When I bought my Craftsman air compressor, someone told me a story of the bad things that can happen if you don't drain the water out after each use. Basically, it's rust forming inside that weakens the tank walls until one day you run it up to full pressure and it simply explodes as it all comes apart. Well, that got my attention. So, religiously, when I'm done with it, I open the vent valve on the top and when the pressure has dropped at least half way, I then slowly open the drain valve on the bottom and let the moisture vent out that way. And, quite a bit comes out everytime. Am I paranoid? I don't know. Of course, I live in the Pacific Northwest where water in the air is considered a way of life.
Dennis G. - Seattle -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of stanley/ Randolph Sent: 18 July, 2009 10:42 To: [email protected] Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Nitrogen in tires Would you believe: I've heard of xenon in tires; just don't know anyone who would pay the price to do it... Speaking of moisture/water in the tires, I have usually waited until a dry day (rare down here) to air up my tires, and I use my own compressor. Come to think of it, I need to check the bleeder valve underneath; it's been a while since I drained moisture from the tank... <http://mail.yimg.com/a/i/mesg/tsmileys2/08.gif> _____ From: Dennis <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 12:33:27 PM Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Nitrogen in tires If this conversation is carried to its final extreme, then Xenon gas is what everyone really wants - if cost is no object. It is a noble gas so it reacts, literally, with nothing. And it is the heaviest element that is in gaseous form at room temperature so its physical size is huge compared to lighter elements like Oxygen and Nitrogen so it should migrate out slower than almost anything else. Sorry <smile>, too many Chemistry classes at an earlier point in my life. Dennis G. - Seattle - '85 & '86 CB700SCs -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kyle Munz Sent: 18 July, 2009 10:21 To: [email protected] Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Nitrogen in tires Nitrogen is totally inert, it won't explode, and theory has it that it won't corrode the metal or rubber in the wheels and tires. Since it's a larger molecule it's also reckoned that it will leak out slower than the smaller oxygen and other molecules in regular air. Consumer Reports did an experiment on it and found that it had no noticeable affect however. Others have also pointed out that if oxygen molecules leak out at a higher rate than nitrogen molecules, then over time you should have mostly nitrogen in your tires due to attrition. -Kyle -Sent from Houston, TX, United States On Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 12:14 PM, Torry Barker <[email protected]> wrote: I have a question for ya, is nitrogen likely to explode or am I thinking of something different? _____ From: Gene Henry <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 10:29:02 AM Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Nitrogen in tires Also, the molecule size of nitogen is larger than that of air, so less leakage, and nitrogen is dryer than normal air, so less reaction and pressure change. For more than you ever wanted to know, goggle "nitrogen in tires" (602,000 hits!) Lots of pros and cons. this from: POPULAR MECHANICS http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4302788.html Q: Is there any advantage to using nitrogen instead of compressed air in tires? Will I notice improved fuel economy or a smoother ride? Will my tires last longer? A: Sort of. From the top: Air is 78 percent nitrogen, just under 21 percent oxygen, and the rest is water vapor, CO2 and small concentrations of noble gases such as neon and argon. We can ignore the other gases. There are several compelling reasons to use pure nitrogen in tires. First is that nitrogen is less likely to migrate through tire rubber than is oxygen, which means that your tire pressures will remain more stable over the long term. Racers figured out pretty quickly that tires filled with nitrogen rather than air also exhibit less pressure change with temperature swings. That means more consistent inflation pressures during a race as the tires heat up. And when you're tweaking a race car's handling with half-psi changes, that's important. Passenger cars <http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4302788.html#> can also benefit from the more stable pressures. But there's more: Humidity (water) is a Bad Thing to have inside a tire. Water, present as a vapor or even as a liquid in a tire, causes more of a pressure change with temperature swings than dry air does. It also promotes corrosion of the steel or aluminum rim. If I ever need to top off a tire when I'm out on the road, I'll always briefly depress the tire chuck's valve with my thumbnail and vent some air. If my thumb gets wet, there's water in the line. Some gas stations <http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4302788.html#> don't do a very good job of keeping the humidity out of their air system. I don't even like to use a water-based tire-mounting lubricant unless I can let the tire bake in the sun for a couple of hours before I air it up and seat the bead. I've dismounted tires (not mine) that had several quarts of water inside-probably from a compressed-air hose that collected water and was never purged properly. How is water relevant to a nitrogen discussion? Any system that delivers pure nitrogen is also going to deliver dry nitrogen. Filling tires with nitrogen involves filling and purging several times in succession, serially diluting the concentration of oxygen in the tire. This will also remove any water. It's certainly simple, although time-consuming, for a tire technician to fill and bleed tires. But most shops use a machine that not only generates almost pure nitrogen by straining the oxygen out of shop-compressed air, but will also automatically go through several purge cycles unattended. Some shops have been charging as much as $30 per tire for this service. I think that's too much. If you're buying a new tire, it should be far less. Still, the nitrogen generator, filling system and technician's time aren't free-the dealer is entitled to some return for that. So, to answer your specific questions: With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel <http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4302788.html#> and tire-maintenance costs. There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking, unless your tire pressures were seriously out of spec and changing to nitrogen brought them back to the proper numbers. ----- Original Message ----- From: stanley/ Randolph <mailto:[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 11:12 AM Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Rear Tire Suggestions Nitrogen is not different from any other matter, gaseous or solid. It expands and contracts with heat and cold. What it does not do is interact, like oxygen does, with most matter. _____ From: Robert <[email protected]> To: Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers! <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 8:51:43 PM Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Rear Tire Suggestions Good advice. I'll order the Battlax BT-021. On Jul 15, 3:52 pm, wrenchman <[email protected]> wrote: > follow aldos advise and go with the battlax good tires for curves and > stiff enough to last a few miles too....another peice of advice, when > you get them mounted, call around and find a place that will fill them > with nitrogen instead of air. > the nitrogen doesn't expand with heat or contract with cold so your > pressure will stay constant, and wont fluctuate.good luck with the > tires and let us all know about the ride and the roads, i live in > alabama so it isn't as far as deals gap for me and the gap is always > full of miatas any way > > ride safe > eric --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
