Nitrous FAQs

Q: Will Nitrous affect engine reliability?
A: The key is choosing the correct H.P. for a given application. A kit that uses the correct factory calibration does not usually cause increased wear. As the energy released in the cylinder increases so do the loads on the various components that must handle them. If the load increases exceed the ability of the components to handle them, added wear takes place. Nitrous kits are designed for use on demand and only at wide open throttle. Nitrous can be extremely advantageous in that it is only used when you want it, not all the time. Most Nitrous kits are designed for maximum power with reliability for a given application.

Q: Can I simply bolt a nitrous kit onto my stock engine?
A: Yes. Most manufactureres make systems for virtually any stock engine application. The key is to choose the correct kit for a given application; i.e., 4 cyl. engines normally allow an extra 35-75 HP, 6 cyl. engines usually work great between 75-100 extra HP, small block V8's can typically accept up to 150 extra HP, and big block V8's might accept from 150-200 extra HP. These suggested ranges provide maximum reliability from most stock engines using cast pistons and cast crank with few or no engine modifications.

Q: What are some of the general rules for even higher HP gains?
A: Generally, forged aluminum pistons are one of best modifications you can make. Retarding ignition timing can also help in higher hp applications. The general rule of thumb that NX uses is 2 degrees for every 50hp gain over 150hp. So on a V8 you shouldn't have to retart the timing any if you are only running 150hp or less. In many cases a higher flowing fuel pump may be necessary. Higher octane (100+) racing type fuel may be required as well as spark plugs 1 to 2 heat ranges colder than normal with gaps closed to .025"-.030". For gains over 250 HP, other important modifications could be necessary in addition to those mentioned above. These special modifications may include a forged crankshaft, a high quality race type connecting rods, a high output fuel pump dedicated to feeding the additional fuel demands of the nitrous system, and a racing fuel with high specific gravity and an octane rating of 110 or more.

Q: How does nitrous work?
A: Nitrous oxide is made up of 2 parts nitrogen and one part oxygen (36% oxygen by weight). During the combustion process in an engine, at about 572 degrees F, nitrous breaks down and releases oxygen. This extra oxygen creates additional power by allowing more fuel to be burned. Nitrogen acts to buffer, or dampen the increased cylinder pressures helping to control the combustion process. Nitrous also has a tremendous "intercooling" effect by reducing intake charge temperatures by 60 to 75 degrees F.

Q: How long will the bottle last?
A: This largely depends on the type of nitrous kit and jetting used. For a NX system, the calculation is you will use .8lbs for every 100hp per 10sec. So if you are spraying 100hp you should be able to get 6-8 good 10 sec. runs out of a bottle.

Q: How long can I hold the nitrous button down?
A: It is possible to hold the button down until the bottle is empty. However 15 continuous seconds at a time, or less, is recommended. This is due to the solenoid magnets can overheat and melt if run longer than 15 sec.

Q: When is the best time to use nitrous?
A: At wide open throttle only (unless a progressive controller is used). Due to the tremendous amount of increased torque, you will generally find best results, traction permitting, at early activation. Nitrous can be safely applied above 3,000 RPM under full throttle conditions.

Q: Is nitrous oxide flammable?
A: No. Nitrous Oxide by itself is non-flammable. However, the oxygen present in nitrous oxide causes combustion of fuel to take place more rapidly.

Q: Will nitrous oxide cause detonation?
A: Not directly. Detonation is the result of too little fuel present during combustion (lean) or too low of an octane of fuel. Too much ignition advance also causes detonation. In general, most kits engineered for stock type engines will work well with premium type fuels and minimal decreases of ignition timing. In racing application where higher compression ratios are used, resulting in higher cylinder pressures, a higher fuel octane must be used as well as more ignition retard.

Q: Is there any performance increase in using medical grade nitrous oxide?
A: None! Most sell only the automotive grade, called Ny-trous Plus. Ny-trous Plus contains a minimal amount of sulfur dioxide (100 ppm) as a deterrent to substance abuse. The additive does not affect performance.

