So, How does it work?

[Bocephus027]

I have been pondering getting nitrous since I don't plan on rebuilding the engine until I need to.

But how long does a nitrous shot last, and can you give the engine a second shot down the track without having to get a 2 stage nitrous system?

[clay]

To me, a basic plate nitrous is an excellent entry level power adder. They are realitively simple and if you cover a few basics, very reliable. For the first question on how long does a nitrous shot last, theorectically you could hold the button until the bottle ran dry. In the real world, something else will make you quit before that happens like you will be hauling a$$ for one and rapidly reaching max. rpm in high gear for another. As for how long the bottle will last, I think a 100h.p. shot is flowing roughly 4 lb./min. of nitrous if I remember right. I believe nitrous is around $3.50/lb. the last bottle I had filled which was about 2 years ago. As far as the second shot thing, a two stage or a controller are the main options for decreasing power at the start and increasing it down track. One thing that doesn't come in kits that I highly recommend is a fuel pressure safety switch - it is an absolute must as far as I am concerned. Next of course you will have to determine if you have enough fuel supply now or you have to upgrade. The next thing people miss is not setting fuel pressure flowing through the actual jet you are using. Not so much of a problem with a return style system, but dead head regulators drop a pound or two once thay start flowing and this is a large percentage if you are only looking for 6 lbs. or so to start with and keep in mind you don't have the luxury of reserve in the float bowls, it has to be there. If you plan to run the car on motor and nitrous, a timing retard of some sort is very nice - it saves moving the distributor every time. Cover the timing and fuel basics and stay somewhat consertive on the amount sprayed and your motor will last a long time. If you have any more questions, let me know - I'll stop rambling for now. Clay

[af2]

Clay is right. I prefer all motor and that is what I'll run. The only thing I worry about is the stock engine you are running. You should have forged pistons and a good lower end before you hit the switch. The fuel and NOS come into play after that. The only motors I have seen and dealt with are 2 strokes running NOS. Every one went up in smoke until the fuel issue was resolved. You have to almost double the fuel to the engine when you run it. A blower or turbo is the best in my opinion for a stable condition.

[clay]

Nitrous on a fairly stock motor isn't really a problem, BUT you do have to be conservative (100 h.p. or so), be doubly sure to have the timing / fuel bases covered and don't spray it 5 times a day. One thing you do have on your side with nitrous is that it doesn't require higher rpm to be effective - it makes torque you can't believe. In reality, I didn't really use nitrous that much on the street, it just blows the tires away and is basically useless, but it is fun on occasion. Another thing that will limit usage is having to get the bottle up to pressure to spray which does take time with a bottle heater. Before I had one, we just put the bottle under the hood of a running truck at the track and heated it up that way. I love power adders because they really help something you can drive on the street on pump gas, but I do love all motor and buzzing rpm also (can't wait to hear Af2's screaming) - basically I love anything sucking down dead dinosaurs. Clay

[86GN]

Some basics - Nitrous doesn't make the added power. The added fuel you're able to burn while the nitrous is flowing into your motor makes the additional power. You'll flow between .8 and 1.0 lbs of nitrous in 10 seconds to be able to burn an additional 100 hp worth of fuel. Nitrous also speeds up the combustion process - thats why you need to retard the engine's timing when using nitrous.

In terms of how much you can use, that depends on the strength of your engine parts. Think this way, if you're making 250 now and you want to add 100 hp are the engine parts going to live at 350 hp ?

Clay is right on with the torque gains. Spraying at lower rpms brings big torque gains. Bigger than the hp rating of the jetting.

[87calais]

I read somewhere the reason low rpm nos hits are bad is because that nitrous will produce close to it's rated hp addition at any rpm... so that would mean your 100 shot at 3000 rpmis only adding 175 lb-ft ... if I did the math right... and assuming that is right, that means that if you drop that at half the rpm, you would be adding 350 lb-ft... which is a whole bunch, prolly way more then the engine produces at that point.... so... higher rpm = friend.... Hope my overy tired rambling makes sense... if not... well... yelll at me

[clay]

Your exactly right, low rpm nitrous hits are a killer because of the cylinder pressure involved. As you pointed out, they are fixed and flow 150 h.p. (or whatever jets are selected) of fuel and oxidizer independant of rpm. The idea behind the Jacobs controller is for engine protection - it ramps up nitrous flow as a function of engine rpm. Clay

[240Z8]

I'll probably be joining the bottle baby club Only for 1/4 racing though. I figure you change to slicks/ drag radials, boost timing, add race gas, why not have a bottle for the special occasions? Running out of power, i.e. bottle empty stinks, but if you only use it for occassional drag events its pretty cheap compared to the $1000s for a turbo or s/c set up. No one can dispute your timeslip no matter how you got it there.

[pro60chevy]

Used the correct way, it can't be beat. I've been using it for over 25 years and only lost one engine.

Increase fuel supply with a secondary pump depending on shot size.

Retard timing 2 degrees per 50hp of spray.

Keep a close watch on your spark plugs, it's the only way to know if the tune-up is right.

Then hang on and spray it till the stripe!

[jeep_406]

pro60chevy,

What's happening with the Chevy. Are you planning on going up to Epping soon? You know, they rescheduled Nostalgia Day for Oct 22nd.

[pro60chevy]

We will be at the track this weekend. We will also be racing on October 1, 8, 21, 22. I'm sure we'll see you at one if not more of those dates.

[jeep_406]

Weather permitting, I'll be there on the 1st (Nova Day) and the 22nd (Nostalgia Day)

My buddy with the red & white 84 Olds Cutlass runs Hot Rod so I should be up there on the 8th as well.

You can run , you can hide . . . but I'll find you