Premier Motor Club and Road Hazard Protection Program. "Don worry, your're covered"sm

Premier
Emergency Roadside Assistance^tm
^{Featuring...
the Tire Protection Program}^tm

Welcome to your Premier ERA Registration Page

This is the activation card you recently received for filling your tires with Premier Nitrogen, doing a repair service, or was given as a gift...

This valuable card entitles you to 1 year of free membership, be sure to activate it today and enjoy peace of mind every mile you drive.

Read about the benefits and then spend only two minutes to activate the finest, most complete Emergency Road-hazard Assistance program.

Simply fill out the application on the next page,
it's the most important thing you will probably ever do regarding safety.
Activation gives you full protection!

Major Benefits of Premier ERA Policy...
	Tire Repair and or Replacement... Your Premier ERA policy covers the costs of repairing or replacing your tires, if you experience a flat tire or a tire failure due to an unexpected road hazard. An authorized service provider will switch the damaged tire for your spare so you can take it to a tire service center for repair or new replacement.*
	24 Hour Emergency Road-Hazard Assistance... The Premier ERA policy covers your vehicle for emergency road service throughout the Continental United States and Canada.* A. 24 Hour Emergency Battery Service... The policy provides for a jump service for your battery and or minor adjustments to the electrical system (i.e. alternators, starters, etc.) while you are on the road.* B. 24 Hour Key Lockout Service... If you happen to lock yourself out of the vehicle, or your keys are lost, stolen, or broken, a service provider will get you up and running.* C. 24 Hour Fuel Service... If you run out of gasoline, it will be brought to you by a service provider. Note that you never pay for the service, only the cost of the delivered supplies.* D. 24 Hour Emergency Fluid Service... If you experience an emergency need for oil, water or other necessary supplies, they will be brought to you by a service provider. Note that you never pay for the service, only the cost of the delivered supplies.*
	24 Hour Emergence Towing Service... If your vehicle can not be repaired while the service truck is on site, it will be towed to the destination of your choice.*
Additional Benefits with your Premier ERA Policy...
	ERA Theft or Hit and Run Protection... If you ever experience the theft of your vehicle or a hit and run accident, a $500 reward is offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the responsible party.*

Premier Nitrogen ^tm
^{Featuring...
the Filling Station} ^tm

Should we stop putting air in our tires?

What is Nitrogen?

Nitrogen is a dry, non combustible, inert gas making up 78% of the air we breath. In the last 30+ years it has begun to find its way into the tires of giant off-highway earthmovers, aircraft and most every type of race car.

They main reasons are it improves performance, increases tire mileage, offers better fuel economy and extends the life of the tire's rubber and steel construction materials.

How does that happen?

Since air migrates through rubber, tires loose about 80% of lost air through their sidewalls. Like a balloon that shrivels up... but much slower. That is why regular inflation pressure checks are a must, even if nothing is "wrong" you can still loose air pressure at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs per month. As a note, oxygen that passes through rubber sidewalls can come into contact with steel cords causing them to rust. Between accelerating the aging process of rubber and corroding steel cords, oxygen reduces overall reliability of modern tires.

Adverse Effects of Under inflation!

Under inflation will cause high tire deflection and heat build-up, which in turn may lead to ply separation. Low inflation pressure may also cause uneven wearing of the tread and rapid wearing of the shoulder areas. Additionally there is an increase in the tire footprint and this increase will eventually lead to damage of a tire's sidewall. Running just a few pounds below the manufacturers recommended pressure, can let to failure. Picture at left is an example of Casing Break Up (CBU) in a bias tire at the lower sidewall caused by running the tire at pressures below those recommended.

Why use Nitrogen?

1. Less inflation pressure loss
2. Reduced wheel corrosion
3. Prevents inner rubber deterioration by oxidation
4. Tires run cooler
5. Increases tread life
6. Increases fuel mileage
7. Helps prevent uneven wear

Please note that Under-Inflation is the leading cause of tire failure. Twenty-three per cent (23%) of vehicles have at least one tire under-inflated by more than 20%. Under-inflated tires on your vehicle lead to poor or delayed braking, steering and acceleration. Operating a vehicle with just one tire under-inflated by 20% (8psi) can reduce the life of the tire by 15,000 km and can increase the vehicle's fuel consumption by 4%.

Oxygen in compressed air permeates through the wall of the tire, thus reducing the tire's inflation pressure. During it's journey through the tire wall, oxygen oxidizes the rubber compounds in the tire, causing under-inflation and deterioration of the rubber.

The Effects of Under Inflation on Tire Wear and Fuel Use
Percentage of Under Inflation	Percentage Wear Increase	Fuel Use Increase
10%	5%	2%
20%	16%	4%
30%	33%	6%
40%	57%	8%
50%	78%	10%

Dry nitrogen will maintain proper inflation pressure and will prevent auto-ignition, will not corrode rims, extends valve core life, and will help the tire to run cooler.

