Who knew! Damnit!

[Jeeperjamie]

Nitrogen in my tires from the dealership when bought with green caps. Now have basic black plastic caps. Got tired of people stealing the green caps for whatever reason and I haven't filled mine with nitrogen since the day I bought it, regular air for me.

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[Zybane]

I fill tires with 78% nitrogen for only $50 per wheel. Please let me know 30 minutes before you arrive.

 

[Motoarch]

You guys have caps on your valves stems?

First time I checked air in my tires I didn't even bother putting them back on.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

You guys have caps on your valves stems?

First time I checked air in my tires I didn't even bother putting them back on.

Around here they'd be filled with salt in the winter, mud in the spring, and bugs would pack them with mud in the summer. (Also had water freeze in them making it impossible to deal with in winter)

Frankly, I like the green tips on these but would prefer they be blue to match the truck.

 

[Terry]

I'm going to try helium in mine - should be better mpg.

I affixed my Rubicon with Gossamer Wings so I can fly over the open terrain and never experience a bumpy ride.... and my valve stem caps are solid gold.....

 

[Jefe1018]

The OEM wheels have green valve stem caps? I had the dealer put aftermarket wheels on my truck before I ever even saw it up close and in person.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Anybody else dumb enough to take the factory green valve stem caps off and replace them with after market ones that SIEZE UP AND CORRODE???? ???

The answer to the subject, which is in the form of a question -

Likely not all that many know/knew/would know.
Heck, the people that create aluminum caps to go onto brass valve stems either don't know - or are just selling cool stuff and let the buyers deal with it.
I only know because of my chemistry classes (which I struggled with) and because I do electrolysis for rust removal and plating.

So - Who knew?
Not all that many.
But now hundreds more will know. (maybe thousands?)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The OEM wheels have green valve stem caps? I had the dealer put aftermarket wheels on my truck before I ever even saw it up close and in person.

The whole cap wasn't green on either of mine - like posted above, both of my Overlands came with chromed plastic caps with green tips.


This is my 2020 - pic taken in 2019 -

And my 2022 again -

Why? Did they come factory that way, or did the dealer do this?
I took delivery of my 2020 with stock wheels, stock factory tires. I doubt a dealer would take a new truck and while doing prep, swap caps?

Is it just Overland?

 

[Rusty PW]

Problem solved:

https://a.co/2wNQZTZ

they stay on great in snow, mud, water crossings... ahem ... well that's what a friend told me

Got to be a "dick heads" to use them.


I had caps stick before. A little anti-seize goes a long way on metal caps.

 

[Motoarch]

Around here they'd be filled with salt in the winter, mud in the spring, and bugs would pack them with mud in the summer. (Also had water freeze in them making it impossible to deal with in winter)

Frankly, I like the green tips on these but would prefer they be blue to match the truck.

Ahhh, I see.

Yes I live in Connecticut where the roads are all heated so no need for salt and they are washed and swept daily by well paid and unionized immigrate work force so that dust, gravel and debris never accumulates.

Our taxes are higher but it's worth it.

Sorry you live in a peasant state. Filthy roads, to even think about, I almost spilled my tea.

 

[Dim]

what's the benefits to fill the tires with nitrogen btw?

 

[SnazzGlad]

Guess I’m taking off my cool spiked valve caps and putting the stock black plastic ones back on. LOL

 

[whiteglad]

I was told that Dick Cepek filled the tires with helium so he could drive on water for his commercial. lol

 

[Mr._Bill]

what's the benefits to fill the tires with nitrogen btw?

The theory is they maintain pressure longer since the nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen molecules. Consumer Reports says the cost outweighs the benefit and to just check the pressure and top them off monthly. Regular air is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, but the processed nitrogen put in the tire does have a lower moisture content.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The problem is, people see nitrogen used in BIIG tires like on aircraft - to help mitigate the temperature/pressure fluctuations. However, how much fluctuation there is in pressure is also volume related. Bigger tires, lower pressures, bigger fluctuations. Car and small truck tires don't hold all that much air so fluctuations aren't as big/drastic, and aren't as catastrophic as on aircraft.

And take into account that the air we breathe is mostly nitrogen anyway, you are only replacing less than 1/4 of the non-nitrogen with nitrogen. 78% is already nitrogen in normal air
So you are only gaining that 22% - enough to matter?

There's a test that's supposedly online people can access - this talks about it.

In 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a series of tests on the varying levels of nitrogen in tires. It sought to scientifically prove or disprove the hearsay about better performance and increased fuel economy when using nitrogen-inflated tires. Tires were inflated with either nitrogen or air and tested for 90 days, including static tests and rolling wheel tests.

These tests confirmed that using nitrogen does, indeed, slow pressure loss, but not at an entirely significant rate.
According to the study, pure nitrogen-filled tires do not respond as much to temperature fluctuations. That means that the tire pressure will stay more consistent – not only throughout the day, but as the tire heats up and cools during and after use.

But the differences in small tires isn't enough to offset the costs.

Tires that require very specific operating conditions, racing tires, aircraft tires that heat up really fast from the cold of above, that sort of thing, it's necessary.


I did some digging and found the caps like on my wheels are supposedly to indicate nitrogen - but they lack the N symbol on the end, so I have no idea what's up with that. Just that both trucks came to me that way, both with stock wheels, one with stock tires.

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