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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Hankook Tire, the exclusive tyre supplier to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), has reinforced its technical support for the sixth round of the 2026 season, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, being held from 7 to 10 May in Matosinhos in the country’s northern region. The company is supplying its extreme all-terrain Dynapro R213 tyre, engineered for gravel stability, which is available in both Hard and Soft compound options. This tyre features a high-strength casing and an optimised tread pattern designed to disperse impact from sharp rocks and maintain grip even under high-speed, high-stress driving conditions.

As one of the most historic fixtures on the WRC calendar, Rally de Portugal has been a cornerstone event since the championship’s inaugural season in 1973. The 2026 edition is based at the Exponor service park near Porto and includes 23 special stages with a total competitive distance of roughly 345 kilometres. The route blends fast-paced sections with technically demanding areas, challenging crews with a soft, sandy gravel surface that deteriorates rapidly as cars make repeated passes. While the first run demands stable performance on limited grip, the second pass exposes deeper ruts and sharper rocks, making tyre durability and handling decisive.

A particular focus is the Amarante stage, the longest of the rally at approximately 26 kilometres, which features a mix of tight hairpin turns and high-speed straights. Drivers must carefully balance aggressive tactics with tyre preservation, placing a premium on strategic decision-making. The Dynapro R213’s two-compound system allows teams to adapt flexibly to evolving stage conditions, with the Hard compound offering resilience against cuts and the Soft compound providing extra mechanical grip on looser surfaces.

Beyond technical support, Hankook is operating its ‘Brand World’ booth inside the service park throughout the event. This interactive space aims to elevate the premium image of the global brand with a motorsport heritage exhibition, racing simulators, branded merchandise and dedicated photo zones. Visitors are offered an immersive brand experience that complements the intense competition, as Hankook continues to demonstrate its engineering capabilities across one of the most abrasive and unpredictable rallies on the WRC schedule.

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Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp (Toyo Tires) launched the 2026 Championship Off-Road (COR) racing season with a dominant three-class victory sweep, led by drivers Johnny Greaves in Pro-4, Ryan Beat in Pro-2, and Wyatt Miller in Prospec. The opening weekend, held for the second straight year at the Show-Me Shootout on the 1.2-mile short course at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, saw Beat’s Pro-2 truck run on off-the-shelf 35x12.50R17 Open Country C/T tyres, while Greaves relied on off-the-shelf 35x12.50R17 Toyo Open Country R/T Trail tyres for his Pro-4 win.

During Saturday’s round one, Ryan Beat in the number 51 Bilstein / Toyo Tires / Rockstar Energy / Chevrolet truck seized the lead on lap two and never gave it up, securing Team Toyo’s first Pro-2 victory of the 2026 campaign. The following day’s round two featured Johnny Greaves piloting the number 22 Monster Energy / Toyota / Toyo Tires Pro-4 truck to an early-season checkered flag, while reigning Prospec champion Wyatt Miller, in the number 73 Bass Pro Shops / Toyo Tires / Chevrolet entry, added another win to start his title defence.

With the season-opening weekend complete, the COR series now prepares for the Antigo Off-Road National scheduled for 29–31 May 2026 at the Langlade County Motorplex in Antigo, Wisconsin.

Greaves said, “It felt great to show up for the first race weekend and take a win, along with a third-place finish. It was a strong way to start the season.”

Beat said, “I’m super happy to kick off another season with a win! The team has been putting in the work, and it shows. As the series continues, tyres become the difference-maker, and our Toyos were dialled all weekend.”

Adrian Puente, Manager – Events, Motorsports and Technical, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp, said, “After an incredibly successful 2025 season, it’s great to see Team Toyo drivers in the winner’s circle on opening weekend in Wheatland. Wins across three classes on off-the-shelf Toyo tyres highlight the quality of our products and their championship-winning-pedigree.”

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Liberty Tire Recycling’s SmartMIX rubber asphalt additive (RMA) has taken centre stage as a key component as the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), alongside Alabama State Parks and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, was named a finalist in the Market Development Excellence category of the inaugural Circle of Change Awards launched by the Tire Recycling Foundation (TRF).

For its award-nominated project, Alabama State Parks selected Liberty Tire Recycling’s SmartMIX to resurface roads and parking areas at public parks. Unlike complex liquid modifiers, the SmartMIX additive from Liberty Tire Recycling offers a simpler, cost-effective solution that improves asphalt compaction, flexibility and overall durability. Manufactured entirely from recycled tyres, the material itself remains recyclable, helping Alabama’s project boost pavement longevity while generating steady, long-term demand for recycled tyre rubber.

The Tire Recycling Foundation launched this national recognition programme to honour efforts that create lasting, expandable demand for products derived from scrap tyres, integrating such materials into conventional infrastructure and public works. The award category recognises initiatives that embed recycled tyre materials into mainstream infrastructure and public works programmes.

Winners of the Circle of Change Awards, including the Market Development Excellence category, will be announced on 14 May 2026, during the Tire Recycling Conference Awards Luncheon in Denver, Colorado.

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Infiniteria has appointed Proman as its Engineering, Procurement and Construction partner for a circular tyre recycling facility in Uddevalla, Sweden. This collaboration marks a decisive move towards establishing what the company describes as Europe’s leading circular tyre recycling business, with the Uddevalla site serving as the cornerstone for a future network of industrial-scale plants across the continent.

The company specialises in transforming end-of-life tyres into high-value recovered materials, aiming to accelerate the transition to a more resilient circular economy. The Uddevalla facility stands as Infiniteria’s flagship project and represents the initial phase of a broader European expansion strategy.

Committed offtake agreements are already in place with major customers including Preem, Nokian Tyres and Michelin, underscoring strong industrial demand for the recovered materials.

Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren, CEO, Infiniteria, said, “Bringing Proman on board as our partner is a major step forward for Uddevalla. They have a proven track record in delivering complex industrial plants, and the discipline and capability they bring mark a decisive step towards starting operations. We are fully committed to Uddevalla as the long-term home of our flagship facility, to our customers and to building Europe’s leading circular tyre recycling business.”

Francisco Carlos, Managing Director, Proman Portugal, said, “We appreciate the confidence and trust placed in Proman by Infiniteria as we take on the role of Engineering, Procurement and Construction partner in the Uddevalla project. Proman brings strong global expertise and experience to the project, including project management, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of complex industrial facilities. We look forward to working with Infiniteria to progress the Uddevalla project towards successful completion.”

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