Wiki source for Nitrous-Oxide
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous is an often used abbreviation for the chemical compound nitrous oxide (N2O) also referred to as NOS. The term NOS is derived from the abbreviation of the company name Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS), one of the pioneering companies in the development of nitrous oxide injection systems for automotive performance use. However, the referral of nitrous oxide as "NOS" (or "NAWS," as some verbally pronounce it) is highly looked down upon, and any expectation of intelligence drops immediately.
Nitrous oxide is an oxidizing agent used to increase an engine's power output by allowing more fuel (usually gasoline or alcohol) to be burned than would normally be the case.
Nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid in tanks, but because of its low boiling point it vaporizes easily when released to atmosphere. When injected into an inlet manifold this characteristic causes a reduction in air/fuel charge temperature with an associated increase in density, thereby increasing the cylinder's volumetric efficiency.
When N2O breaks down in the engines combustion phase, the oxygen atoms are freed from their bond to the nitrogen atoms in an exothermic reaction, contributing to the overall power increase.
Contents
1 Safety
1.1 Power Limits
1.2 Bottle Heater
1.3 Cutoff Switches
2 Kits
2.1 Wet
2.2 Dry
2.3 Direct Port
Safety
Power Limits
Generally speaking, the 2.4L Twin Cam can handle up to a 100HP shot of nitrous safely. Most run between 50-75HP nitrous nozzles. Wet is far safer for the engine, as you don't want to rely on the ECU to send extra fuel in that split second the nitrous begins to spray, not to mention whether or not the stock injectors can safely put out enough fuel to compensate for the extra air, or if the tune can even take that. Wet systems introduce fuel as well as nitrous. Direct port is the safest and also the most complex.
Bottle Heater
Bottle heaters are a good idea to maintain the same nitrous pressure as the liquid level drops during use. Putting in more fuel without the same amount of nitrous results in an incorrect air/fuel ratio and poor performance. Not to mention a loss of the power nitrous provides.
Cutoff Switches
Low fuel pressure, oil pressure, and lean cutoff switches are a must with nitrous systems. In any instance that your fuel pressure drops below a safe level, it will cause the engine to go lean (too much air). At wide open throttle, that leads to detonation, melted pistons and other major internal engine damage. A proper air/fuel ratio is critical to any power adder. Likewise low oil pressure will cause your engine rotating assembly to not be properly lubricated, causing spun bearings and other major engine damage. If you use the proper safety tools and spray with the engine tuned or built for it, nitrous is an excellent way to make far more power.
Kits
Nitrous kits generally include the bottle, bracket, feed lines, switches, solenoids, and nozzle(s). Basically everything you'll need to hook it up and go.
Wet
A wet single-point nitrous system introduces the fuel and nitrous together, causing the upper intake to become wet with fuel. In carbureted applications, this is typically accomplished with a spraybar plate mounted between the carburetor base and the intake manifold, while cars fitted with electronic fuel injection often use a plate mounted between the manifold and the base of the throttle body, or a single nozzle mounted in the intake tract. However, most makes of nitrous systems combined with unsuitable intake designs, often result in distribution problems and/or intake backfires. Dry-flow intakes are designed to contain only air, which will travel through smaller pipes and tighter turns with less pressure, whereas wet-flow intakes are designed to contain a mixture of fuel and air. Wet nitrous systems tend to produce more power than dry systems, but in some cases can be more expensive and difficult to install. A wet nozzle differs in the way that it takes in both nitrous and fuel which are metered by jets to create a perfect or proper air-fuel ratio (AFR).
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
Dry
In a dry nitrous system, extra fuel required is introduced through the fuel injectors, keeping the manifold dry of nitrous. This property is what gives the dry system its name. Fuel flow can be increased either by increasing the pressure in the fuel injection system, or by modifying the vehicle's computer to increase the time the fuel injectors remain open during the engine cycle. This is typically done by spraying nitrous past the mass airflow sensor (MAF), which then sends a signal to the vehicle's computer telling it that it sees colder denser air, and that more fuel is needed. This is typically not an exact method of adding fuel. Once additional fuel has been introduced, it can burn with the extra oxygen provided by the nitrous, providing additional power. Dry nitrous systems rely on a single type nozzle that only sprays nitrous through it, not nitrous and fuel. These nitrous nozzles generally spray in a 90 degree pattern.
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
Direct Port
A wet direct port nitrous system introduces nitrous and fuel directly into each intake port on the engine. These systems are also known as direct port nitrous systems. Normally, these systems combine nitrous and fuel through several nozzles similar in design to a wet single-point nozzle, which mixes and meters the nitrous and fuel delivered to each cylinder individually, allowing each cylinder's nitrous/fuel ratio to be adjusted without affecting the other cylinders. Note that there are still several ways to introduce nitrous through a direct port system. There are several different types of nozzles and placements ranging from fogger nozzles that requires one to drill and tap the manifold, to specialty direct port E.F.I. nozzles that fit into the fuel injector ports along with the fuel injectors.
A multi-point system is the most powerful type of nitrous system, due to the placement of the nozzle in each runner, as well as the ability to use more and higher capacity solenoid valves. These systems are also the most complex and expensive systems, requiring significant modification to the engine, including adding distribution blocks and solenoid assemblies, as well as drilling, tapping and constructing plumbing for each cylinder runner. These systems are most often used on racing vehicles specially built to take the strain of such high power levels.
