Let’s Talk Nitrous Oxide
I’ve heard all types of definitions of what Nitrous is over the years, well here is a simple definition ”it is a chemical which contains oxygen which will allow your engine to burn more fuel faster increasing HP in a engine”. Nitrous is often seen on naturally aspirated engines but has become a popular application to help spool a turbo quicker. Below are just a few things that many should ask themselves prior to making that leap into Nitrous.
Budget for your performance upgrade (Bottle filling, Professional Installation, Tuning and Additional accessories that do not come in a standard kit).
Nitrous Kit $450-2k
$50-$60 fill-up
Installation 4 hours or more depending on how detailed you want the setup to be.
Standard kit parts
Bottle
Nitrous and fuel solenoids
Fuel filters
AN stainless braided supply line
Switches
Wiring
All necessary hardware (items will vary kit to kit)
Additional items suggested for a proper setup
Bottle Heater, Pressure Gauge or regulator, Purge Valve and Remote Valve.
How much power are you looking to get out of your engine, naturally larger engines will handle larger shots of Nitrous.
A “shot” is how much horsepower the Nitrous system is adding to the engine. On average a 100 shot is adding 100 flywheel horsepower. The horsepower can easily be increased or decreased by swapping out metering jets. Most Nitrous kits have multiple jets but are easily picked up at a local tuner shop in your area.
FUEL and do you have enough to keep up with the increased forced induction.
Fuel Pump
Fuel pressure regulator
Do you have the ability to tune and if not how can you tune your engine.
Hand held tuning units
To full standing tunable aftermarket ECU’s
Tuner can take upwards to 4 hours setting up a proper tune depending on the HP numbers you are looking for (Timing is key for a Nitrous motor to work properly)
Type of Kit (Wet or Dry)
A wet Nitrous kit system injects additional fuel along with Nitrous oxide. A dry Nitrous kit only injects Nitrous oxide into the engine, without the use of another system to add fuel.
Most tuners prefer to work with a wet kit. Tuners can tune more precisely, which is important for maximum HP gains and life of your engine.
Dry kits require a bit more skill than the wet kit. Dry system can be less precise when tuning. In most cases injectors will need to be switched out to a larger size. With the dry kit, you are relying on the injectors, MAF, and the computer to add extra fuel.
The most important piece of advice I can offer is that you always start out with a small jet on a new Nitrous setup no matter how many times you have installed systems. It will cost you a lot less money and headaches if you are able to identify the kinks in your setup early (clogged fuel line, incorrect fuel or Nitrous jets installed, etc).
Budget for your performance upgrade (Bottle filling, Professional Installation, Tuning and Additional accessories that do not come in a standard kit).
Nitrous Kit $450-2k
$50-$60 fill-up
Installation 4 hours or more depending on how detailed you want the setup to be.
Standard kit parts
Bottle
Nitrous and fuel solenoids
Fuel filters
AN stainless braided supply line
Switches
Wiring
All necessary hardware (items will vary kit to kit)
Additional items suggested for a proper setup
Bottle Heater, Pressure Gauge or regulator, Purge Valve and Remote Valve.
How much power are you looking to get out of your engine, naturally larger engines will handle larger shots of Nitrous.
A “shot” is how much horsepower the Nitrous system is adding to the engine. On average a 100 shot is adding 100 flywheel horsepower. The horsepower can easily be increased or decreased by swapping out metering jets. Most Nitrous kits have multiple jets but are easily picked up at a local tuner shop in your area.
FUEL and do you have enough to keep up with the increased forced induction.
Fuel Pump
Fuel pressure regulator
Do you have the ability to tune and if not how can you tune your engine.
Hand held tuning units
To full standing tunable aftermarket ECU’s
Tuner can take upwards to 4 hours setting up a proper tune depending on the HP numbers you are looking for (Timing is key for a Nitrous motor to work properly)
Type of Kit (Wet or Dry)
A wet Nitrous kit system injects additional fuel along with Nitrous oxide. A dry Nitrous kit only injects Nitrous oxide into the engine, without the use of another system to add fuel.
Most tuners prefer to work with a wet kit. Tuners can tune more precisely, which is important for maximum HP gains and life of your engine.
Dry kits require a bit more skill than the wet kit. Dry system can be less precise when tuning. In most cases injectors will need to be switched out to a larger size. With the dry kit, you are relying on the injectors, MAF, and the computer to add extra fuel.
The most important piece of advice I can offer is that you always start out with a small jet on a new Nitrous setup no matter how many times you have installed systems. It will cost you a lot less money and headaches if you are able to identify the kinks in your setup early (clogged fuel line, incorrect fuel or Nitrous jets installed, etc).