The biggest advantages - Improved tire life!

Experts in the tire industry indicate that oxidative aging is one of the primary causes of decreased tire life. Oxidative aging is caused by the diffusion of oxygen from the pressurized air cavity of the tire to the outside atmosphere. Tests have shown that if tires are inflated with nitrogen, there is a significant reduction in tire failure

Why did race cars, military and off-road vehicles switch to Nitrogen?

Air is about 1/5 Oxygen, and oxygen, especially at high pressures and temperatures, is a very reactive element. When oxygen reacts with things, the process is called oxidation. When oxidation is extremely rapid, it's called "burning. That's one reason nitrogen is used in off-highway and aircraft tires. These tires run so hot they can actually catch on fire. Nitrogen doesn't support combustion, so nitrogen-filled tires don't add fuel to the flames. And nitrogen helps prevent slower forms of oxidation also.

Nitrogen prevents other types of corrosion as well

Oxygen and moisture corrodes aluminum and steel wheels. Oxygen also reacts with rubber, another type of "corrosion". When this corrosion starts, the small particles break off and form rust and dust, which can clog valve cores, causing them to leak. The rough surfaces created from the corrosive action on the wheels leads to tire beads that don't seal properly, causing additional leaks .

Oxygen also ages the inner liner, the thin layer of rubber inside the tire whose function is to keep air away from the carcass. As the inner liner ages, more and more air molecules can pass through it, causing more pressure losses. As it passes through the rubber, the oxygen can also corrode the steel cords, causing them to rust too.

Small bits of dust and debris as a byproduct of oxidative corrosion to the wheels and alloy rims can lodge in the valve core seat, causing air leaks.

Nitrogen also will not degrade the rubber seal in the valve core which extends valve core life and helps prevents core leaks.

How does Nitrogen help?

While both nitrogen and oxygen can permeate rubber, nitrogen does it much more slowly. These pressure losses in a tire can average up to 2 psi a month as a result of the air passing through the sidewalls. On the other hand it might take 6 months to lose 2 psi with nitrogen. And nitrogen is far less reactive. It doesn't cause rust or corrosion on steel or aluminum, and it doesn't degrade rubber. Wheel surfaces stay smooth and clean, rubber remains supple and resilient.

Any other reasons for using Nitrogen?

The air around us is full of water vapor, it called humidity!!! Compressing air concentrates the water in it. Draining the water from your compressor tank daily helps, but unless you have a really efficient air dryer system, chances are that there's a lot of water in your compressed air.

Remember physics 101... When you compress air, it takes up much less volume, but the percentage of water by volume is greatly increased!

...and what harm does this moisture cause?

Water vapor in compressed air acts as a catalyst, accelerating rust and corrosion. Water vapor also absorbs and holds heat. And when it changes from liquid to vapor, water expands tremendously in volume.

As a result, tires inflated with wet air tend to run hotter and fluctuate in pressure more. That's one of the reasons why racing tires, where fractions of a psi can radically change the handling characteristics, are inflated with dry nitrogen.

Interestingly, all gas molecules in the tire move and react based on their molecular size. Nitrogen being 4 times larger than Oxygen obviously leaks out much slower! The bottom line.... tire maintenance is reduced drastically along with actual tire wear.

Checking Tire Pressure

It is important to check your vehicle's tire pressure at least once a month for the following reasons:

Most tires may naturally lose air over time.
Tires can lose air suddenly if you drive over a pothole or other object or if you strike the curb when parking.
With radial tires, it is usually not possible to determine under inflation by visual inspection.

Purchase a tire pressure gauge to keep in your vehicle. Gauges can be purchased at tire dealerships, auto supply stores, and other retail outlets.

The vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire inflation pressure is the proper psi when a tire is cold. The term cold does not relate to the outside temperature. Rather, a cold tire is one that has not been driven on for at least three hours. When you drive, your tires get warmer, causing the air pressure within them to increase. Your tires can get warm after just 1 mile of driving.

Therefore, to get an accurate tire pressure reading, you must measure tire pressure when the tires are cold or compensate for the extra pressure in warm tires.

At a Glance...

Nitrogen	Compressed Air
1. Dry and Clean	1. Oily and wet
2. Remains stable at any temperature, eliminates daily/seasonal pressure changes	2. Highly reactive element to all (low to high) temperatures and pressure changes
3. Eliminates condensation which prevents rim and valve corrosion (rust)	3. Supports moisture storage inside the wheel which leading to corrosion (rust)
4. Slows gas migration through rubber to less than 2psi loss over 6 months	4. Faster "through the rubber" migration, 1 to 3psi is lost each month

If you're still not convinced Nitrogen is
where the tire world is heading...
please read on

^tm

Just the Facts.....

NHTSA RESEARCH....
Chemical aging is due to oxygen diffusing through the tire composite and reacting with the internal components. If the rate at which air diffuses through the tire is slowed, the rate of chemical aging will be similarly slowed. (Review the FMVSS 139 for additional information on mechanical aging effects.)

