joker2040
01-25-05, 01:31 PM
Nitrous Oxide
History
Nitrous Oxide is one of the oldest forms of Forced Induction ever used. Durring World War II, it was used in German fighter aircraft with incredible results. While it had a tough time during its early years due to almost regular catastrophic failure, the science of its use is now very well understood and the problems associated with it are mostly a thing of the past.
Nitrous Oxide is a liquid containing two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. It is mostly the oxygen in Nitrous that we are after. The oxygen is released from the nitrogen when it is heated, and turns from a liquid to a gas. In a properly designed Nitrous system, additional fuel is added to make use of all the additional oxygen. This is where the additional power comes from. This is also where the additional risk comes from. If the correct amount of additional fuel is not added, the motor will lean out and start to melt parts. Fortunately, the wide variety of modern kits that are available today are not only safe, but also very user friendly.
Upsides and Downsides
The advantage of Nitrous is simple - instant power increases any time you want it. It can be put on any car, and can be easily adjusted to add almost any amount of power needed. The initial cost is relatively low and the potiential in power is almost endless. It isn't very hard to install and some kits are even 50 state legal. While Nitrous can very easily appear as the simplest way to make more power, it does have its fair share of downsides as well.
Over the years, Nitrous has certainly made some believers out of people by how much power is can make. It has also shown just as many people that there is a huge risk in using it. Anyone that has ever seen a Nitrous backfire certainly knows what I'm talking about. Most of the risks of Nitrous center around ignition timing, nitrous-to-fuel ratios, and using it at the right engine rpm. Any time that Nitrous is used, a small amount of timing needs to be taken out to prevent detonation. If this is not done, serious engine damage can result. However, this can be easily solved using an MSD timing retard which automatically retards the timing when the Nitrous is used.
Another key is using the correct ratio of Nitrous to fuel. If you use too much Nitrous you can go lean, risking some very serious engine damage. If you don't use enough Nitrous you will come out very rich and not make nearly as much power as you should be making. While running rich won't necessarily hurt anything, you should try your best to stay only slightly on the rich side for optimum results. While the idea of getting this mixture right may sound tough, it really isn't. As long as you follow the recomendations of the manufacturer you shouldn't have any problems. The majority of all Nitrous problems are the result of people getting risky with their Nitrous jetting. Again, as long as you stick to manufacturer recomendations you should be just fine.
Other things to keep in mind are along the lines of using the Nitrous at the right time. Typically, you should never use Nitrous unless you are under full throttle and turning at least 3000 rpm. Using it at the wrong time can cause major engine damage. By using a full throttle switch, and optionally, an rpm activated switch, you can help prevent these types of problems. Also, for best results you should always use a purge valve. This extra solonoid allows you to purge the Nitrous feed line just before you use it. This way you are making sure that you have nothing but liquid in the line which will help keep performance consistant. This is what's happening when you see a clowd of white spray out in front of the widshield of a car. If you've ever seen a car take off blowing lots of smoke out the tail pipes and sputtering for a few seconds, this is the result of not purging the system first. While some people will try and go cheap, purging their system through their motor during a burnout, this is not the best way to do things.
History
Nitrous Oxide is one of the oldest forms of Forced Induction ever used. Durring World War II, it was used in German fighter aircraft with incredible results. While it had a tough time during its early years due to almost regular catastrophic failure, the science of its use is now very well understood and the problems associated with it are mostly a thing of the past.
Nitrous Oxide is a liquid containing two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. It is mostly the oxygen in Nitrous that we are after. The oxygen is released from the nitrogen when it is heated, and turns from a liquid to a gas. In a properly designed Nitrous system, additional fuel is added to make use of all the additional oxygen. This is where the additional power comes from. This is also where the additional risk comes from. If the correct amount of additional fuel is not added, the motor will lean out and start to melt parts. Fortunately, the wide variety of modern kits that are available today are not only safe, but also very user friendly.
Upsides and Downsides
The advantage of Nitrous is simple - instant power increases any time you want it. It can be put on any car, and can be easily adjusted to add almost any amount of power needed. The initial cost is relatively low and the potiential in power is almost endless. It isn't very hard to install and some kits are even 50 state legal. While Nitrous can very easily appear as the simplest way to make more power, it does have its fair share of downsides as well.
Over the years, Nitrous has certainly made some believers out of people by how much power is can make. It has also shown just as many people that there is a huge risk in using it. Anyone that has ever seen a Nitrous backfire certainly knows what I'm talking about. Most of the risks of Nitrous center around ignition timing, nitrous-to-fuel ratios, and using it at the right engine rpm. Any time that Nitrous is used, a small amount of timing needs to be taken out to prevent detonation. If this is not done, serious engine damage can result. However, this can be easily solved using an MSD timing retard which automatically retards the timing when the Nitrous is used.
Another key is using the correct ratio of Nitrous to fuel. If you use too much Nitrous you can go lean, risking some very serious engine damage. If you don't use enough Nitrous you will come out very rich and not make nearly as much power as you should be making. While running rich won't necessarily hurt anything, you should try your best to stay only slightly on the rich side for optimum results. While the idea of getting this mixture right may sound tough, it really isn't. As long as you follow the recomendations of the manufacturer you shouldn't have any problems. The majority of all Nitrous problems are the result of people getting risky with their Nitrous jetting. Again, as long as you stick to manufacturer recomendations you should be just fine.
Other things to keep in mind are along the lines of using the Nitrous at the right time. Typically, you should never use Nitrous unless you are under full throttle and turning at least 3000 rpm. Using it at the wrong time can cause major engine damage. By using a full throttle switch, and optionally, an rpm activated switch, you can help prevent these types of problems. Also, for best results you should always use a purge valve. This extra solonoid allows you to purge the Nitrous feed line just before you use it. This way you are making sure that you have nothing but liquid in the line which will help keep performance consistant. This is what's happening when you see a clowd of white spray out in front of the widshield of a car. If you've ever seen a car take off blowing lots of smoke out the tail pipes and sputtering for a few seconds, this is the result of not purging the system first. While some people will try and go cheap, purging their system through their motor during a burnout, this is not the best way to do things.