Setting your service department apart from competition is always good business strategy; by providing a service or technology others don’t, potential customers are more likely to notice your business operation, providing untapped opportunities for increased sales and service. With competitors clamoring just down the block, offering everything from free safety inspections and battery charges, $19.95 oil changes, and free tire rotation, how does one stand out?
One innovative strategy would be to consider offering nitrogen, instead of air, for filling tires. Nitrogen provides distinct advantages over air for customers, while at the same time working as a great marketing tool for independent repair shops, as well as automotive or powersports dealers, to attract, incentivize and retain a loyal customer base. Using nitrogen to inflate tires is not commonplace on cars and light trucks and is even less common when it comes to powersports vehicles; however, this is not the case with other tire applications. In fact, commercial and military aircraft, heavy off-road construction vehicles, auto racing vehicles of all types and 18-wheeled semis have employed nitrogen-filled tires for years. The aircraft industry specifically uses nitrogen instead of air for tire inflation because of safety concerns. NASA even used nitrogen-filled tires on its entire fleet of space shuttles. Since the tires no longer contain oxygen, they’re not explosive in a crash. Additionally, nitrogen contains no water vapor, which could freeze at high altitudes. In addition to safety, cost savings is another factor favoring use of nitrogen over air. Tire costs per mile for a fleet of 200 tractor-trailers can be sizable, and using nitrogen can increase tire life by as much as 25 percent representing a significant savings in tire replacement costs. The air from a shop’s air compressor already contains 78 percent nitrogen. What is the advantage of using pure nitrogen (N2) to fill tires? Here are the facts.
NitroFill is the patent holder for its system of automatically converting multiple tires simultaneously from air to nitrogen. Their E170 Generation and Conversion Station can convert six tires and is programmable for target tire pressure and percentage of nitrogen (95% to 99%) used for inflation. It requires a 110v power source and features comprehensive error reporting and self-diagnostic capabilities.
The NitroFill NF-123 Automatic Multiple Tire Inflation System uses a nitrogen bottle for its source on N2. The unit replaces air in tires with nitrogen without lifting the vehicle or removing the tires. It can convert up to six tires at one time. The unit is completely portable and runs on rechargeable batteries.
Loss of air
It’s common knowledge that tire air pressure loss occurs even when no physical leaks are present, much in the same manner that a balloon loses air over time because it seeps through the rubber material. An automobile or motorcycle tire suffers the same effect — it just takes even longer. A heavy-duty truck or car tire will lose about two psi a month, even if just left sitting. However, that same tire filled with pure N2 might take six months to lose the same amount of pressure.
Why do tires lose air without any leaks? As mentioned, tires are already filled with 78 percent nitrogen that makes up the composition from the atmosphere, along with 1 percent of various trace gases. The remaining 21 percent is oxygen and it’s the O2 that directly causes the air loss in tires. Why is this so? Oxygen molecules are smaller than nitrogen molecules and therefore, pass through materials used in tire construction quicker and more readily. In fact, O2 leaks out at a rate of about 35 percent higher than N2 over the same time period, contributing significantly to problems with low tire pressures.
It’s common knowledge among technicians working in both automotive and powersports industries that when customers bring in vehicles for service, the air pressure on their vehicles’ tires are almost always below factory specifications —sometimes way below. Under-inflated tires are a prevalent problem and can be serious. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), less than 15 percent of automobile owners check their tire pressure once per month — the typical interval recommended by most auto manufacturers. In fact, tire under-inflation of roughly six psi (about 20 percent of manufacturers’ recommended air pressure for most automotive tires) is considered a safety hazard, which can even result in tire failure. Since under-inflated automobile tires don't maintain ideal shape while in contact with road surfaces, this can cause reduction in tread life by as much as 25 percent over the life of a tire. Also, lower inflated pressures allow the tire to deflect or bend more as it rolls, causing a build-up of internal heat, increased rolling resistance, loss of steering precision, and a reduction in fuel economy of between 5 percent to 10 percent, depending on vehicle.
Motorcycle tires exhibit some of the same tire issues as automobiles when under- inflated, but also have their own unique problems. Low tire pressure can cause irregular tread wear at the edge of a tire’s contact patch, causing tire cupping, fatigue or tread groove cracking; any of these conditions may damage the tire beyond repair. In addition, low pressure causes a loss of steering that’s especially dangerous for motorcycle riders at highway speeds. Even on dual sport or off-road bikes, low tire pressure could cause a tire to separate from a wheel, as there may be insufficient pressure to force the tire’s bead against the rim. Dangerously under-inflated tires are the main reason that from 2008 on, all cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. must be factory equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems that warn drivers of low tire pressure. These systems are also available on some powersports vehicles, though not mandatory — yet.
Chemical reactions
Another reason to lure customers away from the practice of using plain compressed air to inflate tires relates to its moisture effects. As a shop air compressor packs air into a storage tank, it compresses moisture (or humidity) as well; the moisture inside the air compressor tank ends up inside any tires inflated from it. Moisture inside a tire expands and contracts with ambient temperature changes, causing tire pressure to change as well. This constantly changing variation in air pressure requires owners to frequently check tire readings and is the reason service manuals direct consumers to “check tire inflation pressure when cold” as a means of ensuring consistency when measuring tire pressure.
The NitroFill Analyzer can be used to provide a customer visual confirmation that their tires have been filled with nitrogen. Tires filled with air alone will register 79% N2. The industry standard for N2 tire filling is 95%.
