Let me begin by saying, these are purely answers about my personal nitrous setup. I am not a nitrous expert, but I am merely sharing my personal experience with it, and whatever little knowledge I have acquired about the subject.
That said, I hope this quells some inquiries and saves me some inbox space. Remember, it's nitrous (oxide), not NOS. NOS is a brand. I WILL flame you if you refer to it as NOS.
Gosh Ken! What kit are you running? And why? It sure is swell!
I am running a NX Express Wet Shot kit. Why NX Express? It's a quality brand and I got a good deal on it used. Their customer service is also VERY helpful during install. Wizards of NOS, ZEX, and Dynotune are other quality brands. NOS is considered one of the worst and cheapest.
...but what's a wet shot? That sounds so yucky! Hehe!
A wet shot is where the nitrous system is tapped into your vehicle's fuel lines, and sprays a mixture of nitrous oxide and fuel into your manifold when activated. This helps keep your A/F nice and happy. Kits that do not do this are referred to as "dry" kits, and with those, you run the risk of running lean...which means kaboom.
Isn't nitrous for r1cers? It's unsafe! You're a stupid doodoo head because you will blow up your car! What safety precautions did you take?
No, if you think that nitrous is unsafe and for r1cers, then you are either an idiot, or know nothing about cars beyond Fast & The Furious. It also means you should probably shut up. It's been used for a long long time in muscle cars, and in airplanes waaaaay back in the day. It's perfectly safe if you know what you're doing. My setup is controlled by a NX Express FJO Controller. It controls when you spray based on two things; your RPM (window switch), and whether or not you're at full throttle (WOT switch). You can also adjust how much to spray within an RPM range. All of this is set via USB on a laptop. This way, you don't have to hit a button to spray like the movies, you don't spray at redline (which is no good). But in general, you want a window switch and WOT switch.
The NX Express FJO Controller in action.
![Image]()
So what is considered a safe shot on our cars? Will I need additional tuning or adjustments? I don't want to destroy my precious car!!!
The general consensus is that a 50 shot is perfectly safe on our cars. You can do so without any sort of timing adjustment or tuning. I have been running it with zero problems. Anything beyond that (75, 100, etc.) and you're going to need to retard your timing and get a tune.
Do you feel a 50 shot? I am a noob.
It's 50 more horsepower. You tell me.
Wait a minute, you say that a wet shot kit will shoot both fuel and nitrous into my manifold at the same time...where does the fuel come from!? Is it magic!? I LOVE MAGIC!
It's not magic...you have to tap into your fuel lines. Most kits will come with some sort of fitting to tap into your fuel rail (the test port)...however, I have lovely carbon fiber engine covers that would be rendered useless had I gone that route. Luckily a very creative promp3 created this little contraption out of some hardware store fittings that tapped into the fuel line just before the fuel filter.
How it works is self explanatory.
![Image]()
So what do I need to have a basic nitrous setup?
-Nitrous kit (obviously)
-Window switch & WOT switch (I HIGHLY suggest both to have a safe setup, or just buy the FJO controller that I mentioned early to get the best adjustable and flexibility if you want to step up the shot at some point.)
-Bottle warmer (very important, every time you spray, the bottle gets colder, thus losing pressure. A warmer will keep it at optimal pressure around 1000 PSI. The best place to get one is at www.dynotunenitrous.com)
-Pressure gauge (remote mounted one is best so you can see how much pressure you have in the cabin, but one that mounts on the bottle is fine too)
OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
-Wideband A/F Ratio Gauge (monitor your A/F and make sure it's not unsafe and risk blowing up, you don't really need this for a 50 shot, but it's handy)
-Remote bottle opener (otherwise, you're going to have to open and close the bottle in your trunk every time you run it)
-Nitrous filter (goes on your line to make sure there's no debris or anything going into your engine)
Why can't I just keep the bottle with me in the cabin!? I can hug it and turn it on when I want! YAY!
Several reasons. One being that most tracks will not let you have it in the cabin with you, it has to be in the trunk...it's a safety issue, you don't want a leak and then inhale laughing gas while driving. Second reason being that it's a big bottle (most kits come with a 10 pounder), and it takes up space. Third reason being that you really have no where to securely mount it in your cabin. Our spare tire well is made for it, there are even little holes in the floor where you can run the lines out to the front of the car.
![Image]()
How much does it cost to refill nitrous?
