Each time you go to a tyre shop or a gas station to top up the tyre pressure in your vehicle’s tyres, what the attendant fills into the tyre is normal compressed air. But what exactly does compressed air contain? Compressed air is made up of 78% nitrogen, about 20-21% oxygen, and the balance one percent consists of CO2, and tiny concentrations of gases such as neon, argon and water vapour.

 When you specifically fill nitrogen gas into the vehicle's tyres, then you should have 100% dry nitrogen in your tyre. Dry nitrogen denotes that no        moisture content or any other gases are present in the tyre.

 Jay Chakraborty, who recently bought a second hand car, says, “After I bought my car, I changed the tyres and I’ve heard so many people talk about  how good nitrogen has been for them that I decided to get my new tyres filled with nitrogen air. The car feels a lot better on bumpy roads, and I don’t  have to worry about checking tyre pressure every week.”

Benefits of nitrogen Vs compressed air

Nitrogen as a gas is made up of big molecules, whereas oxygen molecules are much smaller in size compared to nitrogen molecules. When compressed air is put into a vehicle’s tyres, the moisture in the tyre seeps through the rubber over time and evaporates quicker as its molecules are smaller in size. But as nitrogen molecules are bigger in size, they do not permeate the tyres rubber so easily and hence will stay in the tyre for a longer duration. This means that your vehicle’s tyres will lose less pressure over time compared to regular compressed air filled tyres.

For example: An inactive vehicle, whose tyres are filled with normal compressed air will lose tyre pressure every week. But a 100% nitrogen-filled tyre will lose tyre pressure a lot slower and won’t need to be topped up as frequently. 

Titus Remedios, “I filled nitrogen in the new tyres that  I purchased for my Maruti Ecco in June 2019. That time the tyre pressure filled with nitrogen was 35Psi. I use the car once a week and after the lockdown, the car hadn’t been used in months. I recently went back in October 2020 to the place where I had filled the nitrogen in the car tyres and the tyre pressure after 14 months had only dropped to 22Psi. .

Another point to note, nitrogen filled tyres get a green or blue colour valve cap. This is a universal symbol that your vehicle's tyres are filled with nitrogen and not compressed air.

Is Nitrogen right for you?

Over-inflation and under inflation of tyres make a major difference on the race track. But on your normal city road does it make a huge difference? Under-inflated tyres normally lead to less mileage, uneven wear on the tyre treads and more tyre wear and tear overall. Over inflated tyres run the risk of burning out the contact patch on the tyre too quickly, while adding more bounce vs grip to a vehicle's stability. In hot climate conditions, your vehicle's tyre pressure can jump up tremendously. Highway running speeds coupled with a harsh sun beating down, can lead to a  tear in the tyre or in extreme conditions, a tyre bursting. This is where nitrogen-filled tyres shine the most. Due to their molecular build, nitrogen molecules stay at a constant temperature in a tyre. So even if the temperature outside decreases or increases, the nirotgen in the tyre will remain the same. That is why race cars and racing motorcycles only use 100% nitrogen in their tyres all the time.

Now we are all not professional racers, but we do commute on a daily basis and even go for the occasional weekend drive out of the city for some sightseeing and relaxation. Will filling nitrogen in your vehicle's tyre help you? There are many who swear by nitrogen-filled tyres and an equal amount who feel that regular compressed air works just fine.

Personal tyre maintenance

If you are someone who keeps a check on the vehicles tyre pressure weekly and tops up the air when needed, you won’t need nitrogen filled into your vehicles tyre. However, if you are someone who tops air pressure once a month or once in two months, then filling nitrogen in your vehicle's tyres will help you reap the benefits of it. If you constantly make long highway trips and most of your time is spent behind the wheel, then filling nitrogen in your vehicle's tyres will be a boon.

Yash Ramrakhyani from Palghar runs a big tyre shop which sells Apollo, Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin and Yokohama tyres for every vehicle from a scooter to a heavy duty tempo. He says, “I get an average of 300 customers a year who want nitrogen filled in their vehicle’s tyres. There was a big local demand in the area for nitrogen-filled tyres, hence my father and me invested in the nitrogen unit. Tyres don't get hot, and nitrogen level doesn't go down so fast is what I have heard from customers as feedback, but the fact that people think nitrogen levels in the tyre doesn't go down is false. Even nitrogen-filled tyres have to be checked for tyre pressure once a month.

Nitrogen myths busted

Myth 1: Your vehicle's mileage will increase.

Truth: Your vehicle’s mileage depends on a lot of factors, tyres being just one small part of that equation. Having nitrogen filled tyres only gives you the benefit of having a most constant tyre pressure. However compressed air and nitrogen filled tyres both will loose pressure after a certain amount of time.

