# Helium-filled tires?



## MCHNHED (Dec 22, 2002)

So what's the deal with filling tires with helium? I tried searching the internet but couldn't find much. Apparently the idea is to slightly reduce the unsprung weight (cause helium weighs less than air) and also the tires won't heat up as much? This is just what i heard. I'm looking to see what everyone else says.


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## thestunts200sx (Jul 11, 2005)

i believe it would heat up and actually pop your tires....

feel free to try it though...im not a chemistry person so i wouldnt know the properties of that...


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

It's a joke. Helium is indeed less massive than air but not THAT much. The big deal about tire inflator is to avoid moisture. This is what causes most of the expansion when the tire gets warm. Any dry gas will work better than air...well, okay, stay away from acetylene.

Helium would not be good since it has a curious habit of escaping its vessel no matter how well it's sealed. It's a physically smaller molecule than nitrogen or oxygen and will more easily pass through the tire carcass causing you to make extra trips to Abilene, Texas for refills...you know, where the sole source of America's helium is "mined".


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

How do they process helium?


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## MCHNHED (Dec 22, 2002)

bahearn said:


> It's a joke. Helium is indeed less massive than air but not THAT much. The big deal about tire inflator is to avoid moisture. This is what causes most of the expansion when the tire gets warm. Any dry gas will work better than air...well, okay, stay away from acetylene.
> 
> Helium would not be good since it has a curious habit of escaping its vessel no matter how well it's sealed. It's a physically smaller molecule than nitrogen or oxygen and will more easily pass through the tire carcass causing you to make extra trips to Abilene, Texas for refills...you know, where the sole source of America's helium is "mined".


The reason i was asking was because i someone who recently got their tires changed at COSTCO and they filled them with helium. They said 1) it's slightly lighter than air 2) it doesn't heat up as much (temperature variation is minimal) and 3) a helium-filled tire is less likely to blow.

I don't know how true all these claims are, however, i do know that this...



thestunts200sx said:


> i believe it would heat up and actually pop your tires....


... is bullshit. Thank you.


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## MCHNHED (Dec 22, 2002)

wildmane said:


> How do they process helium?


The internet is such a great tool to those who know how to use it...

How is Helium Made? :kiss:


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## astreamk1 (Apr 16, 2004)

I think maybe you meant Nitrogen ?  

try doing a search on nitrogen for your tires. You should have better luck finding something.


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## MCHNHED (Dec 22, 2002)

astreamk1 said:


> I think maybe you meant Nitrogen ?
> 
> try doing a search on nitrogen for your tires. You should have better luck finding something.


lol... ya know, that's what i thought when i first heard it, but they told me it was really helium! (now i'm starting to think they just heard the mechanic wrong!)


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## astreamk1 (Apr 16, 2004)

what's really funny is, they charge like $5-$10 a tire here to have it done. You can tell if someone is running it by their green valve stem caps. i asked a guy here at work about it that has them on his car, he just bought new tires and doen't know anything about it said his wife took the car in to get the tires put on. I am guessing the tire place rooked him for an extra $50 as a result....

I haven't even seen anyplace here to get replacement Nitrogen if you need it ?


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

MCHNHED said:


> lol... ya know, that's what i thought when i first heard it, but they told me it was really helium! (now i'm starting to think they just heard the mechanic wrong!)


They probably were talking about Helium. Nitrogen isn't very light, and the big advantage that it has over air is less thermal expansion at higher temperatures. And nitrogen isn't even worthwhile in your daily driver - It is very difficult to get the tyres warmed up enough for it to make any difference on the street.


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

All figures below are for dry gases.
N2 density is 1.229 g/L
O2 density is 1.404 g/L
He density is 0.176 g/L
Air density is approximately 1.253 g/L

Air is denser than pure nitrogen. Ambient air, with its dissolved water is way denser than nitrogen. Nitrogen makes up ~78% of out atmosphere. It's cheap, readily available and doesn't travel through the tire casing nearly as readily as helium. The Air Force uses nitrogen exclusively for filling its aircraft tires.

Helium is a silly fad. Yes, it's seven times less dense than nitrogen but you're saving maybe an ounce of weight per tire. Not worth the expense in my view.


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## kaizer (Jun 7, 2005)

My friend is using Nitrogen. he claims better ride quality/quietness, better pickups, and maintainence free.


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