Truck Stop Unlimited - All About Trucks & Trailers

Nitrous Oxide

When most people see the words Nitrous Oxide they think of speeding cars and engines blowing up. But what is this magical substance and how does it work?

Nitrous oxide is an oxidising agent used to increase horsepower by allowing the faster burning of fuel. It should be referred to as nitrous or nitrous oxide and not Nos, as Nos is the name of a company that manufacturers it (nitrous oxide systems).

Nitrous oxide is basically the same as air in terms of chemistry and the molecules it consists of, the only difference being it has a higher percentage of oxygen at around 36 %.

Nitrous oxide allows more fuel to be burnt in a shorter space of time because of the extra oxygen it produces, and it is the more fuel being burned that releases the power, not the nitrous.

Types of nitrous systems

Dry nitrous system

A dry nitrous system means only nitrous oxide is injected into the intake and no other fuel. Extra fuel is required and this can be supplied by increasing the pressure in the fuel injection system, or by increasing the time that the fuel injection system stays on for. The extra fuel that can be burnt, combined with the extra oxygen provided by the nitrous oxide is what produces the power.

Wet nitrous system

On wet nitrous systems, nitrous oxide and fuel are injected together through the same nozzle which causes the upper intake to become wet. Wet systems tend to produce more power than dry intake systems and are best suited to turbo / supercharged applications. The downside is they are more expensive, and harder to install.

Direct port system

A direct port system is a type of wet intake system, the difference being the fuel and nitrous are injected into each intake port on the engine. With a direct port nitrous system, the amount of fuel and nitrous delivered to each cylinder can be monitored. Each cylinders nitrous / fuel ratio can then be fine tuned to produce maximum horsepower.

Reliability

Due to increased cylinder pressures, the engine is placed under additional stress. Engine components not up to the stress can be destroyed and the whole engine can be ruined. Provided that the nitrous oxide system is fitted carefully, the engine components can handle the additional stress and it is used correctly, there should be no problems. If short bursts of nitrous oxide are used and when the throttle is fully open it will do the engine no harm. It should be used when acceleration is at its maximum, as this is when the engine is under least pressure.

Legality

Nitrous oxide systems are legal in the states although we do not recommend testing the system on public roads if you are unsure of how much additional power it will produce. Most insurance companies don’t like this sort of modification and your premium may rise substantially. Your warranty may also be affected with this modification.