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2014 came with nitrogen filled tires. Can I add air?

21K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  speedlever 
#1 ·
I like to upkeep my tires at max recommended pressure.

Can I add regular air from my home air compressor w/out messing up my sensors.

Thank you for such a valuable forum.

Blessings
 
#3 ·
For sure! Air is 79% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, and 1% other gases, mainly carbon dioxide and argon.... Now quick take off those fancy valve stem caps before they ruin your valve stems/TPMS sensors
 
#6 · (Edited)
Personally I think it's a bit of a money grabber... Some may shoot me for saying that!

But here this explains it pretty well:

www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair-questions/4302788

As for the valve caps, I've only ever seen them put green plastic caps on to show they were filled with nitrogen, never aluminum!
 
#5 ·
Just curious, but what do you mean by max recommended pressure?

Ditto what the others say above. Yes, if you have aluminum caps, change them out straight away for plastic caps. The metal ones have been known to corrode in place.
 
#7 ·
You are exactly right. Nitrogen fill is a total money grab and might as well be snake oil.
 
#8 ·
Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air/atmosphere we live in.
To fill a tire with 100% nitrogen requires instruments and contained space in a vacuum (with workers wearing oxygen masks to stay alive) to be able to fill a tire with 100% Nitrogen... for the little benefit one gets from driving with tires filled with nitrogen...

Nitrogen is the second biggest rip off after Plastic bottled water: not only the water is mostly from the faucet... not even purified for 80% of the brands , but some of the chemicals used to make those bottles can/may cause cancer.
A full gallon of really purified water from the machines at Walmart and in front of Walgreen cost only a quarter or $0.20, compared to the water sold in disposable bottles.
So many of us forget that the best things in life are free: among them the water we drink and the air we breath... unless you live in LA, Peking or lately Paris.

.
 
#10 ·
Nitrogen is the second biggest rip off after Plastic bottled water
There are a few other close thirds that car dealers typically try to tack on to a deal such as 'fabric and paint protection' known to most of us a Scotchgard and wax. Helped a relative purchase a car recently that had nitrogen, pinstripes, preservatives and tinting for very high prices. Not only did she not pay for those 'pre-installed' options but we also opted out on the 'special deal' for prepaid and discounted oil changes every 3000 miles when the manufacturer recommended 7500 miles.
 
#12 ·
Stole this off another forum...Honda's Official stance on Nitrogen

The dealers do this nitrogen trick to suck money from your wallet.

Here's a good article from the September, 2006, Honda Service News regarding Honda's position on it as well:
-----------

Nitrogen Inflation: What’s Our Position?

Surf any automobile tire-related website these
days, and you’ll likely see something mentioned
about nitrogen inflation. It’s becoming a hot topic.
We’ve gotten a number of inquiries lately
concerning American Honda’s position on this
practice.
When it comes to inflating automobile tires, it’s
our position that ordinary, dry compressed air—
which is about 80 percent nitrogen already—is
the best choice. That’s because it’s more readily
available, and the benefits of using nitrogen
simply don’t appear to outweigh those of using
compressed air.
The practice of inflating tires with nitrogen really
isn’t anything new; it’s been around a long time.
It’s been commonly used on aerospace vehicles,
commercial and military aircraft, military vehicles,
race cars, and even heavy off-road construction
equipment. Here’s why:

• To meet rigid safety and performance specs,
the required tire inflation pressures are often
very high, especially in the aerospace industry.
The tire inflation pressure for NASA’s space
shuttle, for instance, is a whopping 315 psi!
• Nitrogen is an inert gas; it doesn’t combust or
oxidize.
• The process used to compress nitrogen
excludes water vapor. Water vapor can expand
if the temperature climbs above 212°F.
• Tires inflated with nitrogen leak slower over
time than those inflated with compressed air.
Automobile tires, on the other hand, are subjected
to an entirely different set of conditions. Here’s
why inflating tires with nitrogen offers no real
advantages:
• Although tires inflated with nitrogen leak
slower over time than those inflated with
compressed air, they still leak and need to be
reinflated to maintain proper pressure. If you
can’t find a place that offers nitrogen
inflation—and there aren’t yet all that many
places that do—your only option left is to
reinflate with compressed air. Doing that
drops the nitrogen purity.
• Nitrogen offers no better protection against
road hazards such as cuts and punctures. So
no matter what you inflate the tire with, you
still need to check the condition and pressure
of the tires at least once a month as
recommended in the O/M.
• Tires that are inflated with compressed air and
properly maintained offer the same fuel
economy, tread wear, and ride comfort as
those inflated with nitrogen.
• Nitrogen for automobile tires is produced by
nitrogen generators, which typically get about
95 percent purity. But to actually get that
level of purity into an automobile tire, you
would have to deflate and inflate that tire with
nitrogen several times. If you’re not careful
doing this repeated deflation and inflation
process, the purity level winds up being closer
to 90 percent (compared to the approximate
80 percent nitrogen already in compressed
air). Because of this, those claims of less
pressure loss with nitrogen aren’t valid.
So here’s the bottom line: Nitrogen is an ideal gas
for inflating tires in aircraft, military vehicles, race
cars, and heavy off-road equipment, but when it
comes to automobile tires, it offers no apparent
advantages over ordinary, dry compressed air.
Our advice to you: Just stick with the air you
breathe.
 
#13 ·
Oh Honda. I'm glad we agree on the bullsh*t use of nitrogen.
 