It depends on the place. Around here it's $3.75 a pound. If you have a 10 lbs bottle, you do the math. Expect to pay around $35-$45 usually. You can find out where you can get nitrous refills locally on the NX Express website.
How long does one bottle last?
The age old question...it depends on how much you use it, and how much you spray. This is like asking how long does one tank of gas last. It varies.
My car is older, is it still safe to run nitrous?
As with any forced induction application, as long as your engine has been taken care of, you will be fine. I always tell people, if you're unsure, perform a compression test, and make sure your seals and gaskets are all in good shape. I have never had a problem, and my car is approaching 100,000 miles.
OMG WILL EVERYTHING BE BLURRY? AND WILL I SHOOT FLAMES!?
No, you're an idiot.
I want to be like Vin Diesel and make an explosion with nitrous. How can I be cool like him?
Vin Diesel is not cool. And nitrous is not flammable, contrary to what F&F tells you. While you're at it, just disregard anything that movie says about cars. Nitrous is not flammable.
Is it illegal to run nitrous? I don't want to spend the night with Big Bubba in the slammer.
It's illegal to have an "on" bottle on the street. Another reason why a remote bottle opener is important. Some cops will give you crap even if it's hooked up. But if you install everything hidden away, and you don't give them a reason to search your car, then you're gold. Nitrous is not illegal on the track. As always, none of this applies in California because the cops there everyone is polluting the air and street racing. So I'm not sure what the dillio is.
I have more questions, who should I talk to? Can I pester you with PMs?
If it pertains to my kit, sure. If it's about nitrous in general, there are more knowledgeable people. Pei330ci, Akbrazil, Ritos530i are all people who know way more, and are probably of much more help.
What are some good websites to buy my kit and accessories from?
www.dynotunenitrous.com - Very affordable, cheap gauges and bottle warmers that work very very well.
www.jegs.com
www.summitracing.com
www.nitrousexpress.com
DO NOT! I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY FROM "Nitrous Direct". They are slow, and have horrible customer service. I ordered the FJO controller from them, they never shipped it out, charged me money, lied to me about shipping it out when I yelled at them, and then refused to give my money back when I said they were a joke and I'm canceling the order.
That's really about all I can think of. If anyone has any more questions, please post in here. I also have some answers/pictures in the original progress thread I made when I installed the kit. You can find that here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=582560
That said, I hope this quells some inquiries and saves me some inbox space. Remember, it's nitrous (oxide), not NOS. NOS is a brand. I WILL flame you if you refer to it as NOS.
Gosh Ken! What kit are you running? And why? It sure is swell!
I am running a NX Express Wet Shot kit. Why NX Express? It's a quality brand and I got a good deal on it used. Their customer service is also VERY helpful during install. Wizards of NOS, ZEX, and Dynotune are other quality brands. NOS is considered one of the worst and cheapest.
...but what's a wet shot? That sounds so yucky! Hehe!
A wet shot is where the nitrous system is tapped into your vehicle's fuel lines, and sprays a mixture of nitrous oxide and fuel into your manifold when activated. This helps keep your A/F nice and happy. Kits that do not do this are referred to as "dry" kits, and with those, you run the risk of running lean...which means kaboom.
Isn't nitrous for r1cers? It's unsafe! You're a stupid doodoo head because you will blow up your car! What safety precautions did you take?
No, if you think that nitrous is unsafe and for r1cers, then you are either an idiot, or know nothing about cars beyond Fast & The Furious. It also means you should probably shut up. It's been used for a long long time in muscle cars, and in airplanes waaaaay back in the day. It's perfectly safe if you know what you're doing. My setup is controlled by a NX Express FJO Controller. It controls when you spray based on two things; your RPM (window switch), and whether or not you're at full throttle (WOT switch). You can also adjust how much to spray within an RPM range. All of this is set via USB on a laptop. This way, you don't have to hit a button to spray like the movies, you don't spray at redline (which is no good). But in general, you want a window switch and WOT switch.
The NX Express FJO Controller in action.
So what is considered a safe shot on our cars? Will I need additional tuning or adjustments? I don't want to destroy my precious car!!!
The general consensus is that a 50 shot is perfectly safe on our cars. You can do so without any sort of timing adjustment or tuning. I have been running it with zero problems. Anything beyond that (75, 100, etc.) and you're going to need to retard your timing and get a tune.
Do you feel a 50 shot? I am a noob.