AIR PERMEABILITY TEST PHILOSOPHY....
According to tire manufacturers: - tires with more expensive, 100% halogenated-butyl inner liners lose air at a rate of 2.0-2.5% per month (10 lbs per year @ 35 psi)- tires with cheaper, blended butyl inner liners lose air at a rate 4.00-5.0% per month - for the same inner liner compound, a thicker inner liner will lower the air loss rate - a reduction in air loss rate, by a factor of 2, may be achievable for some tires.

NITROGEN TEST....
In on the road tests involving over 7 million miles of truck tires inflated with nitrogen, tire failures were reduced by half and tread life increased by 25% to 30%. The benefits were repeated in the second tire life after re-treading. These mileage comparisons were followed by electron microscope analysis which measured oxygen levels in the tire body and tread of tires inflated with air and then operated on the road until replaced because of failure or tread wear. The results were conclusive; oxygen kills tires over time. Similar tests on automobile tires yielded comparable increases in tire life. (Reference: Million Mile Truck Tires – Available Today by Lawrence Sperberg.)

NITROGEN STUDY....
In a study reported in Rubber and Plastic News by David Coddington of Exxon Chemical Co. material from tires run for varying periods of road service and inflated with air was tested for tear strength. The laboratory findings; strength values are steadily decreased with increasing service mileage, leveling off at a value below 50% of original strength. In lab testing equivalent to less than 40,000 road miles, the relative strength of oxygen exposed tires declined to under 40% while the material from tires inflated with nitrogen held at over 80%.

TIRE DURABILITY TESTING.....
Tire life to failure point in laboratory wheel tests confirmed more than twice the life for the nitrogen inflated tires. (Reference: "Factors in Tubeless Radial Tire Durability", Rubber and Plastic News, August 1993.)

GOODYEAR BULLETIN.....
Nitrogen inflation has advantages in that tires will hold pressure longer using nitrogen. Nitrogen’s diffusion rate is 25% to 30% lower than air, significantly reducing tire pressure loss between inflation checks. Under inflated tires wear rate is increased to the point where a tire 10% under inflated will lose approximately 7% of it service life. On the other hand, properly inflated tires have less resistance to rolling. (References: Goodyear Application Bulletin #17 and Bandag Tread Guide, September 1995.)

AAA (AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION)....
Under inflated tires can cut fuel economy by as much as 2% per pound of pressure below the recommended level. Therefore a tire that is just five pounds below its setting will consume 10% more fuel. Additionally, tires with low air pressure are more sluggish in their response to steering input... compromising your vehicle’s handling.

Technical Synopsis on... Proper Tire Inflation Keep you tires and fuel usage at optimum!
Have some fun, take the tire quiz Air, your tires and other interesting facts! P.S. It's tougher than you think.
Frequently Ask Questions FAQ's from consumers and shops This is the real deal, the proof is in the testing.	???^'s
Tire Safety according to Uncle Sam Tire Safety Synopsis from the NHTSA Everything rides on it....

They endorse Nitrogen for tires!
	*“Goodyear supports the use of nitrogen, based on the ability of the tire to retain pressure for a longer period of time.”*
	*“Nitrogen can provide stronger casings for more retread ability.”*
	*“While both nitrogen & oxygen can permeate rubber, nitrogen does it much more slowly.”*
	*"When nitrogen is used as the inflation media, the change in rubber properties is significantly slowed down or even halted."*
	*Michelin supports the use of Nitrogen, based on its ability to better retain gas volume over a period of time.*
	*"Tires inflated with Nitrogen will run cooler than those inflated with air. Nitrogen bleeds through the inner liner or tube at a slower rate than regular compressed air."*
	*"Nitrogen reduces the risk of self ignition and tire burst, if tires are overheated. Due to its the reliability, we are very satisfied with this service."*
	"Even the most energy-saving tires lose efficiency if under-inflated. Nitrogen inflation systems help maintain tire pressure because nitrogen does not permeate through tires as readily as air does. Since the oxygen in air accelerates tire wear, a 100% nitrogen fill is kinder to tires, as well." EPA (Environmental Protection Agency - Federal Government)
	*“Nitrogen is slower to leak out through the casing than air and does not carry moisture that can lead to rust in steel cords and cables.”*
	Recently, nitrogen gas (for use in inflating tires) has become available to the general consumer through many retailers. General Motors does not oppose the use of purified nitrogen as an inflation gas for tires. Nitrogen inflation can provide benefit by reducing gas migration (pressure loss) at the molecular level through the tire structure. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has stated that the inflation pressure loss of tires can be up to 5% a month. Another potential benefit of nitrogen is the reduced oxidation of tire components.

Still have Questions, or would like to locate a Premier Nitrogen center...
Please call 1(800) 266-4497 between 2pm and 8pm EST