air shock (natural leakage + refill consequences)

[jimmyhackers]

due to the very nature of air being made up of loads of different gasses..... some molecules/atoms being tiny and able to escape through rubber and seals etc, while some are big and cannot escape....
due to the above, over time things like tyres and im guessing air shocks can leak the small molecules and be refilled, and over time you have a bias towards the larger air molecules inside the tyre or air shock.....

i remember an episode of topgear (maybe fifth gear) somewhat taking the mickey out of people who put nitrogen in their tyres (for stiffness) as they will eventually get filled up with a majority of it for free due to the above effect.

im just wondering how much this effects things like air-shocks or if it is even noticeable?
is it a wiser practise to completely deflate and reinflate your air shock after so long?

 

[Hillhater]

Most of what you read about air vs nitrogen in tyres is BS.
pure nitrogen is used in race car /bike tyres to minimise pressure changes with temperature, and that is not due to the nature of nitrogen but due to the elimination of water vapor in the mix since the production process of nitrogen gas eliminates all H2O . Small traces of water(damp air) can cause major pressure increase’s as tyres heat up
It is possible to get the same result with correctly dried compressed air, but bottled nitrogen is easier.
the average Joe wont notice the difference anyway in a car tyre or a bike shock.
“ KISS “…and dont sweat these trivial details unless you are competitive in a World Championship series !
( PS, ….Air is 80% Nitrogen, 19% Oxygen , & 1% others……and the Nitrogen is a smaller molicule than oxygen, so its the nitrogen that will leak out fastest !)

 

[dudebro]

In fact the IFP chamber is usually filled with nitrogen. If you send the shock to a service center that is. But if you service the shock yourself, air will do just fine as well. Temperature changes have much more noticeable affect.