TECH: Nitrous Oxide FAQ
05-09-2006, 04:00 AM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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Posts: 571
TECH: Nitrous Oxide FAQ
Hiya guys,
I'm seeing a lot of people post here questions about nitrous, what it does, how it works, does it work, is it safe, how to install, what to buy, etc, so I figured I would type this up for everyone who has questions (and hopefully I'll get stickied). Anyways, let us get started...
What exactly is Nitrous Oxide?
Nitrous Oxide, or N2O, is two parts nitrous and one part oxygen. Commonly referred to as funny gas (for it’s use as laughing gas during medical operations), the injection of nitrous oxide into an engine causes the compound to split into nitrous and oxygen, allowing for more oxygen to be used during engine combustion. With more oxygen, you can and must add more fuel, which creates an instant boost of power. Nitrous oxide is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to provide a quick gain of power to any engine.
Nitrous not only provides a large power gain, but when nitrous is injected into the intake of the vehicle, it cools the air coming into the engine. Common physics tell us, that when you cool the air, the density increases, and even more oxygen can make it to the cylinder.
Is It Safe?
Very plain and simple, with a proper tune, nitrous oxide is very safe. Nitrous oxide causes an increase in cylinder pressure, and anytime you do that, you increase the engine’s predisposition to detonation. This is why nitrous powered motors require retarded spark timing. However, nitrous is no more harmful to your engine then any other major power add-on. Too much supercharger boost, low octane fuel, excessive compression ratio, large turbo PSI, or overly lean air-fuel ratio will also cause the same kinds of damage.
The hardest thing with getting nitrous to work properly, is achieving a perfect air/fuel ratio. If you have too much oxygen and not enough fuel, it will cause the engine to “lean” out and increase your chance of detonation. Adding too much fuel will cause your engine to run rich, and will drastically reduce your power gain.
Nitrous oxide is like any other major power add-on. If you use it properly, it works just as well as a turbo or supercharger. When used stupidly, it could cause thousands of dollars in damage and a huge headache. Make sure that the kit is properly installed and that the car is professionally tuned on a Dyno.
What will it give me?
A properly used shot of nitrous will give you a 35-35% increase in power on stock engines. Anything past this is too much power for a stock engine to handle, and could cause durability issues. Take our stock GT engines, up the horsepower to 450hp and do nothing to improve durability and your engine will eventually suffer. However, any add-on will affect the engine past the 450hp mark.
What Types are there?
There are three types of nitrous systems: "Dry", "Wet", and "Direct Port".
"Dry" nitrous system
A “Dry” nitrous system utilizes one solenoid to spray the nitrous oxide into the intake. The nitrous is usually sprayed before the MAF sensor (Mass Air Flow), which tell the computer that a much cooler, denser air is coming into the engine, and allows it to compensate by adding more fuel. This is the cheapest and most ineffective nitrous method. This method is very hard to tune, and can only be used with smaller shots.
"Wet" nitrous system
A “wet” nitrous system is similar to the “dry” system, however, another solenoid is added to inject fuel into the intake to mix with the nitrous. Instead of using the MAF to compensate for the nitrous, fuel is drawn from the fuel rail and mixed with the nitrous in the intake. "Wet" nitrous systems produce more power then “dry” systems, but are more expensive and tend to be more difficult to install.
"Direct Port" nitrous system
I am not going to go to far into the specifics of the “Direct Port” system, because if your are considering installing this, you probably shouldn’t be reading this FAQ. A “direct port" nitrous system injects the nitrous/fuel mix directly into each cylinder. A “direct port” system is the most powerful and efficient type of nitrous system, and by far the most expensive. Most “direct port” systems are built and used in race applications.
How long does installation take?
To install a wet kit, you should factor a install time of 3-5 hours. Installation of most kits are very straight forward and come with step-by-step directions with specific installation drawings, wiring diagrams, and bottle mounting procedures as well as performance tips and a thorough trouble shooting guide.
So when do I get to push the button like in the movies?
You don't. Newer nitrous systems don't have Push-Button activation, but rather, are automatically controlled. All you have to do it flip the arming switch to activate the system. The system will then "spray" only at WOT (wide open throttle) and, if you have a window switch, only through certain RPM ranges.
Can you use regular gas?
Use of a premium type leaded or unleaded fuel of 93, or greater, octance is recommended for most applications. Many 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, must be used.
What nitrous kit should I get?
First of all, I would NOT recommend the Dynotune kit. I had 3 solenoids fail on me before I finally gave up, so its not a well built kit. With Nitrous, it truely is, you get what you pay for. Don't look for cheap kits. Now, with that being said, N/X and Zex are both very good kits. The only real difference between them is the way the solenoids are. The Zex kit contains a box with the solenoids, so nothing is really exposed. Its a MUCH cleaner looking kit, and intalls MUCH quicker (you don't need to pay your tuner to install it, you can do it yourself). Also, the good thing about the Zex kit is the integrated TPS. This way your activation is always at WOT, I don't think the N/X kit comes with that.
