the wheel and the tire do not line up perfectly, and air (or nitrogen) escapes accordingly. Another factor, of course, is cost. Nitrogen-equipped service centers will fill up your tires with nitrogen for something like $10 per tire, which is a far cry from the couple of
quarters (if even that) it takes to trigger the air machine at your local gas station.
“When it comes down to a dollar decision, it’s hard to argue that spending as
much as $40 for nitrogen in a set of tires is a good fiscal move,” writes Jackson. “Save your money and just keep an eye on your tire pressures,” he concludes. CONTACTS: Get Nitrogen Institute; Bankrate.com
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
—MCT
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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