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[RDHTran]

Just switched to non RFT and wanted to get either a continental kit and mobility kit. Is there any difference? Which would you prefer. I know the BMW mobility kit is about 20 dollars more on tischer. Thanks

[LI E90]

AIR?

[T3X4S]

Not sure about the kits, but I am a fan of nitrogen for inflating tires as it seems to keep air tire presure from fluctuating as much with temperature changes. Costco does it and a BMW dealership in Dallas does it as well.

[335iPaul]

Not sure this is the same question that the user had, but my dealer put nitrogen in my tires to "prolong tire life"? Any truth in this?

[Ironring Racing]

Guys, the OP was asking about emergency tire repair kits, the one from Continental or the BMW Mobility one. The Continental one is good, I have it and haven't heard any issues. I would have ordered the BMW one from Tischer just because it would look better in the trunk, but they can't ship to Canada.

For the other posters, I really can't believe people are still falling for the nitrogen bullsh!t! Really!

78% of the air you breathe (and put in your tires) is nitrogen. Air has the same coefficient of expansion as nitrogen (less than a percent difference). The only reason race teams (of which I've been on several) use nitrogen is because it has less moisture than air from a normal shop/home air compressor. The commercial process of making/isolating nitrogen requires much higher pressures/lower temps than a shop/home 150psi air comp. The pressure of nitrogen storage bottles varies, but can be a couple thoursand psi. This removes much more water from the nitrogen then gets removed from the air.

When water evaoporates, the change from a liquid to a gas state increases the volume in the tire, so the benefit for some forms of racing where the tire temperature increases substantially is that as the tire warms up, there would be less of a change in pressure.

For street cars, with street tires, that are wet mounted (soapy water is applied with a sponge/dabber around the rim and tire to make mounting easier), on top of the fact that the tire already contains normal air before they put nitrogen in to pressure it up, there is no differenece at all. Tires need to be dry mounted, then purged of air, and refilled with nitrogen.

I doubt Costo does that. In fact I've never seen it done in any commercial establishment. For an investment of a few hundred, they can charge $/tire to fill with nitrogen... easy money. It doesn't hurt anything, so if you want to, go for it. As to the drying out, as you can see, if it was dehydration they were referring to, nitrogen would dry out the tires much more than air. It's that without oxygen there's no/less oxydation (aging). However, as you can see from the outside of the tire, which is exposed to all the elements, aging/cracking of rubber is only a concern over the course of decades, likely much longer than you'll own the tires, and unless you're putting a nitrogen blanket over the outside of your tires, they're going to age and crack anyway.

[DenverJayhawk]

Costcos in my neighborhood and in Santa Barbara, CA use nitrogen. That said, I agree it's unnecessary. If a garage wants to use it and it doesn't cost a premium, then I don't care. But I'd never pay extra for it.

[wrickem]

As for the OP's original question I have the continental kit from the tire rack and used it once and it worked perfectly and easily.

As for nitrogen, I agree that it's bs unless you are tracking your car or never check your tire pressure.

[Brunotheboxer]

I prefer German Hydrogen, its the best.

[E90330iS]

i use regular air from gas stations

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

I prefer German Hydrogen, its the best.

Your car wouldn't by chance be silver, like the Hindenburg, would it?

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by SoYank

Your car wouldn't by chance be silver, like the Hindenburg, would it?

Actually it is.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by 335iPaul

Not sure this is the same question that the user had, but my dealer put nitrogen in my tires to "prolong tire life"? Any truth in this?

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by 335iPaul

Not sure this is the same question that the user had, but my dealer put nitrogen in my tires to "prolong tire life"? Any truth in this?

Yes that is somewhat true. If the tire pressure remains consistant you will be less likely to have under / over inflated tires which can cause your tires to wear prematurely.

[DHS]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

Actually it is.

Whatever you do don't go to Lakehurst New Jersey.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

Yes that is somewhat true. If the tire pressure remains consistant you will be less likely to have under / over inflated tires which can cause your tires to wear prematurely.

Tire pressure loss is negligible...it's a gimmick.

And it's spelled "consistent"

[wrickem]

Did anybody even read the original question?

[RDHTran]

lol I dont think so

[T3X4S]

Yes, nitrogen is a controversial topic in tires. Costco offers it for free when you buy tires from them, so why not. It's just as controversial as do RFTs cause a rough ride or not, iDrive or no iDrive, etc. Yes, I read the original question but the second poster went with a smarta$$ answer of "air" so I took it from there.

[777ER]

I put nitrogen in my tires for free from one of the aircraft tire servicing cart

It withstand temp fluctuations better than just air.

Aircrafts require them due to the maint. manuals and the fact they experience tires at 100+ degrees on the ground to -70 deg during cruise on polar routes.
It's just more stable and moisture free.

[Borsig]

I got the nice 12v compressor from harbor freight on sale for ... a whopping $20. And a bottle of slime.

The compressor has already worked nicely on a flat I had on my GTO, its a great compressor.

The slime I havent used. Dont get fixaflat though, its flammable, slime isnt. Get slime. Your tire guy will thank you if you dont use fixaflat.

[0asis]

I don't have nitrogen filled tires or a tire mobility kit but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[phattbam]

Originally Posted by Borsig

I got the nice 12v compressor from harbor freight on sale for ... a whopping $20. And a bottle of slime.

The compressor has already worked nicely on a flat I had on my GTO, its a great compressor.

The slime I havent used. Dont get fixaflat though, its flammable, slime isnt. Get slime. Your tire guy will thank you if you dont use fixaflat.

yeah. I got one of those too. it sits on the little 'shelf' area on the rear passenger side. I don't know if using slime or any of that patch sealant stuff is good for my aftermarket wheels as it builds up and may throw off the balance of my wheel. But if you're in an emergency situation I don't see it as an option.