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
Nitrous is an often used abbreviation for the chemical compound nitrous oxide (N2O) also referred to as NOS. The term NOS is derived from the abbreviation of the company name Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS), one of the pioneering companies in the development of nitrous oxide injection systems for automotive performance use. However, the referral of nitrous oxide as "NOS" (or "NAWS," as some verbally pronounce it) is highly looked down upon, and any expectation of intelligence drops immediately.
Nitrous oxide is an oxidizing agent used to increase an engine's power output by allowing more fuel (usually gasoline or alcohol) to be burned than would normally be the case.
Nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid in tanks, but because of its low boiling point it vaporizes easily when released to atmosphere. When injected into an inlet manifold this characteristic causes a reduction in air/fuel charge temperature with an associated increase in density, thereby increasing the cylinder's volumetric efficiency.
When N2O breaks down in the engines combustion phase, the oxygen atoms are freed from their bond to the nitrogen atoms in an exothermic reaction, contributing to the overall power increase.
Contents
1 Safety
1.1 Power Limits
1.2 Bottle Heater
1.3 Cutoff Switches
2 Kits
2.1 Wet
2.2 Dry
2.3 Direct Port
Safety
Power Limits
Generally speaking, the 2.4L Twin Cam can handle up to a 100HP shot of nitrous safely. Most run between 50-75HP nitrous nozzles. Wet is far safer for the engine, as you don't want to rely on the ECU to send extra fuel in that split second the nitrous begins to spray, not to mention whether or not the stock injectors can safely put out enough fuel to compensate for the extra air, or if the tune can even take that. Wet systems introduce fuel as well as nitrous. Direct port is the safest and also the most complex.
Bottle Heater
Bottle heaters are a good idea to maintain the same nitrous pressure as the liquid level drops during use. Putting in more fuel without the same amount of nitrous results in an incorrect air/fuel ratio and poor performance. Not to mention a loss of the power nitrous provides.
Cutoff Switches
Low fuel pressure, oil pressure, and lean cutoff switches are a must with nitrous systems. In any instance that your fuel pressure drops below a safe level, it will cause the engine to go lean (too much air). At wide open throttle, that leads to detonation, melted pistons and other major internal engine damage. A proper air/fuel ratio is critical to any power adder. Likewise low oil pressure will cause your engine rotating assembly to not be properly lubricated, causing spun bearings and other major engine damage. If you use the proper safety tools and spray with the engine tuned or built for it, nitrous is an excellent way to make far more power.
Kits
Nitrous kits generally include the bottle, bracket, feed lines, switches, solenoids, and nozzle(s). Basically everything you'll need to hook it up and go.
Wet
A wet single-point nitrous system introduces the fuel and nitrous together, causing the upper intake to become wet with fuel. In carbureted applications, this is typically accomplished with a spraybar plate mounted between the carburetor base and the intake manifold, while cars fitted with electronic fuel injection often use a plate mounted between the manifold and the base of the throttle body, or a single nozzle mounted in the intake tract. However, most makes of nitrous systems combined with unsuitable intake designs, often result in distribution problems and/or intake backfires. Dry-flow intakes are designed to contain only air, which will travel through smaller pipes and tighter turns with less pressure, whereas wet-flow intakes are designed to contain a mixture of fuel and air. Wet nitrous systems tend to produce more power than dry systems, but in some cases can be more expensive and difficult to install. A wet nozzle differs in the way that it takes in both nitrous and fuel which are metered by jets to create a perfect or proper air-fuel ratio (AFR).
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
Dry
In a dry nitrous system, extra fuel required is introduced through the fuel injectors, keeping the manifold dry of nitrous. This property is what gives the dry system its name. Fuel flow can be increased either by increasing the pressure in the fuel injection system, or by modifying the vehicle's computer to increase the time the fuel injectors remain open during the engine cycle. This is typically done by spraying nitrous past the mass airflow sensor (MAF), which then sends a signal to the vehicle's computer telling it that it sees colder denser air, and that more fuel is needed. This is typically not an exact method of adding fuel. Once additional fuel has been introduced, it can burn with the extra oxygen provided by the nitrous, providing additional power. Dry nitrous systems rely on a single type nozzle that only sprays nitrous through it, not nitrous and fuel. These nitrous nozzles generally spray in a 90 degree pattern.
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
Direct Port
A wet direct port nitrous system introduces nitrous and fuel directly into each intake port on the engine. These systems are also known as direct port nitrous systems. Normally, these systems combine nitrous and fuel through several nozzles similar in design to a wet single-point nozzle, which mixes and meters the nitrous and fuel delivered to each cylinder individually, allowing each cylinder's nitrous/fuel ratio to be adjusted without affecting the other cylinders. Note that there are still several ways to introduce nitrous through a direct port system. There are several different types of nozzles and placements ranging from fogger nozzles that requires one to drill and tap the manifold, to specialty direct port E.F.I. nozzles that fit into the fuel injector ports along with the fuel injectors.
A multi-point system is the most powerful type of nitrous system, due to the placement of the nozzle in each runner, as well as the ability to use more and higher capacity solenoid valves. These systems are also the most complex and expensive systems, requiring significant modification to the engine, including adding distribution blocks and solenoid assemblies, as well as drilling, tapping and constructing plumbing for each cylinder runner. These systems are most often used on racing vehicles specially built to take the strain of such high power levels.
Available through Nitrous Express, NOS, Zex, etc.
