Over the years nitrous has gotten a bad wrap. Most folks think it will damage the motor. The truth is if you do it right nitrous can be fun and easy to use without damaging your motor in any way. Even if you have a high mileage motor nitrous can still be used.
Small 100 horse power nitrous shots can be used on most motors without a whole lot of tuning and upgrades. Edelbrock and Holley both make great carbureted nitrous kits. If you have a fuel injected car you have tons of choices on which system to use and which functions you prefer.
Now days nitrous is complicated on the inside but one of the easiest, cheapest bolton’s you can get. Nitrous is by far your biggest bang for dollar up grade. You can bolt on up to 400 extra horses for about $600.00. That’s not bad at all!!
Here’s a break down on how a carbureted system works. Things can get pretty complicated if you want but they can be really simple if you just want more power. A standard NOS kit for a carbureted engine comes with a few basic parts that are pretty much the same across all of the manufactures. A square bore or spread bore base plate. This goes under the carburetor and supplies the nitrous and fuel to the air and fuel under the carburetor. This is known as a “wet system” because it sprays fuel and nitrous adding the extra fuel needed via a fuel solenoid. The nitrous is supplied via the nitrous solenoid. A dry system is a nitrous solenoid added to the air intake, usually dry systems are used on EFI applications. The extra fuel is needed so the engine does not run lean and burn holes in the pistons and do even more damage. The more nitrous you spray the more gas you need to spray as well.
Controllers and safety goods can be used to keep this from happening. A nitrous controller can adjust the flow of fuel, nitrous and spark curve. Of course you’ll have the lines switches and electronics. A WOP switch mounted on the carburator throttle linkage is the best way to trigger the go juice. A micro switch is supplied with most kits and isn’t all that hard to install. This only lets the nitrous and fuel solinodes work when the gas is mashed wide open and the switch makes contact. Never hit the nitrous button under 3500 RPM’s and that’s on the low side 4000-4500 is a better RPM range.
An EFI nitrous kit is much the same as a carbureted kit. You have all the same ingredients aside from the carburetor plate is now a throttle body plate and goes between the throttle body and upper intake of an EFI motor. You can run both wet and dry systems on a computer controlled car. Most choose to set up a dry system. A nitrous nozzle is fitted in the air intake tube and it’s done. Very easy, very straight forward and a ton of fun.