Getting oil on your rubber

[John Rumm]

A question that sprang to mind in an idle moment....

I have noticed many of the tyre replacement shops use a typical setup with a central compressor and receiver, feeding lots of fixed pipework taking air round the workshop, and finally flexible hoses for the impact drivers and other equipment that requires it. Many of these shops are equipped with inline oilers toward the front end of the supply, such that all the tools get an oiled air flow.

However what is going to be the long term effect (if any) on the tyres when they also use this oiled air supply to inflate the tyre after fitting?

[Andy Dingley]

Not a problem. It was, once upon a time, but for decades now car tyres have used compositions that are fairly insensitive to common car-related fluids. They have to be - it's just not practical to keep them separate.

However don't wear your best Ectomorph when you're doing an oil change. Latex _does_ suffer if you get mineral oils onto it.

[mrcheerful]

You should get your tyres blown up with nitrogen, many tyre places do this nowadays, the advantages are inert with the rubber and the tyres don't lose pressure so quickly.

mrcheerful

[Malcolm Stewart]

snip

Any basis for this in physics ? Air is mainly nitrogen, and oxygen has a slightly higher molecular weight.

[Phil]

I'll get mine blown up with 79% nitrogen then.....!

[Grunff]

Nitrogen molecules are slightly smaller than oxygen molecules, so the tyres would deflate slightly faster by diffusion if filled with nitrogen.

But you'll never notice the difference, a) because it's very small, and b) because most deflation is through orifices, not diffusion.

As for nitrogen being inert, when was the last time you had to replace your tyres because they had chemically degraded from the inside-out?

[:::Jerry::::]

Yeh, like just fitting a K&N air filter and expecting a boost in the engines BHP output...

It's all nothing but total bull*hit.

[Lurch]

On 17 Dec 2004 08:32:28 -0800, "Phil" strung together this:

Pffft, I already do. I saw this as being an advantage over normal air years ago......

[Peter]

is it not more to to with heat and tyre pressures thats why F1 teams use it ?

Peter

[Andy Dee]

I think you will find that these devices are not oilers but traps to prevent oil from the compressor getting into the air lines. A

[John]

[:::Jerry::::]

[ re inflating tyres with nitrogen ]

Hardly, unless they are running the tyre changing machines etc. on it to !...

[:::Jerry::::]

Not quite, normally air lines going to air operated machines / tools will have both a *oil and water* trap and an oiler [1] but were clean air is required there will be the oil and water trap but not always the oiler - for really clean air there will also be a dehumidifier and other filters, mostly used where air feed breathing masks are in use, such as paint shops etc.

[1] there is a difference in the oil that can get into the air at the compressor and the oil required to lubricate air operated equipment, thus the need to remove one type of oil and introduce another IYSWIM.

[mikengac]

Better still, get them blown up with helium.

As well as being inert, it makes the car lighter so saves fuel. Had mine done last week at IMM Motors.

[Lurch]

On 17 Dec 2004 11:17:51 -0800, [e-mail] strung together this:

Did they manage to find the wheels themselves or did you have to point them out?

[Andrew Gabriel]

You have to use it if you fitted oxygen free copper speaker cables, gold plated fuse holders, etc...

[Andy Dingley]

Omitting the oxygen stops pyrolysis of the rubber if you have a thin tyre mounted very close to a hot brake disk stack. Quite important if you're a heavy aircraft.

For a domestic car, it's rubbish.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well my Land rover tyres have never ever been inflated from new, and at

5 years and 50,000 miles are still doing well.

She may cost on diesel, but boy thats all she ever need bar filters and oil changes...