Let's start with some science. Air is 78 percent nitrogen, under 21 percent oxygen, and the rest is water vapour, CO2 and small concentrations of noble gases such as neon and argon. And since all gasses expand when heated and contract when cooled, the pressures in the tyres increase and decrease due to the change in temperature. This is one of the reasons it's recommended that tire pressures be checked on a regular basis.
When it comes to nitrogen, however, there's a different story brewing. Nitrogen is less likely to migrate through tyre rubber than oxygen and this means that your tyre pressure will be stable over a long period of time. If you didn't already know, Indycar and Formula One racers prefer the use of nitrogen rather than air because there's less pressure change as temperatures in the tyres begin to soar.
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Another problem with using air is humidity and that inside a tyre can do a lot more damage than you might think. Water, present as a vapour or in its liquid form causes change in pressure and is also responsible for the corrosion of the steel and aluminium rims on the tyre.
How does nitrogen helps in this scenario? Well, filling tyres with pure nitrogen dilutes the concentration of oxygen in the tyre, which then removes water and there is less chance of corrosion in the rims.
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Filling nitrogen isn't a tedious process either. The tyre mechanic will deflate all your tyres and fill it to the correct psi (as suggested by the car manufacturer) and that's it. Using nitrogen then, helps tyre pressure to be stable over a longer period of time, however does not do away with the process of checking tyre pressure.
You still need to check the air pressure and keep it at the optimum level. If you think that putting nitrogen in your tyres will improve handling or fuel efficiency, well, not really. However, what it helps in is tyre maintenance. Constant pressure means less wear and longer life for the tyre.
It all comes down to cost then and as we know, filling air is free at most of the gas stations but nitrogen comes at a cost. It costs between Rs. 40-50 per tyre which boils down to a maximum of Rs. 250 counting the spare. So, there's absolutely no harm in trying out something new as it certainly comes with some benefits to its name.