Myth 2: Your vehicle's comfort will be better, it will be soft on bumps.

Truth: Compressed air or nitrogen filled tyres will react the same way when on bumpy roads. It is the rubber compound and the type of tyres that you have that will make a difference in the ride or drive quality. As long as you maintain the right air pressure in your vehicle's tyres, you’ll be good.

Myth 3: You won’t have to fill up the tyre pressure as frequently.

Truth: Well this is true. Nitrogen-filled tyres will retain the pressure in your vehicle's tyre for a longer time duration compared to tyres filled with compressed air. However, even nitrogen-filled tyres loose pressure over time and you have to get the pressure checked and topped up from time to time.

Myth 4: Your vehicle's tyre will last longer

Truth: The tyre on your vehicle rely on you to make sure you maintain the recommended air pressure inorder for it to do its job properly. Under inflated and over inflated tyres will wear out faster when compared to tyres that have been properly maintained.

Myth 5: The rims on your vehicle won't rust

Truth: There is some amount of truth in this. As nitrogen-filled tyres contain less or no water vapour, the moisture content in the tyre is less. Less moisture equals to less rust on the inside of the wheel. But that doesn’t stop the rest of the wheel from rusting due to everyday washing and climate conditions.

Myth 6: There are few tyre shops / fuel pumps that offer nitrogen.

Truth: Compressed air is mostly nitrogen gas. So even if you have nitrogen-filled tyres, but you’re running low on tyre pressure and there’s no nitrogen filling station around, you can still fill normal compressed air. It will not have any major impact on your vehicle's tyres. Maintaining the right tyre pressure is key.

The catch

The nitrogen that you get filled in your vehicle's tyres is not a 100% or even 99% pure nitrogen. A brand new or even an old tyre once deflated has some amount of air inside it. It is the atmospheric air that's already there all around us. So unless you drain all the air in the tyre out and refill it nitrogen and drain the tyre again 2-3 times, you’ll still be running your vehicle's tyres with 90% nitrogen and not 100% nitrogen. But even then you’re not guaranteed that your vehicle's tyres will be filled with 100% pure nitrogen. There is no way to measure how much nitrogen is there in your vehicle’s tyre. Nitrogen will cost you, whereas compressed air is free at most petrol pumps or Rs.1-2 at a tyre shop. Nitrogen costs on the other hand vary from place to place and the kind of machine they have. The machines that are at the tyre shops or petrol pumps that offer nitrogen, do not deliver pure 100% nitrogen! Some machines will have a percentage rating of how much nitrogen it provides to the tyre and some have no percentage levels at all. Filling nitrogen in your vehicle's tyres can cost you anywhere from Rs.150 for four tyres to Rs.50 per tyre and can go all the way up to Rs.1,500 for a set of four tyres.

Conclusion

Have you ever noticed that vehicle manufactureres never recommend nitrogen in their manuals or at their service centers. The reason behind this is your vehicle's tyres are manufactured to run on normal compressed air. As long as you maintain the right tyre pressure in your vehicle’s tyre, you’ll be fine.

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Bridgestone India has launched Project PRAVAAH, a new environmental initiative aimed at addressing severe water scarcity and ecological decline in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. The programme, executed in partnership with the Society for Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability, targets the restoration of three traditional water bodies situated within a catchment zone of approximately 140 acres.

The region has historically suffered from critical groundwater depletion, with extraction rates reaching or exceeding the annual recharge capacity. This unsustainable usage has caused water tables to plummet to depths of 10 to 20 metres below ground level, particularly during the dry pre-monsoon period, severely impacting both domestic drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation.

Moving beyond simple water conservation, Project PRAVAAH employs nature-based solutions and active community engagement to revive local ecosystems. The effort creates new livelihood opportunities for marginalised women and complements Bridgestone’s broader environmental portfolio, which already includes 9.5 acres of biodiversity parks and community gardens designed to promote conservation awareness.

The restoration project is projected to recharge up to 150,000 metric tonnes of groundwater, ensuring more reliable water access for nearby households, livestock and farms. By revitalising ponds as living ecosystems, the initiative aims to foster biodiversity, bolster community resilience against climate variability and reaffirm the company’s dedication to long-term societal and environmental well-being.

Sudhir Kulkarni, Executive Director – HR, Admin & CSR, said, “Care for the environment and the communities that it serves are core to Bridgestone’s philosophy. Project PRAVAAH aims at tackling the acute water shortage faced by communities in Dhar. With Project PRAVAAH, we are turning these ponds back into living ecosystems that will benefit these communities.”