Q: Is it a good idea to use an aftermarket computer program in conjunction with an nitrous system?
A: Only if the program has been designed specifically for use with nitrous oxide. Most aftermarket programs use more aggressive timing advance curves to create more power for a naturally aspirated motor. This can lead to possible detonation. You may wish to check with the manufacturer of the program before using it.

Q: Does nitrous oxide raise cylinder pressure and temperatures?
A: Yes. Due to the ability to burn more fuel, this is exactly why nitrous makes so much power.

Q: Are there any benefits to chilling the nitrous bottle?
A: No. Chilling the bottle lowers the pressure dramatically and will also lower the flow rate of the nitrous causing a fuel rich condition and reducing power. On cold evenings you might run on the rich side. For optimal running conditions, keep bottle pressure at approximately 1050psi (for a NX system, this varies if you are using another brand)

Q: Are there benefits to using nitrous with turbo or super-charger applications?
A: Absolutely! In turbo applications, turbo lag is completely eliminated with the addition of a nitrous system. In addition, both turbo and superchargers compress the incoming air, thus heating it. With the injection of nitrous, a tremendous intercooling effect reduces intake charge temperatures by 75 degrees or more. Boost is usually increased as well, adding to even more power.

Q: What affect does nitrous have on an engine with considerable miles on it?
A: This depends largely on the actual condition of the engine components. Any performance modification to an engine that is worn out or poorly tuned will have detrimental effects. However, an engine in good condition, with good ring and head gasket sealing, should be able to use nitrous without any abnormal wear.

Q: Will the use of nitrous oxide affect the catalytic converter?
A: No. The increase in oxygen present in the exhaust may actually increase the efficiency of the converter. Since the use of nitrous is normally limited to 10-15 seconds of continuous use, there usually are no appreciable effects. Temperatures are typically well within acceptable standards.

Q: Can high compression engines utilize nitrous oxide?
A: Absolutely. High or low compression ratios can work quite suitably with nitrous oxide provided the proper balance of nitrous and fuel enrichment is maintained. Nitrous kits are used in applications from relatively low compression stock type motors to Pro-Modifieds, which often exceed 15 to 1. Generally, the higher the compression ratio, the more ignition retard, as well as higher octane fuel, is required.

Q: Can service station fuel be used for street/strip nitrous oxide applications?
A: Yes. Use of a premium type unleaded fuel of 92, or greater, octane is recommended for most applications. Many nitrous systems are designed for use with service station pump gas. However, when higher compression or higher horsepower levels are used, a racing fuel of 100 octane, or more, is a good idea to use.

Q: What type of cam is best suited for use with nitrous oxide?
A: Generally, cams that have less exhaust overlap and more exhaust duration. However, it is best to choose a cam tailored to normal use (when nitrous is not activated) since 99% of most vehicle operations is not at full throttle. There are special cam grinds available for nitrous competition which have more aggressive exhaust profile ramping, etc. Since cam selection depends largely on vehicle weight, gearing, etc., it is best to stick to cam manufacturers' recommendations for your particular goal.

Q: Should I modify my fuel system to use nitrous oxide?
A: Most stock fuel pumps will work adequately for smaller nitrous applications. It is important to check to see if your pump can flow enough fuel to your existing fuel system (whether carburetor or fuel injected), as well as being able to supply the additional fuel required by the nitrous kit under full throttle conditions. It may be a good idea to dedicate a separate fuel pump to the nitrous kit.
Q: Which is the best position to mount a nitrous bottle?
A: Nitrous bottles come with siphon tubes and, in order to maintain proper nitrous pickup, it is important to mount the bottle correctly. We recommend mounting the bottle at approximately 20-30 degrees angle with the valve end higher than the bottom of the bottle. The valve end of the bottle should point to the front of the vehicle and the label should face straight up.

Q: How important is it to use nitrous and fuel filters in a kit?
A: Some of the most important components of any nitrous system are nitrous and fuel filters. The filters will keep contaminants from clogging the solenoids and/or jets.

