Does anyone know of a good place near Santa Rosa or Berkeley to get some new tires mounted on my stock rims for cheap (quality)?
Thanks in advance.
-Michael

 

zipcode ???

 

If you can find a Costco, they use nitrogen in their pumps now. Only costs 40 bucks to mount and dispose. Make friends with a member if you aren't a memeber.

 

forgive the ignorance and thread hijack , but why nitrogen? does filling it w/ oxygen rather than air make it stay at a more constant pressure or something? Thanx

 

The cool thing about nitrogen is it is very inert. It is unreactive with most other elements. It also has a different expansion rate than other gasses. When we travel on the highway our tires heat up and the regular air inside expands and increases tire pressure thanks to physical characteristics of the molecules of air. This makes for a bumpier ride at higher speeds and makes it so you have to fill your tires in the winter. Pure nitrogen on the other hand expands at a different rate and at a higher temperature making its pressure less variable. Also, the nitrogen molecule is much much larger (on a molecular level) than most other molecule in the air other than the nitrogen that is already in the air. Oxygen is much smaller. This makes it a lot harder for pressure to creep out of the tires over time.

I do realize that air is about 80% nitrogen anyway but it is the rest of the 20% of other stuff that cause the issues. Also, for sake of knowledge, if one was to inflate their tires with pure oxygen, please let me follow behind with a video camera because I would not want to miss that fireball.

 

I wana see too

Very interesting, thanx

 

<rant on>

OXYGEN DOES NOT BURN!

</rant off>

Oxygen *aids combustion* but it does not burn. The only way tires with 100% oxygen in them would explode is if something else was introduced (like gasoline vapor, or hydrogen gas) and a spark was generated to start the reaction. But 100% oxygen, by itself, would not explode.

Also, everything that "rustokman" said is wrong. None of those are reasons as to why nitrogen is used in tires. This is the only reason that it is used: nitrogen cannot carry water vapor. If the air in your tires has water vapor in it (which all normal atmospheric air has) then you can get condensation on the inside of the tire, and that water on the inside of the tire can cause wheel wobble at insane RPMs (like when going 270 MPH in an Indy car). The water can also expand into steam at high temp, causing changes in tire pressure (which are bad, at high speeds). By using nitrogen, you can be certain there will be no water condensation in the tire. That is the only reason, and the idea that nitrogen would leak less is probably the most hilarious thing I've read in a long time.

Sources:

http://realbig.com/detomaso/2001-01/431.html

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/nascar5.htm

(numerous others, those should be enough for now.)

 

HAHAHA....by "aiding combustion" Oxygen will turn any small flame, even a spark, into an inferno. I was reading an article about doctors performing somesort of laser surgery on peoples' throats and the PURE oxygen that they were being fed would ignite in the patients lungs, just from the heat of the laser. (ouch). That is why a lot of hospital are now switching to regular filtered air.

BTW, I didn't know that Indy cars could go 270 MPH, are you sure about this figure there meilers?

 

Nice work on your two attempted "red herring" responses; I suppose it was less painful for you than admitting you were wrong, so I don't blame you for it. Please, never try to take my class on critical thinking (Philosophy 102).

In order for oxygen-filled tires to create an explosion, they would have to blow out at the exact same time that another big explosion was taking place; sparks from the rim, for instance, wouldn't cause a fire or explosion, because the metal rim won't burn at that temp. If someone DID manage to wreck a car with oxygen-filled tires and the engine did catch fire, the tires would certainly add insult to injury, but only after they'd burned through (and the person in the car would certainly be dead by then.) If oxygen itself was flammable, as you continue to fruitlessly maintain it is, then those trendy oxygen bars in LA must be the most dangerous places on earth. Funny, haven't heard about any of those exploding...

The indy car speed was a typo; I meant to type 240.

Source: http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Educat...velopment.html

Always cite your sources!

 

I'm sourceless

Anyways, I don't wanna get into any arguments or anything, its just a question.

I SCUBA dive, and the regular tanks can't be filled with nitrox (name for gas with specific O2 amount) because if you fill it with higher oxygen levels, the contaminants in the tank wether from oil introduced in steel tanks to produce rust, or simply added with the air into clean tanks can cause explosions. I'm sure half of it is just worst case, but I can't imagine tires being real clean so it seems like with just a little heat (compressing air into the tanks causes this) you could potentially get an explosion.

And doesn't rubber burn? Is there no way to ignite this with the added oxygen.

Again, I make no claim of actually knowing, its all guesses, and I was too lazy to read your sites, so if they address this, sorry.

Thanx

 

you are correct and wrong at the same time

it is true that pure oxygen does not burn. however, it does make things more flammable. the difference that pure oxygen has compared to regular air is that it takes less energy input to cause another object to burn. aka less heat. you can put a piece of metal over fire and it doesn't burn just heats up and starts glowing. drop that piece of metal into a jar with pure oxygen and it will catch on fire and burn.

that is what rustokman was trying to get across i believe



sources:

if you doubt it, google it.

 

Does anyone know of a good place near Santa Rosa or Berkeley to get some nitrogen tanks filled for cheap (quality)?
Thanks in advance.
-Michael

JK

PS: Much enjoying the highjackassing =)

 

I'd give your zipcode cuz then tirerack can help you

Sorry I live in Sunnyvale, so no clue. Does quality matter that much for mounting and balancing, I mean any tire place should be able to do it so I'd just go to costco. Maybe I'm stupid though

Sorry bout the hijacking but our new topic is way more fun/exciting

 

Um, yeah. This is EXACTLY what I was saying, the entire time. You both get a D- for reading skills. "Aids in combustion" is the exact same thing as "make things more flammable."

Trying to get this thread back on track, welding supply or diving equipment places should have N on tap. Don't try N2O!

 

NO NO man, don't **** off professor meilers over here. I respect him so much more now. At his ***** school they not only teach every single subject on chemistry, o-chem, and philosophy, they also teach you on how to be a dick so that no one will ever want to talk to you.

Mielers, best of luck to you in the future.