Nitrogen Generators

A nitrogen generator is a piece of shop equipment that produces 95-99% pure nitrogen on demand from regular shop air. The technology is called pressure swing adsorption (PSA). Atmospheric air is pushed through a vessel packed with carbon molecular sieve material. At elevated pressure, the sieve adsorbs oxygen and lets nitrogen pass through.

The system swings between two vessels (one producing N2 while the other regenerates by venting captured oxygen back to atmosphere). End result: shop air goes in, 95-99% pure nitrogen comes out the other side. No bottle rental, no refill schedule. Just compressor air and electricity.

Match the generator to your daily nitrogen-fill volume:

Under 20 fills per day: Katool KT-N80 ($1,999) or NitroFill E-135 ($2,900). Entry-tier PSA, smallest footprint.

20-60 fills per day: NitroFill E-160 ($5,750). 6 CFM PSA with 4-tire conversion manifold. Mid-volume sweet spot for most tire shops.

60-100+ fills per day: NitroFill E-170 ($8,100) or E-174 ($9,450). 13.5 CFM PSA with 6-tire (E-170) or individual-PSI (E-174) manifold. High-volume tire shops and dealership tire bays.

Commercial truck or fleet: NitroFill E-175 ($13,500). 26 CFM PSA for commercial truck tires and fleet conversions.

Not sure? Call (470) 208-2754 and our team will size the generator to your shop volume.

PSA generators run 95-99% N2 purity depending on the model and flow rate. Industry standard for tire inflation is 95% nitrogen minimum. Premium tire programs target 99% purity.

Higher purity comes at lower flow rate. The same generator hardware can run higher purity at lower CFM, or lower purity at higher CFM. Most pro-shop generators are tuned to deliver 95% at full rated CFM and can be slowed for higher purity when a fleet program requires it.

Depends on the generator CFM and manifold size:

3 CFM (E-135, single-tire fill): Roughly 15-20 minutes for a 4-tire conversion.

6 CFM (E-160, 4-tire manifold): Roughly 8-12 minutes for a full 4-tire car (all four simultaneously).

13.5 CFM (E-170, 6-tire manifold): Roughly 5-8 minutes for a 4-tire car.

The conversion manifolds work by purging atmospheric air from the tire (usually 2-3 purge cycles) then filling to spec PSI with nitrogen. More purge cycles equals higher final N2 purity but longer cycle time. Most shops run 2 purge cycles to balance speed and purity.

Pitstop Pro carries 7 nitrogen generators spanning the price range:

Entry tier ($1,999 to $2,900): Katool KT-N80 and NitroFill E-135. For small shops adding nitrogen as a service line.

Mid tier ($5,750 to $6,850): NitroFill E-160 and E-170H. For mid-volume tire shops and dealership service lanes.

High-volume tier ($8,100 to $9,450): NitroFill E-170 and E-174. For dedicated tire shops doing 80+ fills per day.

Commercial tier ($13,500): NitroFill E-175. For commercial truck tires and fleet conversions.

0% APR financing through Affirm and Klarna is available at checkout on most nitrogen generators.

PSA generators have an input-to-output ratio of roughly 2.5x to 3x. The compressor must supply that much input air to produce the rated nitrogen output:

3 CFM generator: 8-10 CFM input compressor (60-gallon vertical typically works).

6 CFM generator: 15-18 CFM input compressor (5 HP, 80-gallon).

13.5 CFM generator: 30-35 CFM input compressor (7.5-10 HP, 80-120 gallon).

26 CFM generator: 60-70 CFM input compressor (15+ HP rotary screw typically required).

Undersized compressors will short-cycle the PSA generator and reduce N2 purity. Always size up if you are between two compressors.

Nitrogen tire inflation typically sells for $5-10 per tire at retail in most US markets. The cost-of-goods on a PSA-generated fill is near zero (just compressor electricity). The equipment is the only meaningful cost.

A modest 20 tires per day at $7 per tire is $140/day, or roughly $36,400 per year. That pays back a $5,750 NitroFill E-160 in roughly 5-6 weeks. The $1,999 Katool KT-N80 pays back in roughly 2 weeks at the same volume. High-output 13.5 CFM machines pay back in 8-12 weeks at the higher daily volumes they enable.

Most shops report nitrogen tire inflation is one of the highest-margin recurring revenue lines they have ever added.

For most passenger-car applications, nitrogen offers measurable but moderate benefits over compressed air:

Slower pressure loss: Tires hold pressure roughly 25-30% longer between top-ups, because nitrogen molecules permeate rubber slower than oxygen.

Less internal oxidation: 21% atmospheric oxygen accelerates rubber and steel-belt oxidation. Reducing internal oxygen to 1-5% slows that aging.

More stable temperature: Less moisture content in pure nitrogen means less PSI swing as tire temperature changes.

For commercial truck tires, racing, and aviation, nitrogen is essentially required for safety and longevity reasons. For everyday passenger cars, the benefits are real but moderate. Most customers pay for nitrogen because of the perceived premium-service value and the convenience of less-frequent top-ups.

Most in-stock nitrogen generators ship within 2-5 business days from our Georgia warehouses with free U.S. shipping included. Freight transit time depends on distance, usually 3-7 business days to the contiguous US. Total order-to-doorstep is typically 1-2 weeks.

Nitrogen generators ship via freight (LTL) since they are larger than parcel-shippable. Tracking and delivery confirmation included on every order.

Routine maintenance is minimal:

Every 500 hours: Drain compressor moisture filter, inspect intake filter. Annually: Replace coalescing filter element ($30-60), verify N2 purity at the output port using a nitrogen analyzer.

The carbon molecular sieve inside the PSA tank is rated for the life of the generator under normal clean-air-input operation. The main consumable is the inlet air filter, which catches compressor oil and moisture before they reach the carbon sieve.

Yes. A PSA nitrogen generator is plumbed in parallel with your existing shop air, not in series. The generator pulls clean dry air from your main air line, separates nitrogen, and outputs N2 to a dedicated nitrogen line that runs to your tire-fill manifold.

Most shops add a coalescing filter and a refrigerated air dryer on the generator inlet to protect the carbon molecular sieve from compressor moisture and oil. Pitstop Pro can recommend the right filter setup for your shop air system. Call (470) 208-2754 for installation guidance.

Yes. Pitstop Pro offers 0% APR financing through Affirm and Klarna on most nitrogen generator purchases. Approval is decided in seconds at checkout. Terms typically run 12-24 months with no prepayment penalty.

For commercial buyers, leasing is available through Crest Capital, which can be useful if you would rather expense the equipment than capitalize it. See financing details or call (470) 208-2754 for a quote.

Warranty coverage varies by manufacturer and is listed on each product page. NitroFill PSA generators carry a manufacturer parts warranty on the PSA generator, tank, and electronic controls. Katool carries its standard equipment warranty.

All warranties are direct from the manufacturer. Pitstop Pro handles warranty claims as the authorized dealer, so you do not need to contact the manufacturer directly if something needs service. Extended warranty options are available at order time on most generators.