Q: What are the advantages of using nitrous compared to other performance options?
A: The cost of many other performance options can put you in the poorhouse. Dollar for dollar, you can't buy more performance with less money than nitrous. With a nitrous system, performance and reliability can be had for a much more reasonable price while still retaining the advantage of a stock engine during normal driving. And, nitrous offers tremendous gains in torque without having to rev the engine to excessive rpm's.

Q: How do I know how much nitrous is left in the bottle?
A: The most reliable method is to weigh the bottle to determine how many pounds remain. When a bottle is near empty (about 20% or less nitrous remaining) a surging effect is normally felt.

Q: What is the function of the blow-off safety valve on the bottle?
A: It is very important not to overfill a bottle; i.e., a 10 lb. capacity bottle should not be filled with more than 10 lbs. of nitrous oxide by weight. Over-filling and/or too much heat can cause excessive bottle pressures forcing the safety seal to blow and releasing all the contents out of the bottle.

Q: Will I have to change my ignition system?
A: Most late model ignition systems are well suited for nitrous applications. We recommend that you change the spark plugs for a set that are 2 heat ranges colder and gap them at .035".

CAN YOU RUN NITROUS WITH A MANUAL TRANS CAR?

Yes. Just make sure that you have the correct safety equipment before you do so.

WOT Switch
Window Switch
FPSS

WOT - Wide Open Throttle Switch. It is placed inline with your arming switch, FPSS, and any other safety devices to activate your nitrous. This can be placed either near the throttle body or a momentary push button underneath the gas pedal for a stealth install.

Window Switch - Another wonderful (shouldn't be without) safety device. A must for a M6. It also installs inline with your FPSS, WOT, arming swithch, etc. The window switch does excatly what it says, it is a window for your nitrous to activate. Example. If you have you window switch setup for 3k and 6k, then the nitrous will only activate between those RPM's. It will come on at 3k and automatically shut off at 6k. (Providing it is wired correctly.) Some use pills while others just use dials or dip switches to set the corresponding RPM.

FPSS- Fuel Pressure Safety Switch. This is a simple little part that is very important to have on any/all nitrou systems IMHO. Basically it just senses fuel pressure going to the fuel solenoid and if the pressure drops to an unsafe level it will shut down the nitrous system before severe damage occurs.

Q. How does nitrous oxide create more horsepower?
A. Nitrous oxide provides the oxygen that allows an engine to burn more fuel, more burned fuel equals more power.

Q. What is the difference between a wet and a dry system?
A. A "Wet" system introduces a homogenous mixture of nitrous and atomized fuel into the incoming air stream, thus providing a perfect air/fuel ratio for each.

Q. Can I still run my car all-motor with nitrous installed?
A. Of course, the nitrous system only affects performance when it is being used.

Q. How can nitrous blow my engine up?
A. Nitrous in and of itself cannot "blowup" an engine. Nitrous kits of poor design, poor quality, and improper air/fuel ratios damage engines.

Q. What is nitrous backfire?
A. Nitrous backfires can be caused by two situations. 1. A nitrous system that is too rich or a system that atomizes the fuel poorly, thus causing pooling or puddling of fuel in the intake manifold. 2. A system that is operated too lean.

Q. What is meant by 30, 50, 100, 150, and 200 shots?
A. "Shot" is commonly used slang in the nitrous community to refer to the amount of horsepower increase provided by the nitrous system.

Q. How long can I squeeze nitrous in my engine?
A. With an NX system the only limitation is the capacity of the N2O bottle or the RPM limit of the engine.

Q. When is the best time to use nitrous?
A. When you want to go fast.

Q. How can a nitrous system be activated (a "happy button," automatically, or what)?
A. All NX systems come standard with wide-open throttle switches, however we offer an electronic TPS switch as well as a push button.

Q. What is the safest way to configure nitrous activation?
A. The only safe way is to use a wide open throttle switch, however you may configure any number of ways to "trip" the system but all must be used in conjunction with some type of wide open throttle switch.