Overall, I would suggest the ZEX kit, especially if your are doing the install on your own. However, seeing as there is no major difference, if your installer likes working from N/X, then it probably would be smarter to get that (since they know it better).
How much will the wet shot kit cost me?
Alright, lets do some number crunching... (This is just an estimate of different parts you need)
Hardware
05-06 Mustang GT Nitrous System - $489
This includes a 10lb bottle with high flow valve, 4AN stainless bottle nut & Teflon washer, stainless quick connect Bottle brackets and hardware, 16 foot braided stainless feed line, high Flow Nitrous and Fuel solenoids, solenoid mounting bracket, 2 foot Braided stainless Nitrous and Fuel feed lines, braided stainless line for Fuel rail test port installation, jets for 75, 100 and 150HP, high flow Wet Nozzle "Chrome", Wet Nozzle Mounting adaptor so the Nozzle does not blow out during injection causing a fire, lighted arming switch, relay, wire and wire harness, fuse, crimp terminals etc, micro throttle activation switch and mounting bracket and a 22 page Nitrous installation and tuning book.
Accessories
Bottle Opener - $219
Billet Aluminum Remote Bottle Valve Opener with Handle. Show quality. Quick release head with built in Valve ****. This will prevent you from having to go to your trunk everytime to open the bottle.
Bottle Heater - $139
This is a rubbery strap that gets wrapped around your bottle to heat it up and increase the pressure in the bottle, which will actually affect performance quite a bit, especially if you live in colder regions where your bottle pressure will be too low and you will yield much less results. They come with an automatic pressure se
I'm seeing a lot of people post here questions about nitrous, what it does, how it works, does it work, is it safe, how to install, what to buy, etc, so I figured I would type this up for everyone who has questions (and hopefully I'll get stickied). Anyways, let us get started...
What exactly is Nitrous Oxide?
Nitrous Oxide, or N2O, is two parts nitrous and one part oxygen. Commonly referred to as funny gas (for it’s use as laughing gas during medical operations), the injection of nitrous oxide into an engine causes the compound to split into nitrous and oxygen, allowing for more oxygen to be used during engine combustion. With more oxygen, you can and must add more fuel, which creates an instant boost of power. Nitrous oxide is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to provide a quick gain of power to any engine.
Nitrous not only provides a large power gain, but when nitrous is injected into the intake of the vehicle, it cools the air coming into the engine. Common physics tell us, that when you cool the air, the density increases, and even more oxygen can make it to the cylinder.
Is It Safe?
Very plain and simple, with a proper tune, nitrous oxide is very safe. Nitrous oxide causes an increase in cylinder pressure, and anytime you do that, you increase the engine’s predisposition to detonation. This is why nitrous powered motors require retarded spark timing. However, nitrous is no more harmful to your engine then any other major power add-on. Too much supercharger boost, low octane fuel, excessive compression ratio, large turbo PSI, or overly lean air-fuel ratio will also cause the same kinds of damage.
The hardest thing with getting nitrous to work properly, is achieving a perfect air/fuel ratio. If you have too much oxygen and not enough fuel, it will cause the engine to “lean” out and increase your chance of detonation. Adding too much fuel will cause your engine to run rich, and will drastically reduce your power gain.
Nitrous oxide is like any other major power add-on. If you use it properly, it works just as well as a turbo or supercharger. When used stupidly, it could cause thousands of dollars in damage and a huge headache. Make sure that the kit is properly installed and that the car is professionally tuned on a Dyno.
What will it give me?
A properly used shot of nitrous will give you a 35-35% increase in power on stock engines. Anything past this is too much power for a stock engine to handle, and could cause durability issues. Take our stock GT engines, up the horsepower to 450hp and do nothing to improve durability and your engine will eventually suffer. However, any add-on will affect the engine past the 450hp mark.
What Types are there?
There are three types of nitrous systems: "Dry", "Wet", and "Direct Port".
"Dry" nitrous system
A “Dry” nitrous system utilizes one solenoid to spray the nitrous oxide into the intake. The nitrous is usually sprayed before the MAF sensor (Mass Air Flow), which tell the computer that a much cooler, denser air is coming into the engine, and allows it to compensate by adding more fuel. This is the cheapest and most ineffective nitrous method. This method is very hard to tune, and can only be used with smaller shots.
"Wet" nitrous system
A “wet” nitrous system is similar to the “dry” system, however, another solenoid is added to inject fuel into the intake to mix with the nitrous. Instead of using the MAF to compensate for the nitrous, fuel is drawn from the fuel rail and mixed with the nitrous in the intake. "Wet" nitrous systems produce more power then “dry” systems, but are more expensive and tend to be more difficult to install.
