[TR] Inflating Tires w/ Nitrogen?

[Randall]

> I don't believe this is true.  Nitrogen is a gas and at the kinds of 
> pressures we are talking about it can be considered an ideal 
> gas, with 
> pressure, temperature and volume expressed according to the 
> relationship:
> 
> pV = NRT

I agree.  

However, there may be at least some truth to the claim that the pressure
changes less with dry nitrogen than with wet air.  Water vapor doesn't obey
the ideal gas law very well, especially when it's saturated as can easily
happen in a tire.  And since it's difficult to know how much water vapor you
got, it's also more difficult to predict how it will behave over
temperature.

I make it a habit to always waste a little air when I use a service station
hose.  More often than not, it will spit liquid water.  And liquid water
doesn't obey the ideal gas law at all.

No, I don't run nitrogen in my tires.  It just doesn't matter that much to
me if they go to 41 psi hot or 42.  If I were a serious racer though, it
might be different.

Randall


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