Nitrous Oxide System

A NOS engine is an engine in which the oxygen required for burning the fuel stems from the decomposition of nitrous oxide. The system allows fuel to be burned at a higher rate than normal, which significantly increases the internal combustion engine’s power. It is a popular accessory among street racers. The term NOS comes from Nitrous Oxide System, which was one of the pioneering companies of nitrous oxide use in vehicles.

Brands

There are two main types of nitrous systems: wet and dry. There are then four main sub types of a wet system: plenum bar, plate, direct port, and single point. In a dry nitrous system, extra fuel is funnelled through the fuel injectors which keep the manifold dry, which is how it gets its name. Dry nitrous systems depend on a single type nozzle that only sprays nitrous through it as opposed to fuel and nitrous. A wet system introduces the fuel and nitrous together, and there are four different sub-categories to how this is done. Each system has its own benefits and drawbacks, depending on what type of NOS system you are looking for.

Safety

There is certainly some risk when using nitrous oxide. It is recommended that you use 60 hp for a stock SC using a NOS dry kit. NOS considers this to be reliable and safe. If the nitrous bottle pressure becomes too high (because it was overfilled or overheated), there is the possibility that it could explode, which could lead to death. You also have to be very careful when handling nitrous. It can cause serious injury if it comes into contact with any part of your body, and its fumes can potentially lead to fainting and brain damage.

Benefits

The biggest benefit to adding nitrous oxide to your vehicle is the performance boost. There is no modification available that will increase your horsepower the way nitrous does. Superchargers or turbochargers have to build engine rpm to make more horsepower, where nitrous oxide gives you an instant horsepower gain. This is what makes nitrous so popular among street racers and drag racers, because it can instantly give you a large surge of power at the start or near the end of the race. If used wisely, it is a low cost and easily installed horsepower boost, which is perfect for racers.

Drawbacks

The biggest drawback to using nitrous oxide is having to constantly refill the bottle. The gas is extremely cold, and can cause serious injury if it comes into contact with your skin. Thus, it can be dangerous, so it is important to take extreme caution when handling nitrous and refilling your tank. If you use nitrous oxide too frequently or it is installed incorrectly there is the potential that you could seriously damage your engine. You can prevent this by making sure you do not exceed your manufacturer’s recommended horsepower level.

Cost

One of the biggest advantages of nitrous oxide is the cost, as no modification will give you more horsepower per dollar. The cost of nitrous oxide varies depending on where you live, but a rough estimate is somewhere between $3 and $5 per pound. For every 100 horsepower it uses about 0.8 pounds of nitrous. Most systems could with a 10 pound bottle, which means there should be a fair amount of time between fill ups.