NitroFill

Make sure you have them also fill a big balloon in the back seat with helium, it makes the car lighter giving a mpg boost also. This technique is why you have the backup camera in the 2006 models, so you can fold down the back seats and put in this helium balloon accessory for improved mpg.

We all gotta stick to the details here if we are going to save the planet!

 

Two words: snake oil.

Since you said you've read the other threads, I won't recap all of the arguments other than to say that there's absolutely ZERO reason to pay any money for this. Remember: the gas inside your tires is already ~70% nitrogen, anyway.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Sep 2 2006, 08:07 AM) [snapback]313005[/snapback]</div>

:blink: :lol: :lol:

 

Save your money. On second thought, mail the money to me and I'll make sure your tires are filled mostly with Nitrogen.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(even4steven @ Sep 2 2006, 05:03 AM) [snapback]313004[/snapback]</div>

I'd report this guy to your state attorney general's office! What a scam.

 

I bought my tires from a tire store I trust. They fill all tires with nitrogen at no extra cost. I think it's probably marginally better than air because air typically has some water vapor in it. But it sure ain't worth no sixty bucks!!!

No point reporting the dealer to the law, however, because if he fills the tires with pure nitrogen as promised, he hasn't violated any law. He's just sold you a two-dollar horse for sixty dollars, and that's not illegal.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 3 2006, 05:22 PM) [snapback]313701[/snapback]</div>

Depends on the state. He made a specific claim about higher mileage that is simply untrue. Most states have some pretty strict rules about mis-representing a product. The complaint also serves to raise the conciousness of the officials; if they get many complaints, they pursue it.

 

Regular air is 78 % nitrogen. How can someone think that filling a tire with 100 % nitrogen is going to make a difference in the Prius is beyond comprehension to me. Even if they fill it for free, the hassle of driving over and the probability that you'll end up buying stuff you don't need (which is just just why they do it) are not worth it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ Sep 4 2006, 03:46 AM) [snapback]313897[/snapback]</div>

Water vapor changes volume with temperature more than nitrogen. Therefore pure nitrogen changes tire pressure less than water-vapor-containing air as tire temperature changes. This place will check your tire pressure and re-fill as needed for free, if you bought your tires there. (Rotation is also free at the recommended intervals.) However, I never went back to fill. As I stated earlier, I think the benefit is marginal. I let them put in nitrogen, but filled low tires with air. I'm just saying that there is a slight benefit. Clearly, sixty bucks is a flat-out outrage, a scam, and a fraud, and any dealer that charges that much should be shunned, as they will probably give you the shaft in other ways as well.

 

My Costco automatically fills my tires with nitrogen for free. This on top of free inspection and rotation. This on top of lower price for the tires in the first place. All done while I'm in doing the shopping I needed to do instead of sitting around some dirty tire store reading 1995 Popular Mechanics.

But I'm not sure if the nitrogen is a universal Costco service.

I don't remember the science on this but Costco mentioned something about heat buildup. Fires burn rather well in our 78% nitrogen atmosphere. They don't burn at all in pure nitrogen.

 

I'm a little late responding to all this... however. YES, the benefits of using N2 are marginal... but they are BENEFITS nonetheless. I sell nitrogen tire-filling systems for a living (yes, that makes me biased) so I know my fair share about this concept. Yes the air we breathe and the air in your tires is already 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, but it's been proven through testing by companies like Michelin, Goodyear, and Ford for example that reducing that amount of oxygen to around 5% does infact offer the consumer extended tire life and inceased fuel mileage. These are the two biggest benefits, and they result from the nitrogen maintaining your tire pressure. Oxygen permeates through the wall of your tire 5x's faster than the nitrogen. Here is the biggest beef with most people who say nitrogen is a waste of money... "all you have to do is frequently check that your tires are at the correct pressure and fill with air accordingly". That is 100% true... if you do this you will also extend tire life and increase fuel mileage. However, for every person that says this, I will guarantee you 3 out of 5 of them haven't checked their tire pressure since they had the tires put on or rotated and are running with under-inflated tires.

SO... why pay $20 for nitrogen (don't ever pay more than $5 per tire or your getting ripped off) in your tires, because none of us have the time to monitor our tire pressure... and this costs you money (tire life & fuel). We all drive a Prius to save money on fuel (ok, its a cool car too) so that is why I make sure my car has 5W-30 oil in it, why I drive the speed limit, why I coast to stop lights, why I try not to use the a/c, and WHY I HAVE NITROGEN IN MY TIRES.

We didn't even touch the whole "safety" factor... most blowouts (which equal rolling into a ditch) are due to under-inflated tires. Enough said!

 

With a 5X reduction of Oxygen versus Nitrogen, aren't my tyres automatically accumulating Nitrogen by themselves as I top up with normal air?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(even4steven @ Sep 2 2006, 08:03 AM) [snapback]313004[/snapback]</div>

Save your $60. Or donate it to your local food bank or other charity if the weight in your wallet is having a negative impact on your MPG.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SaintStephen @ Oct 6 2006, 03:32 PM) [snapback]329141[/snapback]</div>

although minimal... I would say yes.

 

I drove my Prius with Costco Nitrogen across the USA recently, 6000 miles. I was pleasantly surprised at the stability of my tire pressure; the last time I drove across the USA in my Prius, I was having to adjust air pressures every few days to keep them balanced, but this time I only had to adjust pressure about every 10 days. Maybe it's that I'm running Hydroedge tires now instead of the Integritys, or maybe the nitrogen had something to do with it.

What was surprising was how hard it was to find gas stations with free air outside of California. Most places charged 75 cents, so I figure the nitrogen probably saved me about $5 worth of tire inflation fees. I still wouldn't bother getting Nitrogen if it wasn't free to me, but it is a minor help.