Toyota wants me to put Nitrogen in My Tires

[steve-o]

Lately I've been getting emails from the local Toyota Dealerships for their Summer specials.
None of these coupons are useful really, they seem more like "sucker bets". One commonality I see is each Dealerkship in one way or other wants to fill me Tires with Nitrogen. The decorative caps are nothing more than the generic metal valve caps.
Nitrogen Special
$64.95
Fill all four tires with nitrogen.
· Improves fuel consumption
· Increases tire tread life
· Improves riding and handling
· Reduce tire pressure fluctuation
· Decorative aluminum tire valve caps
· Free auto club membership

[mig0s]

LOL 65$? Not worth it for me.

[yaddadaimsayin]

i don't know how much it's supposed to cost, but it's true about nitrogen tires improving the life of your tires.

[NightRider]

One of my boys who has his VR6 GTI with all four of his tires filled with nitrogen he said he thinks its coo but doesn't notice much.

[LEE337]

I have nitrogen in my tires.
air has moister in it which eats away at the inside of you tires.
been usin nitrogen for years.

[Black Bob]

I'm stayin' with the free stuff and spending the money on alcohol. Since my stomach, brain and soul are getting eroded from the inside anyway why not my tires?

[NightRider]

I'm stayin' with the free stuff and spending the money on alcohol. Since my stomach, brain and soul are getting eroded from the inside anyway why not my tires?

Nice one!

[youngblood]

I have nitrogen in my tires.
air has moister in it which eats away at the inside of you tires.
been usin nitrogen for years.

How exactly would moisture hurt the tire? Guess I better stop driving in the rain!

[MrMikeL]

Air contains ozone which naturally degrades rubber. So he's right - regular air inside the tire will (albeit slowly) degrade the tire from the inside. But I doubt it's enough to cause premature wear. Nitrogen, being an inert gas, will not degrade the tires, nor is it susceptible to pressure changes as the temperature changes.

[PhreakdOut]

It is all debatable. Seriously, normal air is 78% Nitrogen. The part in question is the 20.6% of oxygen which is subject to changes in pressure depending on temperature. Is it really so hard to check the tire pressure? Now they have digital pressure gages so there's no mistake.

$65 will buy you a portable tire pump that you can keep in the car and plug into the power outlet. I understand the benefits of nitrogen however the cost is nuts. As for the tire rotting, unless you store your car, this won't ever be an issue. Personally, I go through tires faster than ambient moisture or ozone could possibly damage.

My 2 yen, save your money and don't be lazy. Check your air pressure and adjust when necessary.

[kb89]

I have nitrogen in my tires. I have never ever had a problem with them and they are stock, 30,000 miles. But it was only $5 extra for nitrogen when I got them rotated and balanced, and if one gets low, they fill it for free. Maybe look around at some tire shops in the area? They would probably do it cheaper than the dealer.