ok. as some of you know I have nitrogen tires on my 6. I'm wanting to compare mpg's for nitrogen and air filled tires to see if it's worth the money whenever it's time to get new tires(way far away). keep in mind my 6 has the 2.3 engine

413.5 miles
I got 25.27 mpg

 

Nitrogen in your tires is an absolute complete waste if time and energy. Put in good old air, you won't lose any fuel economy at all.

 

Agreed! Every time I get my oil changed Mobil tries to sell me that service, I think it cost $40 plus tax. They promise I'll get better mpg and that it will pay for itself within the first couple of tanks.

 

I figured as much. Ginia, what did you do, combined city/highway percentage? 40/60?

 

now helium on the other hand, THAT will get you huge gains in MPG! Plus it'll reduce unsprung weight, add hp, extend the life of your tires, cure cancer, end world hunger, and you get to listen to the mechanics talk really funny when they get a lung full of the stuff....or not.
Honestly Nitrogen has only 2 advantages over regular air.
1. it is more inert and thus doesn't expand/contract as much with changing temperatures
2. it's atoms are larger and therefore is less able to slip through the rubber of the tires so you lose pressure much slower and have to fill up less.

Do these advantages make up for the cost? IMO, not really. The only one that sparks my interest is the increased resistance to changing pressures due to temp change, and that is due to my racing habbit more than anything. So for most people, I'd say save your money, go with regular air, and just keep an eye on the pressure once a month like everybody else.

-Cameron Keffer

 

yea I figured there wouldn't be much difference. the good thing is the dealer that sold me the car fills the tires for free. the 413 miles is both city and highway, mostly highway, so my dad figured it to be around 22 city/26 hwy. I probably could've squeezed a bit more but I like to play with the fake manual sometimes

 

26MPG highway? Someone's got a lead foot. I've gotten 36MPG highway before, with a whole extra liter and two more cylinders.

 

More inert? Yes. That said, being inert in no way affects how nitrogen expands and contracts when heated and cooled. Like it or not, believe it or not, nitrogen is just as subject to the Ideal Gas Law as is air (which is already 78% nitrogen). Period, full stop, the end.

 

haha! yea I do. on the highway I'm usually cruising at 77-80 mph. how in the world did you get 36MPG hwy with a V6?? do you push the car everywhere you go?

 

And this is why info on the net should be taken with a grain of salt. Sources could be wrong. Looks like I was the one with the bad info this time *shrugs* oh well, thanks for correcting my blunder.

-Cameron Keffer