Okay, so you want to go fast. Having driven stock cars and dragsters back in the days when a man could afford to build and race his own car without a bunch of wealthy sponsors to finance his venture, I can dig wanting to go fast. I was an inveterate street racer back in the 60s and 70s when NoX system was making the scene with the go fast crowd. Nitrous Oxide injectors are one of the most cost effective bolt-on systems available to give any car more get up and go. Nitrous Oxide is a man made gas that was first produced by Joseph Priestly, a British chemist in 1772 but wasn’t used with internal combustion engines until 1942. Like with so many other discoveries, it took World War II to find a practical use for them. In 1942, it was discovered that Nitrous Oxide to could be used to give fighter planes the power boost they needed to operate at very high altitudes. Prior to that, Nitrous Oxides claim to fame was its use as an antistatic.
With the auto enthusiast, Nitrous Oxides advantage is that it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to install compared to other performance modifications. Installing high-lift cams, stroked crankshafts, high-compression pistons, etc. all requires pulling and disassembling the engine. A NoX system, on the other hand, is a relatively simple bolt-on modification that almost any car enthusiast can do for him/her self. The question is, is a Nitrous Oxide Injection system right for your car? On the other hand, to ask the same question another way, can the engine in your car handle a NoX power boost without coming apart?
Nitrous Oxide produces such an intense increase in combustion chamber temperature and pressure that the engine must be maintained in perfect working order. Any internal problems i.e. worn bearings, cylinders, piston rings, valves, etc. will be magnified ten fold. If there are any mechanical problems with your engine or driveline correct them before you even consider bolting a NOS (Nitrous Oxide System) on.
There are three basic types of NoX systems, dry systems, wet systems, and direct port systems. With the dry system the fuel is sent to the engine using the stock fuel injection system. In the wet system, Nitrous Oxide and fuel are supplied to the throttle body together through a fogger. In the direct port system, is a wet system in which each engine cylinder has its own fogger. Now, lets take a look at the basic components of a NoX system and see how they are interconnected.
As an aside here, if you decide to install a NoX system it would behoove you to buy a kit designed for your specific vehicle because you not only get all the essential components in one package, it eliminates all the math calculations that you would have to make to ascertain the specifications of the individual system components.
The Nitrous Oxide Tank
The NoX tank is a special high-pressure vessel designed and certified to withstand pressures of up to 1800 psi (Pounds per Square Inch). The NoX bottle must be tested and recertified every five years before a nitrous dealer will charge the tank. Nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid under a pressure of 850psi. Liquid NoX boils at -127 degrees Fahrenheit so, at room temperature it must be stored under 850 psi to keep it in a liquid state.
The NoX tank is the first component to be installed and it is mounted in the trunk of the vehicle for safety purposes. The tank must be mounted at an exact angle of 15-degrees to ensure that all the Nitrous will be used. The Nitrous Oxide is carried to the solenoids mounted in the engine bay through nylon or Teflon lined steel-braided pipes. The solenoids are electrically controlled valves controlled by two switches, a micro switch mounted beneath the accelerator and a momentary contact switch controlled by the driver. The micro switch assures that the NoX injector can only be activated at full throttle. The momentary contact switch assures that the NoX injector will not be activated accidentally. More high-pressure braided lines carry he fuel and Nitrous, which are separate at this point, to the intake manifold.
The Regulator
The regulator controls the pressure of the NoX as it leaves the tank, allowing it to change state from liquid to gaseous but keeping the pressure down to that required by the valves and foggers.
The Pump
The pump shown on my diagram is the vehicles fuel pump, which may be located in the fuel tank, adjacent to the fuel tank, or some other location.
Installation
Every kit comes with detailed instructions for installing the system on the vehicle that it was designed for. Follow those instructions to the letter.
Tuning the system
Tuning the injector system to operate efficiently with your vehicle’s engine is a key step. The size of the jets, the fuel and nitrous pressure, and ignition timing will vary from one engine to another so follow the tuning instructions that come with your kit.
In closing I just want to remind everyone that street racing is not only dangerous, it’s against the law. Yes, I did say that I use to be a street racer but I was young and foolish and very, very lucky. It’s a great feeling knowing that the horses are there if you really need them but call upon them wisely.