It's 50 more horsepower. You tell me.
Wait a minute, you say that a wet shot kit will shoot both fuel and nitrous into my manifold at the same time...where does the fuel come from!? Is it magic!? I LOVE MAGIC!
It's not magic...you have to tap into your fuel lines. Most kits will come with some sort of fitting to tap into your fuel rail (the test port)...however, I have lovely carbon fiber engine covers that would be rendered useless had I gone that route. Luckily a very creative promp3 created this little contraption out of some hardware store fittings that tapped into the fuel line just before the fuel filter.
How it works is self explanatory.
So what do I need to have a basic nitrous setup?
-Nitrous kit (obviously)
-Window switch & WOT switch (I HIGHLY suggest both to have a safe setup, or just buy the FJO controller that I mentioned early to get the best adjustable and flexibility if you want to step up the shot at some point.)
-Bottle warmer (very important, every time you spray, the bottle gets colder, thus losing pressure. A warmer will keep it at optimal pressure around 1000 PSI. The best place to get one is at www.dynotunenitrous.com)
-Pressure gauge (remote mounted one is best so you can see how much pressure you have in the cabin, but one that mounts on the bottle is fine too)
OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
-Wideband A/F Ratio Gauge (monitor your A/F and make sure it's not unsafe and risk blowing up, you don't really need this for a 50 shot, but it's handy)
-Remote bottle opener (otherwise, you're going to have to open and close the bottle in your trunk every time you run it)
-Nitrous filter (goes on your line to make sure there's no debris or anything going into your engine)
Why can't I just keep the bottle with me in the cabin!? I can hug it and turn it on when I want! YAY!
Several reasons. One being that most tracks will not let you have it in the cabin with you, it has to be in the trunk...it's a safety issue, you don't want a leak and then inhale laughing gas while driving. Second reason being that it's a big bottle (most kits come with a 10 pounder), and it takes up space. Third reason being that you really have no where to securely mount it in your cabin. Our spare tire well is made for it, there are even little holes in the floor where you can run the lines out to the front of the car.
How much does it cost to refill nitrous?
It depends on the place. Around here it's $3.75 a pound. If you have a 10 lbs bottle, you do the math. Expect to pay around $35-$45 usually. You can find out where you can get nitrous refills locally on the NX Express website.
How long does one bottle last?
The age old question...it depends on how much you use it, and how much you spray. This is like asking how long does one tank of gas last. It varies.
My car is older, is it still safe to run nitrous?
As with any forced induction application, as long as your engine has been taken care of, you will be fine. I always tell people, if you're unsure, perform a compression test, and make sure your seals and gaskets are all in good shape. I have never had a problem, and my car is approaching 100,000 miles.
OMG WILL EVERYTHING BE BLURRY? AND WILL I SHOOT FLAMES!?
No, you're an idiot.
I want to be like Vin Diesel and make an explosion with nitrous. How can I be cool like him?
Vin Diesel is not cool. And nitrous is not flammable, contrary to what F&F tells you. While you're at it, just disregard anything that movie says about cars. Nitrous is not flammable.
Is it illegal to run nitrous? I don't want to spend the night with Big Bubba in the slammer.
It's illegal to have an "on" bottle on the street. Another reason why a remote bottle opener is important. Some cops will give you crap even if it's hooked up. But if you install everything hidden away, and you don't give them a reason to search your car, then you're gold. Nitrous is not illegal on the track. As always, none of this applies in California because the cops there everyone is polluting the air and street racing. So I'm not sure what the dillio is.
I have more questions, who should I talk to? Can I pester you with PMs?
If it pertains to my kit, sure. If it's about nitrous in general, there are more knowledgeable people. Pei330ci, Akbrazil, Ritos530i are all people who know way more, and are probably of much more help.
What are some good websites to buy my kit and accessories from?
www.dynotunenitrous.com - Very affordable, cheap gauges and bottle warmers that work very very well.
www.jegs.com
www.summitracing.com
www.nitrousexpress.com
DO NOT! I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY FROM "Nitrous Direct". They are slow, and have horrible customer service. I ordered the FJO controller from them, they never shipped it out, charged me money, lied to me about shipping it out when I yelled at them, and then refused to give my money back when I said they were a joke and I'm canceling the order.
That's really about all I can think of. If anyone has any more questions, please post in here. I also have some answers/pictures in the original progress thread I made when I installed the kit. You can find that here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=582560
