Nitrogen cuts costs for business cars
Atlas Copco Compressors is helping its employees and business visitors to its Hemel Hempstead HQ cut motoring costs by providing them with the option to fill their tyres with nitrogen, as used in F1 cars and aircraft
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Divisional Manager, Paul O’Neill, said of the new initiative: “Low tyre pressure is a major contributor to premature tyre wear, poor braking and handling performance, as well as increased fuel consumption. Extensive tests by tyre manufacturers and vehicle fleet operators prove that nitrogen filled tyres stay fully inflated much longer than they do with just air. As suppliers of nitrogen generators, such as the stand alone NG unit and the dual output GN range that delivers both nitrogen and compressed air, we want to give our employees an opportunity to experience the driving benefits first hand.”
Low tyre pressure is caused by the gradual migration of oxygen through tyre walls that leads to progressive under inflation while rust particles in the wheel wells, created partly from moisture-laden inflation air, find their way into valve cores, prevent correct seating and lead to slow, undetected leaks.
Nitrogen on the other hand is inert, permeates through rubber less easily, and contains no moisture, preventing rust formation and premature tyre aging through oxidation. Savings are around 4 per cent in terms of fuel consumption and 20 per cent in tyre replacement costs.
