Modern Tire Dealer ran a cover story in 1967 about a service station in Houston, TX that was offering nitrogen tire inflation for $1 a tire (wow, 40+ years later, $5 a tire seems like a bargain). The benefits havent changed over the past 40 years, but what has changed is the affordability of the technology. This has allowed the proliferation of nitrogen tire inflation services throughout the world. Here is the July 2009 article from Modern Tire Dealer where they reference the 1967 cover story, and conclude "In summary, the benefits of nitrogen over air in a tire are valid, based on our research."