"Direct Port" nitrous system
I am not going to go to far into the specifics of the “Direct Port” system, because if your are considering installing this, you probably shouldn’t be reading this FAQ. A “direct port" nitrous system injects the nitrous/fuel mix directly into each cylinder. A “direct port” system is the most powerful and efficient type of nitrous system, and by far the most expensive. Most “direct port” systems are built and used in race applications.
How long does installation take?
To install a wet kit, you should factor a install time of 3-5 hours. Installation of most kits are very straight forward and come with step-by-step directions with specific installation drawings, wiring diagrams, and bottle mounting procedures as well as performance tips and a thorough trouble shooting guide.
So when do I get to push the button like in the movies?
You don't. Newer nitrous systems don't have Push-Button activation, but rather, are automatically controlled. All you have to do it flip the arming switch to activate the system. The system will then "spray" only at WOT (wide open throttle) and, if you have a window switch, only through certain RPM ranges.
Can you use regular gas?
Use of a premium type leaded or unleaded fuel of 93, or greater, octance is recommended for most applications. Many 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, must be used.
What nitrous kit should I get?
First of all, I would NOT recommend the Dynotune kit. I had 3 solenoids fail on me before I finally gave up, so its not a well built kit. With Nitrous, it truely is, you get what you pay for. Don't look for cheap kits. Now, with that being said, N/X and Zex are both very good kits. The only real difference between them is the way the solenoids are. The Zex kit contains a box with the solenoids, so nothing is really exposed. Its a MUCH cleaner looking kit, and intalls MUCH quicker (you don't need to pay your tuner to install it, you can do it yourself). Also, the good thing about the Zex kit is the integrated TPS. This way your activation is always at WOT, I don't think the N/X kit comes with that.
Overall, I would suggest the ZEX kit, especially if your are doing the install on your own. However, seeing as there is no major difference, if your installer likes working from N/X, then it probably would be smarter to get that (since they know it better).
How much will the wet shot kit cost me?
Alright, lets do some number crunching... (This is just an estimate of different parts you need)
Hardware
05-06 Mustang GT Nitrous System - $489
This includes a 10lb bottle with high flow valve, 4AN stainless bottle nut & Teflon washer, stainless quick connect Bottle brackets and hardware, 16 foot braided stainless feed line, high Flow Nitrous and Fuel solenoids, solenoid mounting bracket, 2 foot Braided stainless Nitrous and Fuel feed lines, braided stainless line for Fuel rail test port installation, jets for 75, 100 and 150HP, high flow Wet Nozzle "Chrome", Wet Nozzle Mounting adaptor so the Nozzle does not blow out during injection causing a fire, lighted arming switch, relay, wire and wire harness, fuse, crimp terminals etc, micro throttle activation switch and mounting bracket and a 22 page Nitrous installation and tuning book.
Accessories
Bottle Opener - $219
Billet Aluminum Remote Bottle Valve Opener with Handle. Show quality. Quick release head with built in Valve ****. This will prevent you from having to go to your trunk everytime to open the bottle.
Bottle Heater - $139
This is a rubbery strap that gets wrapped around your bottle to heat it up and increase the pressure in the bottle, which will actually affect performance quite a bit, especially if you live in colder regions where your bottle pressure will be too low and you will yield much less results. They come with an automatic pressure se
05-09-2006, 07:17 PM
#5
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: TECH: Nitrous Oxide FAQ
ORIGINAL: jet22
damn! ... nice write up
, keep in mind. In some states it is illigal to have the bottle open on public roads. I don't know if the bottle opener is street legal
damn! ... nice write up
, keep in mind. In some states it is illigal to have the bottle open on public roads. I don't know if the bottle opener is street legal
~Fred
05-10-2006, 04:44 AM
#7
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: TECH: Nitrous Oxide FAQ
ORIGINAL: Remrats1234
wow, how considerate of u...thanks for the people who ask and havnt thanked u yet
wow, how considerate of u...thanks for the people who ask and havnt thanked u yet
4 Q and As added
Is Nitrous Oxide illegal?
Where is the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) wire?
Where can I get a Tach signal for my window switch?
Can I use platinum plugs with nitrous injection?
05-11-2006, 05:02 AM
#9
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: TECH: Nitrous Oxide FAQ
ORIGINAL: jet22
dude you are cool... I recomend this as a sticky
dude you are cool... I recomend this as a sticky
Added 3 more questions. I'll put up a picture install guide tomorrow when I pull them off my digital camera.
How did you get the bottle to mount in the trunk?
Do I have to drill a hole to run the nitrous line from my bottle out of my trunk?
What shot is safe for our cars?
~Fred