Q. Is a bottle heater good?
A. A quality bottle heater is essential to proper nitrous system performance.

Q. Can I vary the amount of nitrous injected when I want?
A. Yes, by utilizing NX's digital progressive controller, the "Maximizer". This devise allows the user to precisely control the amount of nitrous delivered to his engine from the comfort of the drivers seat.

Q. Can I install a nitrous system on my car if there is no kit available?
A. NX has a system for every car manufactured in the world today.

Q. How much of a horsepower increase can I expect from a nitrous system?
A. All NX systems make within 2% of their claimed horsepower, if you jet the system for 50 horsepower then you can expect no less than 49 horsepower, but usually a few more than the rated amount.

Q. How long will a bottle of nitrous last?
A. That depends on the level of power being produced. The formula for calculating your nitrous usage is: 0.8 lbs N2O X 10 seconds = 100 horsepower. I.E. If your system is jetted for 100 horsepower it will use 0.8 lbs of nitrous for every 10 seconds of usage.

Q. How much does it cost to get nitrous refills?
A. The cost of nitrous oxide varies with the region of the country, however a general estimate would be between $3.50-5.00 per pound.

Q. Are there nitrous systems available for late model imports?
A. NX makes a system for every car manufactured today.

Q. What comes with a nitrous kit?
A. Most NX systems come complete with a 10 lb nitrous bottle, stainless steel bottle brackets, 16 ft aircraft style supply line, N2O filter, lifetime warranty nitrous and fuel solenoids with mounts, all standard jet settings, an NX patented Shark nozzle (nozzles), or a patented carbureted plate, wide open throttle switch, a complete installation pack that includes all bolts, nuts, washers, wire, wire terminals, lighted arming switch, and complete instructions with pictures.

Q. Will I need anything else to install the kit properly?
A. To complete the installation a Gen-X package should be ordered with the system. This includes the bottle heater, liquid filled nitrous pressure gauge, low fuel pressure safety switch, and a external bottle vent fitting and plumbing kit.

Q. Can I hide my nitrous system from a novice tuner?
A. Yes, it is quite easy to hide an NX system from the casual observer.

Q. Can I use nitrous on my turbo or supercharged vehicle?
A. Yes, NX specializes in turbo-supercharged nitrous applications.

Q. What are some general rules for creating the most horsepower without damaging anything?
A. Generally speaking the amount of power that can be created with nitrous is almost limitless. To avoid a catastrophe, the internal components of the engine must match the amount of power that is going to be generated. The use of proper air/fuel ratios is essential and the quality of the nitrous system is paramount.

Q. Is a nitrous system worth the money (horsepower per dollar wise)?
A. No other devise in the world offers such a bargain as nitrous oxide.

Q. Why doesn't everyone use nitrous?
A. Nitrous is not for everyone, some people prefer turbos, some like blowers, and others feel it is cheating to use nitrous.

Q. Why does nitrous have such a scary reputation?
A. There has been some very shoddy nitrous "kits" sold to unsuspecting customers over the last 20 years; this along with the abuse nitrous has suffered from "idiots" who damage their own engines.

Q. How much nitrous can I run on my motor?

A. That question cannot be answered without a lot more information, however almost any V8 engine can run up to 150HP boost without any concerns.

Q. I really don’t want to go to that much expense and trouble to install the NXL system, does NX make anything simpler and less costly?

A. The PN 20109 and the 20110 are MAF style nitrous systems that either replace or modify the existing MAF housing with a new billet nitrous system. Both are adjustable from 35 to 150 HP and come with electronic TPAS activation switches. The PN 20920 is always a great option also, adjustable 35-150HP for stock applications and optional settings up to 250HP for modified engines.

Q. I have an LS1 truck and want to install a “hidden” nitrous system, what do you recommend?

A. The PN 20920 is the simplest and easiest of all to install and use. It utilizes a single Shark nozzle and is adjustable from 35-150 HP with optional settings to 250HP. The nozzle can be placed on the underside of the bellows connecting the air cleaner to the throttle body and the solenoids can be easily mounted in a hidden area

.Q. I have an LS style engine with a centrifugal supercharger, can I use nitrous?

