So, when I got my regulator for my CO2 tank - the guy asked what I used the tank for - and I told him to fill up my tires when off-roading. He said I should use nitrogen because CO2 is a corrisive gas and would damage my tires from the inside.

Does that make sense? Anyone actually had CO2 eat through their tires? Seem like it might happen if you had the CO2 in your tires for 10 years - but I would think the tire tread would wear out long before the gas would cause damage.

Just curious.

John

 

Well, the gas stations that most of us use pull and push the same air that we breathe. Therefore, our tires get the following:

N2 78.08%
O2 20.95%
CO2 0.033%

and the rest is trace gasses.

So I dont know. Good question.

 

I just googled the phrase "co2 corrosive to tires" and found plenty of hits that say CO2 is not corrosive.

 

I dont know much about chemisty, but maybe it is the whole dioxide part that freaks people out.

 

You want a chemical compound that freaks people out?

Try deoxyribonucleic acid! That stuff 'll kill ya!

 

Did you happen to check and see how much he sells Nitrogen for? Sounds like he might be trying to drum up some business. I've never heard of any problems with CO2 other than the fact that your tools and air chucks can occasionally freeze up and the fact that it is more sensitive to temperature and altitude changes.

 

Can't live without it, though!

 

Just did the same - and you're right - lot's of stuff saying CO2 is fine in tires... Of course lots of those links are from the powertank website.

I'm not really worried - like I said, I'm sure the outside tread will wear out long bfeore the inside from CO2.

And as far as nirtogen - it says that you would need 3 tanks of N2 to get the same as 1 tank od CO2.

John

 

Carbon is part of darn near everything, not a problem.

Oxygen in a diatomic form is pretty darn stable unless combusted, not corroded.

Carbon dioxide reacting with water could potentially form carbonic acid, but that would be ideal circumstances.

Conclusion, don't worry about it, as you already realized. CO2 is pretty much the perfect thing for the job.

 

When CO2 and water vapor combine, a weak carbonic acid may be formed, but not in sufficent quantity or strength to harm a tire casing. We do much more damage to a tire when drivin' thru the rocks than the weak acid ever could.

Power Tank's system has been proven safe and reliable by 1000's of wheelers, and they've been used for at least 6 years that I know of. I've been using CO2 in my tires for the last 3 years- I use my MIG tank and regulator for trail air.

later

 

Here's one more question I have avout CO2...

Is it affected by the cold more so than regular air? We're coming upon winter here and my tires are filled with C02 - will the tire pressire decrease more in the cold with CO2 than straight air.

I know with regular air- in the winter my tires alway look under-inflated - will this be exaggerated with CO2?

John

 

the thermal expansion coefficient is nearly identical to "air"

 

I haven't checked the thermal expansion coefficients of N2 vs. air vs. CO2, but I hear that's one of the reasons why nitrogen is preferred as the inert gas to use at 200 psi in coil-overs, since nitrogen changes less with temperature than do some other common gases. But I haven't verified that yet.

John, it should be a pretty minor difference in tires.

 

Here's an even more dangerous one:

Subject: Warning -- Dihydrogen Oxide !

Dihydrogen Oxide (DHO) is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people each year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHO, but the dangers of Dihydrogen Oxide do not end there.

Prolonged exposure to it's solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance.

Not only is DHO dangerous to humans it is also extremely hazardous to the environment. It is a major component of acid rain, it contributes to the greenhouse effect, and is a common cause of erosion of our natural landscape.

Worldwide contamination by DHO is reaching epidemic proportions. Quantities of the chemical have been found in almost every stream, lake and reservoir in the U.S. today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in the Antarctic. So far governments and environmental watchdogs have been indifferent to the problem.

Despite the danger DHO is widely used as an industrial solvent and coolant, in nuclear power stations, as a fire retardant, as an additive in certain junk foods and other food products, and in a wide variety of other uses. Companies routinely dump DHO into rivers and oceans, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal.

The U.S. government (In fact no government) has refused to ban the production, distribution or use of this damaging chemical due to its' importance to the economic life of the nation'.

In fact the U.S. Navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHO, and designing multi-billion-dollar devices to control and use it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly complicated underground distribution network. Many store huge quantities for later use.

Act now to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical.

 

BWAHAHAHA!!!

 

Do I dare get involved in this thread and show how much of a geek I am?

BEWARE dihydrogen oxide!

 

I'm with crawler#976.
Since I got my PT around 3 or 4 years ago, that's all that I have filled my tires with.

Talk with Steve Sasaki owner of Power Tank, he's got the full scoop on this stuff, and it's perfectly safe for tires.

Also Nitro can't expand as much I don't think, so a tank of it will no way match the number of fills the C02 will do.

 

CO2 is stored as a compressed liquid vs. Nitrogen as a compressed gas.

A Nitrogen tank has the potential of turning into a extreme hazard if ruptured or the valve is knocked off vs. the liquid CO2 that literally has to boil at reduced pressures to turn back into a gaseous state. Have you ever seen what happens to an overpressurized SCUBA tank?

I've had both- the first go round was w/ a 20lb CO2 tank w/ a crappy used regulator. It froze up every time I used it, so I bought a NEW regulator and a Nitrogen bottle the same size as a 20lb CO@ tank. What a MAJOR bummer it was to find out that I could only air up all four tires TWICE w/ the Nitrogen tank (that worked out to $2.00 per tire, not a very cost effective solution ), vs. 8 or 9 times w/ the 20lb CO2 tank (or about $0.50 a tire) So, I traded in the Nitrogen tank for another CO2 tank- I now have two tanks I rotate between the welder and the truck.

 

Everyone should goto http://www.dhmo.org to learn about the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide and petition the U.S. Government to BAN it. If this ˟˟˟˟˟ ever get inside your brake system,engine, tranny, or any part of your vehicle you'll have some very costly repairs to do.

 

That's a great website! I love how you can freek people out about dihydrogen monoxide. Funny story actually. I came home from school a few years ago and decided to mess with my brother. So, I got a test tube, filled it with that stuff, told him about it, the "accidently" spilled it on him. I've never seen him so freeked out.