Moisture inside a tire also creates another problem — oxidation. Tires are partially protected from oxidation by inner liners that prevent small air molecules from migrating through the body of the tire. Antioxidants chemicals, or age resisters, are manufactured directly into tire liners to neutralize invasive oxygen (they work only until used up). However, every time air is added to a tire, moisture makes it way inside the tire, causing oxidation. Tire aging processes are caused by oxidation, starting within a tire’s liner and working outwards towards sidewalls and tread. This occurs because pressure inside the tire is greater than atmospheric pressure, causing the migration of oxygen from inside to outside the tire. The oxygen molecules react chemically with the tire’s rubber, causing it to lose strength and elasticity over time, a phenomenon easily observable whenever cracks appear on a rubber tire’s sidewalls. Cracks form because oxidized rubber takes on characteristics of non-rigid plastic. In addition to damaging rubber and other tire compounds, oxidation rusts and weakens steel cords inside the tire’s carcass.
Advantages/disadvantages of using N2
Exclusively using nitrogen-filled tires solves all these problems because it’s a dry gas containing no moisture. A water-free environment inside a tire transfers and disperses heat more efficiently, making the tires last longer (a significant cost savings for customers). Conveniently for the customer, nitrogen also keeps tire pressures constant. Since N2 is an inert gas, corrosion cannot form since there is neither oxygen nor moisture present to cause oxidation. Thus, the safety and dependability features of using N2-filled tires should prove appealing to customers.
The advantages of using N2 to fill tires can be divided primarily into two categories —chemical and pressure. Nitrogen’s chemical advantages are the absence of water vapor and zero oxygen present within tires. With no O2 or H2O inside the tire, the tire’s liner lasts longer, especially if a vehicle is not driven on a daily basis or stored for long periods of time. In addition, steel or aluminum wheels will not corrode over time. Because N2 molecules are larger than those of oxygen, tires will maintain a more consistent pressure and not require frequent additional filling as often as air-filled tires. Maintaining a correct/ideal tire pressure over a greater span of tire life has many advantages, including: improved steering, handling and braking; increased fuel economy; extended tire life; and less frequent triggering of false tire pressure monitoring system alarms.
Conversely, the only real disadvantage to using N2 for tires is upfront cost to consumers. When available, dealers charge $3 to $10+ for filling tires with nitrogen depending on tire size and pressure and whether dealers choose to bundle any other services with the nitrogen fill. This cost usually includes top-offs for as long as customers own the tires. Some retailers offer N2 for no charge if tires are purchased through them. The only cost to the dealer for offering this service is purchase of nitrogen tire-filling equipment.
N2 equipment breaks down into two categories: machines that generate N2 from the atmosphere and those that use a nitrogen cylinder as their source of N2. A representative example of what’s available in nitrogen-filling service equipment is manufactured by NitroFill (www.nitrofillnow.com), a company located in Pompano Beach, Fla. The company sells a whole line of N2 generators that can service anything from a single-bay garage to large truck fleet facilities. The company’s equipment is used by the U.S. Airforce and Navy, Ford Motor Company and more than 5,000 dealers in North America. Nitrofill’s most popular unit, the E170 Nitrogen Generation and Conversion System, is sized for most automotive/powersports shops. It has a 13.5 cfm output, produces 99.9 percent pure N2 and will automatically convert/fill six tires simultaneously. This machine retails for approximately $8,900. Their NF-123 model sells for $1,995 and uses a nitrogen cylinder as the source for N2; like the E170 model, it also automatically converts/fills six tires at once. Nitrofill also sells a hand-held N2 Analyzer that measures percentages of N2 inside tires for $345. This can be a great sales tool as it provides customers visual proof of N2 percentages in tires following conversion via simple tire pressure check.
Adding nitrogen to tires
Converting air-filled tires to nitrogen requires filling and then deflating tires with nitrogen several times to purge all air from each tire. Nitrogen levels within a tire must be a minimum 95 percent pure to be effective. The sequence NitroFill recommends for tire conversion is as follows: Shop air is used to mount new tires. Both new and in-use tires are deflated to five psi and then filled to their target pressure (recommended pressure for specific vehicle application) with nitrogen. The tire is then deflated again to 25 percent of its target pressure, and then refilled once again with N2 to the target pressure. All of NitroFill’s N2 units automatically follow these steps, resulting in a minimum 95 percent N2 saturation that is adjustable up to 99 percent pure nitrogen. Automatic filling requires only about a minute of shop labor time to connect the machine’s fill hoses to a vehicle’s tires. NitroFill’s system of automatic simultaneous conversion of multiple tires is patented.
From a sales perspective, using nitrogen to fill tires is widely practiced in other commercial settings, such as the aircraft industry for safety reasons (required by FAA) and the heavy-duty highway trucking industry where maintenance schedules are strictly followed and cost savings are tracked. Using N2 to fill tires on passenger cars and light trucks is a different dynamic as vehicle maintenance is often overlooked or non-existent. It can initially be a tough sell to get retail customers to spend money for filling tires with nitrogen because the physical benefits are not well documented. However, the real advantage to a dealer offering N2 filling services is marketing. Leveraging a service to encourage customers to make return visits to your shop is smart business, and nitrogen-filling services can provide many additional sales opportunities.
In fact, NitroFill also offers a Cap Kit Program to all dealers who purchase any of their systems. This tire inflation maintenance program offers, at dealer discretion: no-cost or discounted tire repair and replacement coverage, wheel repair, roadside assistance and Auto Club benefits. In addition, customers receive five self-sealing aluminum NitroFill valve caps, windshield sticker, 12-month membership in NitroFill Auto Club (includes dealer-selected benefit package), fourteen E-newsletters, and a dozen customizable text messages. Offering N2 services may not significantly impact a shop’s bottom line, but effectively marketing this service to drive customers back to your place of business could make a dramatic difference and set your business apart from the competition.
