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.

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has inaugurated the Phase III expansion of its passenger car radial tyre manufacturing facility at Banmore in Madhya Pradesh, increasing production capacity as it steps up domestic manufacturing investment.

The expansion lifts the plant’s output to 30,000 passenger car radial tyres a day, equivalent to about 10.5 million tyres a year. The development forms part of a multi-phase investment of more than INR 10 billion at the Banmore site.

The new facility was inaugurated by Hisashi Takeuchi, in the presence of Raghupati Singhania and Anshuman Singhania, alongside senior representatives from Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

JK Tyre said the expansion supports its strategy to serve India’s aftermarket, original equipment manufacturers and export markets, as passenger vehicle demand continues to grow. With the commissioning of Phase III, the Banmore plant has become a key hub for high-performance passenger car radial tyre manufacturing.

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Raghupati Singhania said: “The inauguration of Phase III expansion by Hisashi Takeuchi San at our Banmore plant reflects JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment to strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem and supporting the country’s mobility growth story. As passenger vehicle demand continues to rise, our focus remains on incessant capacity enhancement, modernisation, and technology-led innovation. Banmore has been a cornerstone of our passenger car radial journey, and this expansion further reinforces our ability to serve OEMs and consumers with high-quality, sustainable, and future-ready products, while contributing to industrial growth and employment generation in Madhya Pradesh.”

The company said the Banmore facility continues to contribute to regional industrial development through direct and indirect employment, sustainability-focused manufacturing practices and community initiatives, including programmes in healthcare, education, livelihood development and sports.

Caterham Motorsport has entered a new multi-year partnership with Nova Motorsport, appointing them as the Official Tyre Partner. This agreement effectively continues the successful, long-term relationship previously held with Avon Motorsport, as Nova Motorsport now manufactures the same championship-winning tyre products under licence.

The partnership ensures a supply of high-performance tyres across four official Caterham championships: the Roadsport and 270R Championships will utilise the Nova ZZS; the 310R Championship will use the Nova ZZR and ZZS and the flagship UK Championship will be equipped with Nova Motorsport Slicks and Wets. These tyres, rebranded from the former Avon line, are specifically engineered for the unique demands of the Caterham Seven.

Freed from the constraints of road tyre labelling regulations, the new Nova ZZR and ZZS products are dedicated entirely to track performance, offering enhanced capabilities. This transition to the Nova brand and the secure, long-term nature of the alliance underscore Caterham Motorsport's strategic confidence in Nova Motorsport to deliver proven, ultra-high-quality products for its driver-focused racing series.

Daniel Stanton, Head of Sales & Marketing, Nova Motorsport, said, “We are immensely proud to solidify our relationship with Caterham Motorsport as the brand’s official tyre partner. This builds on a working relationship that has lasted many successful years under the Avon Motorsport banner. Nova Motorsport and Caterham share key synergies as businesses; we are both focused on the specialist, niche and high-performance segments of the automotive and motorsport world. This multi-year partnership is a major strategic pillar for Nova Motorsport. It underscores our unwavering commitment to reliably supplying Caterham competitors around the world with the tyres they need to compete and win at the highest level.”

Alex Read, Head of Motorsport, Caterham, said, “Nova Motorsport is the perfect fit for Caterham Motorsport. Our products demand specialist tyres, and the Nova team, with its heritage rooted in Avon Motorsport, understands this implicitly. The tyres supplied are uniquely designed for our Sevens, meaning our competitors will directly benefit from Nova Motorsport’s renewed dedicated focus on the Caterham product. We are fully confident in the quality and service our drivers will receive and are looking forward to getting the 2026 Caterham Motorsport racing season underway with our new partners.”

A pivotal strategic collaboration agreement between Norwegian innovator reTyre and global high-performance bicycle tyre leader Vittoria anchors a new EUR 7 million investment round. This financing, led by Hatch Blue’s Blue Revolution Fund with Fundracer and existing investors, fuels reTyre’s mission to transform the bicycle tyre industry. The capital will scale production, fulfil a substantial order book and accelerate the path to profitability.

