Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main benefits of installing nitrogen in my tires verses regular air?
Nitrogen tire inflation simplifies tire maintenance by providing a more consistent air pressure over a longer period of time. With a very high purity rate of nitrogen going into your tire, moisture is essentially absent. Without moisture, the expansion and contraction of the air pressure associated with hot and cold is minimized allowing your tire to run consistently at the prescribed pressures.
If nitrogen is installed in my tires do I still need to check the pressures?
Yes! Nitrogen will also leak out but it usually takes 4-5 times longer to lose one pound of nitrogen. With regular compressed air, the average tire will lose one pound per month which makes it important to check your air pressure frequently!
If I cannot find nitrogen, can I mix regular air with nitrogen?
Yes you can top off with regular air. However to maintain the full benefit of nitrogen, you will need to have the tire(s) purged and inflated with nitrogen at your earliest convenience.
Will using nitrogen add life to my tires?
In most cases yes! What typically happens is regular air slowly starts escaping at a rate of one pound per month. The tire slowly becomes underinflated causing excessive shoulder wear and higher operating temperatures due to the sidewall flexing more with each revolution. Nitrogen inflation slows that process because it will not permeate the liner of the tire as quickly.
How does using nitrogen save fuel?
It takes more energy to move a vehicle with underinflated tires. Try riding your bicycle with two thirds air pressure. Now air them to correct pressure and go for another ride!
Why should I rotate my tires?
No matter what you drive, whether its front wheel, 4 wheel, or rear wheel drive, the requirements of the tires are different depending where they are located. With that in mind, subjecting the tires to the same conditions for more than 5000-7000 miles typically starts irregular wear patterns that will shorten the life of the tire. Most manufacturer warranties require regular rotations to obtain the longest life and keep the warranty in place.
The only exclusions to tire rotations are vehicles with different or staggered tire sizes. This is usually found on performance vehicles to enhance handling characteristics.
What is the recommended 4 tire rotation pattern for my vehicle?
The Tire & Rim Association has identified three traditional rotation patterns covering most vehicles (equipped with non-directional tires and wheels which are the same size and offset). The first being the "Rearward Cross" for rear wheel drive vehicles (Figure A); the second being the "Forward Cross" for front wheel drive vehicles (Figure C); and the third is the "X-Pattern" for all wheel or 4 wheel drive vehicles (Figure B). The X-Pattern can be used as an alternative to A or C.
Today’s performance tire and wheel trends have provided the need for two additional tire rotation patterns.
- The "Front-to-Rear" (Figure D) pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with the same size directional wheels and/or directional tires.
- A "Side-to-Side" (Figure E) pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with different sized non-directional tires and wheels on the front axle compared to the rear axle.
If the last two rotation patterns do not provide even wear, dismounting, mounting and rebalancing will be necessary to rotate the tires.
Vehicles that use different sized directional wheels and tires, and/or wheels with different front and rear offsets with directional tires will require dismounting, mounting and rebalancing to rotate tires.
If I only need 2 new tires, where do I put them?
When all four tires are the same size, new tires are recommended to be placed on the rear. Please watch this video to better explain why this is so important.
My car steering wheel shakes when I apply the brakes. Do I need my tires balanced?
Most likely you have a brake rotor that is out of round. Further inspection and test drive are necessary to determine the source.
I have developed a loud roar in my car. Do I have a bad tire?
Roaring sounds usually but not always come from irregular tire wear patterns or wheel bearings with excessive wear. A proper test drive with noise isolating equipment will help us properly determine the source.
