More and extra steadily persons are asking if we run nitrogen in our RV tires. I have to admit, each single time somebody would ask me it took me a second to course of the query in my head earlier than I might reply. The reply was all the time ‘No’, however then I received to considering, ‘Should I be?”. Let’s dive into it.
The combination of the conventional air we breathe, and subsequently run by an air compressor and into our RV tires is round 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% different gasses. So no, It received’t trigger any hurt, however increasingly persons are paying an upcharge to have pure nitrogen put of their RV Tires.
Why Would You Put Nitrogen In RV Tires?
This development received its begin on the planet of Motorsports like NASCAR, Indy, Formula and so forth. The motive behind it was constant tire pressures all through the race, since nitrogen doesn’t escape by the rubber in the identical method that common air will when the tires are beneath extreme temperatures, in addition to a extra constant strain change by the warmth ranges.
So, for instance in case your tires are sitting within the Pit on an 80 diploma day, they usually get thrown on the quickest automobile on the tremendous speedway, the pit crew is aware of precisely what the strain in them goes to be after they get warmed up. Super crucial math at 200 miles an hour within the Florida solar in August. Not a lot in your half-ton towable RV.
How Do You Refill It When It’s Low?
There are going to be instances when for completely no motive in any respect, or since you clipped a curb with the aspect wall, that your tire will probably be low on strain. Some, not all tire retailers will have the ability to refill the nitrogen in your tire for you, however how far-off is it? I’ve been to all the 48 Continental United States and can’t for the lifetime of me keep in mind seeing one signal on the interstate that mentioned the following fuel station had a Nitrogen Filling Station.
You can’t drive it there on a ‘flat’ tire anyway, you’ll destroy it. If you pump that may of repair a flat into it, effectively, that could be a mixture of compressed air and inexperienced goopy stuff. Definitely not the pure nitrogen we’re discussing right here at this time.
What Do I Do?
In my sincere opinion, and I’m however a easy man, and I simply run that good ole free air out of no matter air compressor I can discover. No however severely, this will likely sound like a ‘my daddy and his daddy before him did it this way’ sorts of logic, and possibly it’s, however that is a type of instances that these previous timers had been proper.
The neatest thing you are able to do is verify your tire strain repeatedly. If checking your tire strain is one thing that you just simply merely aren’t going to do, you’ll be able to all the time get a Tire Pressure Monitoring System that can provide you with a warning when one in every of them is low on strain.
I really purchased one myself over a 12 months in the past once we began dwelling within the RV full time. It nonetheless hasn’t been put in. I simply added Check Tire Pressures to my ‘Leaving Day Checklist’ and whereas I’m consuming my espresso within the morning, stroll across the RV and pop the tire gauge onto the tires. The added good thing about this, you really have a look at your tires so if there’s a bizarre put on sample on the tread, or a gash within the sidewall, you’re going to learn about it earlier than making an attempt to beat the tempo automobile up the doorway ramp onto the freeway.
What’s The Verdict?
I might actually say the reply is a strong No.
You don’t NEED to be working nitrogen in your RV Tires. If the tire store goes to throw it in free of charge with the 6 new 10 ply tires you simply purchased, then positive, why not. It isn’t going to harm something to have it in there. But if you’ll need to pay 10 or 20 bucks a tire to have it put in, I personally would save that cash for the gas invoice on the fuel pump. Or, use it to choose up an excellent high quality tire strain gauge.
