Okay, so I had this thought the other day. Maybe a bit out there, but hear me out. What if, right, what if you put helium in car tires instead of just plain air? Like, helium’s lighter, yeah? So maybe the car gets lighter? Better mileage? I dunno, seemed like something worth trying just to see what happens. Couldn’t find much online from real folks doing it, just warnings, so I figured, why not give it a whirl myself?
Getting Started
First thing was getting the helium. Not exactly something you find at every gas station. I ended up renting one of those small tanks, like the ones for party balloons. Seemed easy enough. Grabbed my usual tire pressure gauge and the chuck that fits the valve stems. Ready to go, or so I thought.
The Actual Filling Part
This was… interesting. I went out to my garage. First step: let the regular air out of one tire. That hissing sound, you know? Then, I tried hooking up the helium tank nozzle. It wasn’t a perfect fit for a car tire valve, took some fiddling.
I started filling. It was kinda slow compared to a proper air compressor. Did one tire, checked the pressure. Then did the other three. Took a bit longer than I expected, honestly. Had to be careful not to overfill, just aimed for the standard PSI recommended for my car.
- Let air out
- Connect helium tank (awkwardly)
- Fill slowly
- Check pressure repeatedly
Once all four were done, I pushed on the car, bounced it a bit. Did it feel lighter? Uh… maybe? Hard to tell, really. Could’ve just been me wanting it to feel lighter. Looked the same, obviously. Tires looked normally inflated.
Hitting the Road
Alright, the real test. Took the car out for a spin. First few miles, neighborhood streets. Felt… pretty much the same. Maybe the bumps felt a tiny bit harsher? Or was that just me being hyper-aware? Hard to say for sure.
Got it out on the highway. Again, no big revelation. Didn’t suddenly feel like I was floating. Handling seemed normal. No sudden surge in fuel economy showing on the dashboard computer. It just felt like… driving my car.
What Happened Next
So, I drove it like that for a few days. Kept checking the tire pressure. And here’s the thing: the pressure started dropping. Faster than with normal air. Like, noticeably faster. Helium molecules are smaller than nitrogen and oxygen in regular air, right? Guess they just sneak out of the rubber easier.
After about a week, the pressures were low enough that I needed to top them up. Using more helium? Seemed like a waste, and expensive too compared to free air. Plus, the whole point was kind of bust already. It didn’t make the car feel light, didn’t save gas. Just leaked out faster.
So, the result? Pretty much a bust.
In the end, I just let all the helium out and filled them back up with good old regular air from my compressor. Much cheaper, lasts way longer. It was a fun little experiment, I guess? Satisfied my curiosity. But yeah, filling car tires with helium? Not something I’d recommend. Stick to air, folks. Much less hassle and actually works.
