NitraLife celebrates 21 years of keeping fleets rolling

In 1996 NitraLife became the first supplier of generators for nitrogen tyre inflation to the commercial transport sector.

“The benefits of inflating fleet tyres with nitrogen are really significant for major commercial transportation companies that have dozens of vehicles on the road,” says NitraLife’s sales director, Tom Sowry.

“The longer the distances travelled and the heavier the loads, the greater the benefits,” he adds.

According to Sowry, data gathered by NitraLife since 1996 has shown that savings of between five and 30 percent are possible – depending on fleet, load size and distances travelled.

He explains that if a fleet operator saves three to five percent on tyre costs, this could pay for the rental or purchase of a NitraLife generator.

“Today, we can customise generators. For example, we can manufacture a smaller 120 litre-a-minute machine, which is suited to the needs and budget of smaller fleet operators,” says Sowry.

There are numerous benefits to inflating tyres with nitrogen. Once air is pumped into a tyre, water vapour is concentrated inside the casing and, along with the action of oxygen, degrades the rubber and causes the steel within the tyre to corrode. This reduces the tyre’s ability to hold pressure and also leads to early casing failures.

Nitrogen preserves tyre rubber. The casing can therefore be retreaded several times more than its air-filled counterpart. “If an operator can get two or three more ‘lives’ out of a casing, the savings are obvious,” Sowry advises.

Nitrogen escapes through tyre walls more slowly than oxygen; and water vapour escapes more quickly than nitrogen. Nitrogen tyre inflation ensures that correctly inflated tyres will not overheat.

“If a vehicle is on the road for two or three weeks, knowing that the tyres are not losing pressure gives fleet operators real peace of mind,” Sowry concludes.