#14 · (Edited)
My dealer whom I actually do trust pretty well, said it came with nitrogen in the tires. My dealer had to search for several days to find my desired color and configuration. It came from about 150 miles away. This dealer put in nitrogen. I was not charged directly for this or for the wiring harness that was an added cost on my model.

I do think it has fancy aluminum valve stem caps. I did not want the low pressure sensor as this is just something to mess up.

Let's check this: My dealer said the Ridgeline was basically discontinued for now, and that these were hard to find. None to be made in 2015 and reconfigured and coming back in 2016.

Any truth to this?
 
#16 · (Edited)
I'm afraid the tire pressure monitoring system is built into the truck and can not be removed. With no pressure sensors in the tires this will keep the TPMS light on the dash, and you will not be able to disable the VSA system. A quick search will enlighten you on the VSA system.

As for the the discontinuation of the ridgeline, what your dealer says is the word on the street around here, however I'll believe it when I see it. :D

Max pressure. should have said accurate pressure, as in check them frequently and add air to them to keep them in spec.

I wondered if I could do this routinely or did this nitrogen bit prohibit this task.

[all the RV dealers are putting nitrogen in their tires, is this BS too? ]
Well I suppose in higher pressure tires there might be more benefit but I'd be still a bit skeptical but it's not like it's going to hurt anything. As some have said, air is 70-80% nitrogen, so is getting that small bit of oxygen out going to help? Probably not.
 
#15 ·
Max pressure. should have said accurate pressure, as in check them frequently and add air to them to keep them in spec.

I wondered if I could do this routinely or did this nitrogen bit prohibit this task.

[all the RV dealers are putting nitrogen in their tires, is this BS too? ]
 
#17 ·
The only benefit the nitrogen has for us Ridge owners is this. The OEM Michelin LTX tires indicate if i remember max PSI is 44. Anything over that can result in a blowout. So, if you plan on towing and looking at inflating your tires at max psi of 44 with regular air, when the tire gets warm, the air expends and the pressure could potentially reach over 50 psi therefore resulting in the possibility of a blowout hence serious accident.

Since Nitrogen is known to not expand, the possibility of the above happening is minimized unless the claim of nitrogen not expanding is BS.
 
#19 ·
Nothing wrong with using nitrogen. I just would not pay extra for it. It is a little like putting 91 octane routinely in the truck when it is designed to run on 87. There are a few benefits but it is not likely worth the extra dough.

A lot of dealers do the nitrogen thing. It would not surprise me if they just put green caps on the valves and actually do nothing at all. You can usually find "nitrogen fill" somewhere on dealer prep sheet when you buy the vehicle. It is a way to hoodwink you out of another $100. My dealer includes it with a whole bunch of other unnecessary crud which they charge EVERY CUSTOMER for $695. Mine coats the windshield with some diamond stuff which they claim is warranted for life..... sure.

As you go through the months and years adjusting tires pressures, just use compressed air.

The tires are rated for 44psi MAX. The recommended pressure should be on a tag in the driver's door jam. 34psi (I think). I would not recommend exceeding this by much or it will affect your ride quality, handling, and braking.
 
#21 ·
All tire pressure maxes are with cold tires. Also air is 78% Nitrogen. The "Green Machine" nitrogen is about 88% to 92% Nitrogen. All this is BS.

Most tires explode from low pressure and not over pressure - the sidewalls overflexing causes the blowout. When they bead a tire they use about 150 lbs of air. Only defective tires explode when beaded.
 
#24 ·
Are you talking about seating the bead? If so I sure hope you are never arounc a tire you put 150 psi in that has a max pressure of 44 psi.
 
#22 ·
Will use pressure on door frame, maybe 1-2 lbs more at most.

Sensors on tires are ok, I am just so old I just want the basics as there is less to go wrong.

These are my first sensors, so in 7+ years if they were still fine, then I am on board.

Good info, thanks all.

Past Hondas, a magnificent prelude I should have never sold, 2002 accord ex w 170k and in mint condition.
 
#23 ·
CT, your instincts are good. Many of us run about 3 to 4 psi over the recommended 32 psi to give a bit more latitude for temperature variations (about 1 psi change per 10*F change in temp) and general laziness in checking tire pressures.

Regarding your tow wiring harness, that is standard on the RTS and RTL models since 2009MY. The RT and Sport lack this from the factory.

TPMS is a federally mandated system, iirc. I have them on my 2006 Pilot and haven't had any issues with them (still on the OEM sensors). But I'll bet they're about due to be replaced due to the age of the batteries.
 
#27 ·
Yeah, dry air is better. But getting the inside of the tire really dry is a problem. The tire is open to room humidity as it is put on the rim. The installer is going to slather the bead with a ton of liquid to get the tire on. So before you even get an air line near the tire you have already introduced a lot of moisture to the system.
I have a moisture trap on my compressor but my motorcycle rims still corroded from the inside out.
 
#30 ·
The lure of nitrogen in tires derives from its widespread use in aviation as an inert gas, not so much for pressure. For aircraft of 75K pounds and greater the tires have to be filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, with less than 5% oxygen by volume to prevent an explosive atmosphere in the tire that could be created if the tire material reacts with heat creating an explosive atmosphere. The rule was the result of a mid-80s Mexican 727 crash that killed over 150 people when faulty brakes overheated a tire filled with air causing it to exploded in a wheel well rupturing fuel and hydraulic lines.
 
#32 ·
There's no possible way you have 100% nitrogen in your tires unless they were mounted in a vacuum and then filled with nitrogen. You may have something greater than the 78% nitrogen that's in the air we breath, but it can't possibly be 100% nitrogen.
 
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