# Fuel Economy

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [March 9, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627 "2008-03-09T19:03:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627/41 "2008-03-16T01:15:00Z")

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That refrigeration cost would have to be borne anyway even if nobody needed the by product of oxygen production, nitrogen. If nobody needed pure oxygen, then pure nitrogen would be the product and pure oxygen would be the by product, something to be thrown away if nobody needs it.

It is quite possible that both oxygen and nitrogen are actually by products of argon production, an inert gas used in MIG and TIG welding.

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**Author:** ![Craig58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Craig58](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Craig58)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627/42 "2008-03-16T01:49:48Z")

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“It is quite possible that both oxygen and nitrogen are actually by products of argon production, an inert gas used in MIG and TIG welding.”

It’s not a matter of one or another gas being a by-product, the folks in the industrial gas business have processes to separate and sell all these gasses. Each individual gas is sold at it’s market value, based on supply and demand.

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**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627/43 "2008-03-16T03:09:59Z")

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I’m not sure I follow your post, BLE. We use nitrogen for cooling and as a purge gas. Oxygen is used for breathing and as an oxidizer. We can’t use argon; it costs too much.

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**Author:** ![MrFixIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MrFixIt](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MrFixIt)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627/44 "2008-03-17T17:08:47Z")

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If the tires blow up from Nitrogen (not possible, but makes for good fodder on this site) she’d save lots of gas because the car WON’T BE DRIVING ANYWHERE!!!  
Will Nitrogen in my bicycle tires make it easier to pedal up hills?

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**Author:** ![irlandes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@irlandes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/irlandes)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-economy/11627/45 "2008-03-18T01:19:49Z")

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Could he mean nitromethane???

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