Want Better Gas Mileage? Do What Air Force One Does (NAPSA)—You’d think it was a state secret or something, but whoever’s been filling the tires on | ] | q ip Air Force One already knows how to lower the painfully high cost of driving: nitrogen. For decades, the president’s Ps ,* ‘ \ z | era mo I ir plane—not to mention NASA’s shuttle and racing cars—has relied on nitrogen gas to boost performance. But on top of that, and of more immediate concern to everyday drivers, experts say it also beats filling tires the tradi- tional way with plain air for two additional reasons: improved gas Tires filled with nitrogen, rather than air, stay properly inflated up to three times longer. mileage and overall safety. And yes, lest there be any doubt, we are talking the same perfectly safe nitrogen that comprises 78 percent of the air we breathe. the air can be purged out and the tire reinflated with nitrogen,” he waste as much as1.2 billion gal- of nitrogen tire inflation even further. “The gas provides for a safer, 40 percent more slowly than air, tire pressure increases vehicle handling and control,” he says. Two added benefits to nitrogen: Here’s how the savings kicks in: The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that Americans lons of fuel each year due to underinflated tires. But nitrogen diffuses through tire rubber about helping the tire maintain pressure longer. Proper pressure means reduced rolling resistance—which maximizes gas mileage. What’s more, since a wellinflated tire is less susceptible to wear—which explains the race car angle—you can wind up saving even more money by not having to replace yourtires as often. So where can you fill up your tires with nitrogen? At many autocare centers nationwide, according to Ashok Mathur of Air Products, a company that makes the UltraFill High-Purity Nitrogen Tire Inflation System. “Nitrogen works with any grade of existing tire, as says. Plus, Mathur says the high- purity nitrogen his system pro- duces maximizes the advantages smoother ride because optimum fewer stops at the gas station to top off the air in tires; and if you ever have flat tire, a spare filled with nitrogen is more likely to be ready to roll than one filled with air. But Mathur says that for many people the decision to use nitrogen boils down to dollars and cents. “If your tire is underinflated by just 20 percent, you can lose up to three miles per gallon,” he says. “Those miles add up quickly. And that’s why nitrogen is becoming so popular.” For more information, visit www.ultrafill.com.