A. NX specializes in blower and turbo nitrous applications. The combination of a PN 20920 and a NXd5000 controller is the ultimate set-up. The PN NXd5000 is a boost referenced progressive controller that senses boost and automatically ramps the nitrous charge out as the boost comes up. This controller can handle two stages of nitrous and can ramp in either a boost or time reference. This allows for a straight torque “curve” with no soft spots. The ultimate in nitrous/boost control!

Q. I have a small roots type blower on my street rod, the blower is really cool but just does not produce enough power to satisfy my need for speed. Can you help?

A. The small street blowers can benefit greatly from a small plate style nitrous system. A PN 30040 conventional plate system can turn your 4-71 street blower into a raging 14-71 beast! A 100HP jet setting can produce a true 150HP rear wheel blast. How you ask; the nitrous discharges at 127 degrees below zero, this provides the ultimate intercooler while still producing the advertised 100HP. The 50 extra ponies are just a bonus.

Q. I have a budget 1968 Camaro with a crate engine. The car is great to drive and gets awesome fuel economy but the power is just not there, HELP!

A. You are a great candidate for our PN ML1000 MainLine economy nitrous system. Adjustable 50-100-150HP this system is designed for the hot rodder on a budget. It still uses the same rugged technology as our top of the line systems but all of the “Fluff” has been taken out to lower the price to rock bottom.

Q. What is a progressive controller?

A. The NX Maximizer PN 15959 is an electronic nitrous controller that allows you to apply the nitrous power is a controlled or ramped manner. For instance you can jet your nitrous system for 150HP but launch the car with only 50HP and have the controller ramp up the power over a pre-set amount of time to 150HP. This helps your car handle the tremendous torque produced by the NX “Next Generation” nitrous technology.

Q. I read on the Internet that progressive controllers eat solenoids, is this true?

A. NX “Lightning” solenoids, PN 15200L for example, were specifically designed to be used with a progressive controller and have a limited life-time warranty. Do not try to run the other guys “off shore” solenoids, they can’t take it!

Q. Does NX offer custom nitrous systems?

A. Yes, NX has a complete shop facility that is geared to make the most difficult nitrous applications easy, at least for the customer! Everything from classic cars, to hidden systems, to nitrous for the most obscure applications there’s no challenge too big for NX.

Q. What is a purge valve and do I need one?

A. The purge valve is an auxiliary nitrous solenoid that is activated manually by the driver prior to a nitrous assisted pass. This solenoid vents the gaseous nitrous from the supply line that connects the nitrous bottle to the nitrous solenoid. This allows a pure liquid nitrous charge to enter the engine for an instant surge of power. A purge valve is worth about a tenth of a second on a quarter mile pass. Yes, everyone needs a purge valve.

Q. What is the best gasoline to use with nitrous?

A. As a general rule the higher the octane the better, however steer clear of oxygenated fuels. They have high octane ratings but already have an added oxygen component. This can result in a very lean condition resulting in detonation and engine damage. There are several good companies that offer a nitrous specific fuels. Use the highest octane you can get and you will never be sorry

.Q. My race car runs on methanol, can I run nitrous with methanol?

A. Yes, Nitrous Express specializes in N2O/methanol nitrous applications. Every nitrous system NX sells is available in alcohol enrichment. A strong ignition system is required, but the results are worth the effort. Hugh amounts of torque and detonation resistance are the benefits of using methanol.

Q. Can I rebuild my own solenoids?

A. Yes, all NX solenoids are field serviceable, however all NX solenoids have a limited-Lifetime warranty so no rebuilding should be necessary.

Q. How important is bottle pressure?

A. Bottle pressure is critical to a reliable, repeatable nitrous system. The minimum required to enjoy a trouble free nitrous system is a nitrous pressure gauge PN 15509, and a bottle heater PN 15940.

Q. Is the installation difficult for the average home mechanic?

A. The installation of the nitrous system is straight forward and simple. Anyone with basic shop tools should be able to do the job is a few hours.