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Pyrum Innovations AG has officially entered into a binding plant purchase agreement with its Czech-based joint venture, SUAS reTire s.r.o., marking a watershed moment for the German technology firm. The agreement, covering a thermolysis system for the planned Sokolov recycling hub, constitutes Pyrum’s inaugural external equipment sale, a transaction that significantly propels its commercial footprint beyond domestic operations.

Financial groundwork for the Czech project has been firmly secured, as the joint venture concurrently closed loan arrangements with a local banking institution. This development rendered the venture fully capitalised, prompting SUAS reTire to place an irrevocable order for Pyrum’s core technology, which encompasses three reactor units and auxiliary process systems. As the primary technology partner, Pyrum will assume responsibility for harmonising all ancillary site equipment with the master control architecture.

The corporate structure underpinning the initiative sees Pyrum owning 49 percent of SUAS reTire, while the remaining 51 percent is held by SUAS Ecology s.r.o., a partnership forged in the preceding year. The JV is exclusively mandated to oversee the design, construction and subsequent operation of the advanced tyre recycling facility in the western Czech city.

Ground preparation at the industrial zone has already commenced, and the impending down payments will unlock procurement of long-lead components to uphold the project timeline. Once operational, the three-reactor train is designed to process upwards of 22,000 tonnes of scrap tyres per annum. The location’s inherent logistical edge derives from the adjacent SUAS power plant, which will permit direct conversion of pyrolytic off-gas into electricity, circumventing heavy auxiliary capital outlays. The plant is slated to begin production by the spring of 2028.

Pascal Klein, CEO, Pyrum Innovations AG, said, “By signing our first external plant purchase agreement, we have reached a significant milestone in Pyrum’s development. This achievement is the result of a long and intensive journey during which, together with our partners, we established key technical, financial and organisational foundations. We are therefore all the more pleased to have now signed our first plant purchase agreement for an external facility, which we will build together with our partner SUAS. The secured financing underlines our partners’ confidence in our technology and provides an excellent foundation for the successful implementation of the project in the Czech Republic.”

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Kraton Corporation, a global producer of speciality polymers and bio-based chemicals derived from pine wood pulping byproducts, has secured its sixth consecutive EcoVadis Platinum rating for sustainability management. The firm achieved a record score of 90 out of 100, surpassing its own previous high of 88 from 2024 and improving markedly from the 86 posted in 2025.

This latest recognition carries added weight given that EcoVadis benchmarks performance relative to sector peers. The organisation evaluates over 150,000 companies globally, offering sustainability intelligence and improvement frameworks designed to foster responsible operations and ethical supply chains. Kraton’s sustained top-tier placement underscores its ongoing commitment to environmental and social governance standards within the speciality chemicals industry.

Rogier Roelen, Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel, Kraton, said, “While Platinum recognition has become familiar to many of our stakeholders, it should never be taken for granted. EcoVadis continuously raises expectations, and our peers continue to strengthen their sustainability programmes. Maintaining Platinum status for six consecutive years reflects the dedication of employees across our global organisation and the rigorous processes we have established to continuously advance our sustainability management practices.”

Sangwoo Ryu, Chief Executive Officer, Kraton, said, “EcoVadis serves as an important benchmark that helps us keep our sustainability management practices current, effective and aligned with evolving stakeholder expectations. This recognition reflects our commitment to building a more sustainable business and delivering long-term value for our customers, employees, investors and communities.”

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Hankook Tire emerged as a standout performer at the Red Dot Award 2026, securing six accolades in the Design Concept category. The South Korean manufacturer captured two Best of the Best honours alongside four Winner titles, underscoring its prowess in forward-thinking mobility design. This competition, recognised among the three premier design awards globally, evaluates concepts based on innovative potential at the prototype stage.

Among the top honours, the i-Flex Gen 2 received a Best of the Best award for its evolution as a next-generation airless tyre tailored for electric and autonomous vehicles. Building upon research initiated in 2015, this concept introduces a groundbreaking circumferential spoke structure that elevates visual design while reducing noise and enhancing stability. The second Best of the Best winner, Medi Buddy, emerged from collaboration with the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, integrating autonomous driving and AI into a smart intravenous system to alleviate anxiety for young patients.

The four Winner awards recognised the Bladder Upcycling Series, Concept S targeting 100 percent sustainable materials by 2050, the omnidirectional WheelBot2 and Bloom, an intelligent urban canopy. The full collection is slated for display at a special exhibition in Singapore. Hankook Tire, which in 2015 became the first Korean company to receive the Red Dot Luminary honour, later secured the iF Gold Award and an IDEA Bronze, completing a sweep of the top three design accolades.

Through continuous innovation and focus on sustainable mobility, the company continues solidifying its reputation as an industry leader committed to redefining transportation's future. The achievement reaffirms the company's global competitiveness, driven by commitment to sustainability and future-ready technologies.

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