I suppose I should give credit where credit is due here. I remember reading your post in the above thread. I guess my experiences with the old GMC just reinforces your comments. Unfortunately, I started using CO2 in my tires in the year 1990. I had to wait 'till now to learn better.

 

I, too have wondered about the thermodynamics of the CO2 in tires.

 

When CO2 is in the bottle, it is a liquid under gas pressure. The pressure of the gas is what is keeping it a liquid. As you heat the bottle, more liquid CO2 will vaporize, increasing the pressure in the bottle. Other liquified gases like nitrous oxide, anhydrous ammonia, and propane behave the same way. This is a totally different situation than what's happening in a tire. Once you put the CO2 gas into a tire, it will remain a gas and act just like compressed air does in the tire.

 

So you are saying that as a gas, CO2 acts the same as air with regard to temperature?

 

Yep, pretty much. All gases vary somewhat, but in the real world it's not enough to matter.

 

It is not only the racers any more. Around me most all the tire dealers non fill with nitrogen.

 

If you want to talk about interesting things to fill tires with, what about propane? Some hillbilly types use it because they can fill a large tire very quickly by tipping the bottle and letting a little LPG into the tire. A little too interesting for my tastes, though. Can you imagine having a blowout?

All of our tractors have fluid filled tires, but they all use calcium carbonate. I hadn't heard of using windshield washer fluid before, but it sounds like a logical choice.

 

I quit using calcium carbonate in my tractor tires years ago and now go with urethane foam. No more flats, rim corrosion and it is much heaver than CC, a tire about the size of a stock Ram tire weighs over 200 lbs. Disadvantage is that you have to cut the tire off with a sawzall when it wears out.
Les Schwab does the foaming out west, you just tell them what psi you want to run.

 

Mmmmmm....carbonic acid...the same acid used in soda! It's an equilibrium that needs to be maintained between water, CO2, and carbonic acid w/ regards to air pressure...very much like a soda bottle...the carbonic acid remains an acid inside the soda bottle until the air pressure is released. Then the carbonic acid gradually decomposes into water and CO2 creating "fizz" and making your soda taste flat after a while. The reverse would be true if CO2 and water were in the same environment under a pressure.

That's also why you get little painful sores inside your mouth when you drink a ton of soda over a period of days/weeks...the acid eats away at your skin!

 

Man. I would have never figured on getting a lesson in basic chemistry here.

 

I took 2 yrs of college chemistry...I don't remember much, except for the practical stuff you use every now and then!

 

Wannadiesel---My experience with C02 is mostly with Paintball guns, I use a 50# bottle with a siphon tube to fill smaller tanks that we use on the guns (4oz to 20oz tanks) I use a siphon tube because we try to get as much liquid as we can into the smaller tanks. To do this the tanks must be chilled to get maximum liquid transfer.

Now when we use C02 on the guns we do everything possibe to prevent liquid C02 from going into the guns. ( causes freezing of parts and critical oring to swell, also causes velocity spikes) We go as far as putting anti-siphon tubes in the tanks and using double regulators to prevent it.

The issue with filling tires is that on cold day while filling tires, with out prevenitive measures in place it is possible to get liquid in the tires. When the tires warm up the liquid expands and its BOOM.

We have what is called burst disks on our tanks that will burst at 3000 psi to prevent tank explosions. There have been accidents where people have modified these burst disks, deaths have been the results.

Something you guys might also want to know, you can also use scuba tanks to fill tires, safer as far it is not in liquid form. And is not effected by Temps. Can get these tanks up to 4500 psi. We have smaller tanks for PB use also. A little more expensive but won't cause problems with acid.

 

Hmmm.... That would be quite a ride if you got them say, half full then it froze overnight.

 

I've said this before, get a tank from an air pack for the fire department. A fire department will fill it for a couple of bucks. Uses highly compressed air.

 

I use helium for the extra lift.