Are there any decent tyre conditioners?

I understood that nitrogen leaked through tyres slower than plain air, if so, it would be useful on a rarely used vehicle.

Only in the sense that it would reduce the frequency of pumping the tyres up. And somehow I doubt that's the OP's biggest concern.

Given that air is 78% nitrogen anyway, it's not going to make a huge difference. Axle stands and tyre covers is probably the best that you can do.

Tim

Interestingly enough (to me) I have just got my land rover going in order to sell it, it has been standing sixteen years, only one tyre was actually flat, the others were a bit down, but still inflated, all of course with tubes in. It took less than half an hour with a charged battery and fresh petrol to get it running and it started easily and ticked over beautifully. After getting the clutch pedal moving and freeing the stuck clutch plate, away it drove.

Perhaps the OP should inflate the tyres with tungsten hexafluoride? That won't be diffusing through the rubber in a hurry.

But as usual Google can be the friend of the OP

Try these links

In summary On axle stands Out of direct sunlight Cleaned "WITH SOAP AND WATER ONLY" In a clean dry airtight bag (may have to get some of that black silage wrapping plastic for lorry tyres) Away from Ozone

I know airlines have doubled the life of the inflatable door seals by using Armourall. And I agree that filling tyres with nitrogen helps prevent internal aging. As for external aging, as you say take them off the groung, I'd also lower the pressure to half normal, then spray them with Armourall and cover them.

Slatts

I vaguely remember some documentary where a plane was stuck on the ice with flat nosewheels. The emergency services were at the ready when it came in to land at an airport, 'cos the only thing they had to pressurise the tyres for take-off from the ice was propane.

SteveW

No aircraft ever took off with a stuck on brake. It's the prior landing with locked wheels that does the damage.

Though this one was just down to holding the aircraft too long and far on the brakes.

09/04/1963 Swissair Caravelle III Durrenasch, Switzerland Without authorization, the pilot taxied half-way down the runway to try and clear fog. Braking done during the fog clearing overheated the brakes. Soon after takeoff, the overheated brakes caused a tire to burst which damaged a fuel line and started a fire. The plane crashed shortly after killing all 80 people aboard.

After a few other events, this was issued to stop undetectable internal tyre fires happening.

Any large civil aircraft certified after that date had it written in to the operators manuals. Putting N2 in tyres kills ground staff. N2 bottle pressure is 3000psi, tyre takes 300psi, no regulator = 3000psi = kerpow, blows yer feet, hands and head right off. Aircraft tyre fitted filled with air 1bar (abs), fill with N2 to 20bar (gauge). Now has 21% / 21 = 1% O2.

Truck tyre fitted filled with air 1bar (abs), fill with N2 to 7bar (gauge). Now has 21% / 8 = 2.6% O2.

Car tyre fitted filled with air 1bar (abs), fill to 2.2bar (gauge). Now has 21% / 3.2 = 6.5% O2 and can still support combustion of the liner.

So a car tyre has to be overfilled to at least 3.2bar (gauge) with N2 and then deflated to correct pressure (this would be typical for seating a tyre on the rim). Now has 21% / 4.2 = 5% O2. Or repeated fill and purge cycles are needed to properly reduce the O2 level. At 5% O2 there is still O2 in the tyre to leak out, at best it will be 1/4 the rate, so any claims to N2 fill giving massive reductions in pressure loss due to leakage are bullshit.

Then there is the guff about water expanding to 1600x its volume. That's the volume expansion of LIQUID water as it turns to steam VAPOUR at

100°C in air at 1bar (School physics = schoolboy errors). The water vapour in a tyre starts off as water vapour and not liquid water so there is no massive expansion though change of state. It is never heated to 100°C (except maybe F1 tyres), a typical temperature rise may be 20 to 50 degrees C.

Tyres are filled with air and water vapour, this is a very complex mixture. Degree level engineering (Mech eng - for air con) but apparently not part of a (F1) motor sport degree course.

When filled from a properly maintained tyre shop air compressor it will have less water vapour than was in the original air. Under pressure the water condenses out in the tank and pipe work. The tank has to be drained at regular intervals and the pipe work should have water traps that also need draining. Failure to drain the tank results in water collecting in the tank causing rust, eventually the drain valve rusts off and the tank discharges it's rusty water contents at 100psi across the workshop floor. The high speed departure of the drain valve can cause injury. To avoid this risk many are fitted with driers that remove the water before the air is stored in the tank so deliver DRY air to the tyre but the drier needs to be properly maintained.

If you have an air compressor with a tank. Run the compressor up to full pressure. Let it stand until the air in the tank has cooled to normal temp, then fill your tyres.

That's got nothing do with N2 though, that's due to being/working for/wi= th =

an idiot who's mad such an adapter.

That's what pressure system examinationss are for, air driers stop you =

getting wet air in your expensive tools/paint and whilt I'm sure there a= re =

some I've never seen one fitted to something small enough not to need an= =

examination.

Or just fill them up, it'll have cooled most of the way down again when = it =

expands through the regulator and the tyre valve

I've extended the life of window and door seals by spraying them with silicone oil every once in a while, when I can be arsed.