The foundation of this venture is reTyre’s patented injection moulding technology, the result of over a decade of research. This process enables fully automated, decentralized production near OEM assembly lines, slashing transport costs and emissions. It achieves an 80 percent reduction in CO₂, allows for 100 percent recyclability and operates dust-free.

The investment will immediately establish a fully automated production cell in Norway, with a second Asian facility planned for 2026. While already serving a broad customer base, reTyre’s partnership with Vittoria specifically targets the performance utility tyre segment. Together, they will co-develop and commercialise a new generation of high-performance tyres leveraging reTyre’s sustainable technology.

This confluence of strategic collaboration, substantial funding and deep-tech innovation marks a definitive turning point. It unites sustainable production, market-leading performance and strategic investment to reshape the future of the global bicycle tyre industry.

Paul Magne Amundsen, CEO and Founder, reTyre, said, “After a decade of focused R&D, we’re proud to disrupt the industry with a technology that delivers a new level of performance while enabling true circularity and a sustainable solution in tyre manufacturing. Support from Hatch Blue, Fundracer and our co-development partnership with Vittoria, reflects deep confidence in both our vision and the breakthrough potential of our platform as we continue to scale.”

René Wiertz, Managing Partner, Fundracer, said, “We are proud to support reTyre and to work alongside their team in scaling this groundbreaking technology. reTyre’s deep-tech platform enables clean, local and automated production of all types of tyres. It aligns perfectly with Fundracer’s mission to back sustainable, high-performance innovations that will redefine the future of mobility.”

Georg Baunach, Managing Partner, Hatch Blue, said, “I’m excited to work with Paul and the rest of the reTyre team over the next few years. It is rare to come across truly disruptive innovation, and we are convinced that reTyre can completely change the way the multi-billion-dollar tyre market is structured. As reTyre scales, incorporating side and waste streams from regenerative aquaculture could meaningfully improve the economics and sustainability of aquaculture production.”

Stijn Vriends, Chairman & CEO, Vittoria, said, “We’ve followed reTyre for many years and are convinced that their unique production method can successfully be applied to utility bicycle tyres. Vittoria stands for performance and sustainability, and reTyre’s technology delivers both. We’re excited to collaborate and bring this next generation of sustainable performance tyres to market.”

The second round of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship's Season 12 concluded with the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix, a vibrant festival of motorsport held at the iconic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Hankook Tire's iON Race tyres were integral to the spectacle and strategy at the celebrated venue, where intense racing met a uniquely challenging environment. The high-altitude circuit, located over 2,200 metres above sea level, placed a premium on thermal management and consistent grip, demands met by the predictable performance of the iON Race compound throughout the evolving conditions.

Across this demanding circuit, all teams competed on Hankook's race-proven iON Race tyres. These tyres provided a stable and reliable platform, crucial for managing the unique energy and heat constraints of the high-altitude event. The iON Race tyres delivered predictable warm-up and consistent grip, allowing drivers to push with confidence through both high-speed and technical sections of the lap. Their ability to maintain a steady contact patch and effective thermal control supported strategic flexibility and vehicle balance as track conditions evolved throughout the race distance.

The event, which also marked Formula E's 150th race, was ultimately won by Nick Cassidy, securing a maiden victory for Citroën. He finished ahead of Edoardo Mortara for Mahindra Racing and Oliver Rowland for Nissan. With the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix complete, the championship now looks ahead to Round 3, the Miami E-Prix, scheduled for 31 January 2026 at the Miami International Autodrome.

Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director of Hankook Motorsport, said, “Mexico City once again proved how decisive stable tyre behaviour is at high altitude. Across a race that demanded constant adaptation, the iON Race delivered the confidence and consistency teams needed to manage energy, temperature and balance under challenging conditions.”