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[Z06] Nitrous Danger

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Old Sep 19, 2005 | 09:23 AM
  #1  
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Default Nitrous Danger

From what I have read the fastest, cheapest, and least "messy" way to get perhaps 500+ HP out of my '03 Z is Nitrous BUT I keep reading about the risk of fire WHY! Could really use THAT info. Thanks in advance for you help.
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Old Sep 19, 2005 | 09:30 AM
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nitrous is like anything else, if you use common sense and pay attention your fine.

explosions are caused from fuel pooling in the intake. nitrous itself is not flamable.

if you run a rpm activated window switch, fuel pressure safety switch, throttle activation, and pressure release with blowdown tube you will be fine even in the event something happens.

never spray under 3000 rpm's and you wont have to worry about fuel pooling in the intake. dont run more than recommended bottle pressure. and if you start spinning on the nitrous, let out, the force of the nitrous coming in and out under a load is enough to break pistons....i know 1st hand.
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Old Sep 19, 2005 | 10:07 AM
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If you're talking 500hp at the motor use a dry kit like the NOS 5177. There is pretty much 0 chance of fire with a dry kit. And set to 100 or 125 hp, it is extremely safe, simple, and effective.
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Old Sep 19, 2005 | 11:33 AM
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Default Thanks Guys!

I appreciate your info. I may or may not do this but I have not street raced a new '06 yet and may not! If I do and end up getting my butt beat a couple of times then the pride of my '03 is at stake and I'll probably add nitrous just for that rare occasion when I need to dust a C6. Can I install the nitrous and just leave it there until needed?
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Old Sep 19, 2005 | 03:37 PM
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Yep, I have mine for when I want to play. A bottle lasts me quite a while. Get all the safety devices, and change your plugs and you'll be fine. The LS6 loves the bottle!!
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 12:45 AM
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A vender said to get a wet kit, To be safe, Instead of the dry.
What do you think of that?
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 01:52 AM
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Rock'en Silver 02
A vender said to get a wet kit, To be safe, Instead of the dry.
What do you think of that?
What's that saying--"opinions are like a--holes"??

Everyone has their own theory here. A wet ket is more tunable and will make more power. It is also more complicated to install, but it can be tuned more efficiently. You must have a window switch to be safe to prevent puddling.

A dry kit is simpler and will make slightly less power, but won't have the puddling problem. A window switch wouldn't be necessary per say, but I'd always recommend one. With this setup you are relying on the car's PCM to compensate for fuel. With the wet kit you can jet the fuel yourself.

I have friends that run both without issues. If you only want a smaller shot (say 100 or less) I'd probably run a dry shot before the MAF, and have it tuned on the dyno. If you are looking for more consistent power and tunable setup and 100+ shot, then go wet.
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 10:57 AM
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Dry kits totally safe? Maybe less risk of fire, but with N20 its really a pressure explosion that is your worst case. Ask this guy how safe he feels nitrous is. Peeled his car and garage open like a grape.
http://www.enhancedhealth.com/nitrousexpress.htm

I think if you stay away from bottle heaters, it's quite safe.
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Michrider
Dry kits totally safe? Maybe less risk of fire, but with N20 its really a pressure explosion that is your worst case. Ask this guy how safe he feels nitrous is. Peeled his car and garage open like a grape.
http://www.enhancedhealth.com/nitrousexpress.htm

I think if you stay away from bottle heaters, it's quite safe.
I think a heater is absolutely necessary to get the best consistent performance out of a nitrous system. That being said, you need to wire it per their recommendations to prevent human error causing explosions. The NX heaters are pressure regulated (not sure about others.) When the pressure gets to 1100 psi, they shut off (assuming the sensor is wired properly!) With a dry kit less pressure only really means less power, because the car's PCM dynamically adjusts air/fuel ratios on the fly. With a wet kit, your fuel pressure and volume is relatively consistent, but with varying bottle pressures your N2O would be dynamic. Since recommended pressure is 1050 or so you'd want to tune at that pressure. Anything less would cause it to be rich and degrade performance. Best practice is to pay attention to what you are doing when doing anything with nitrous.
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 12:20 PM
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According to How To Install and Use Nitrous Oxide by Joe Pettitt, ISBN 1-884089-22-4:

"A fuel-injected dry manifold system uses a spray nozzle to deliver nitrous oxide only to the intake. The additional fuel is supplied by increasing fuel pressure when the nitrous system is activated. It's called a dry manifold system because there isn't any fuel present in the intake manifold. A dry manifold is safer than a wet manifold because nitrous by itself is not explosive. It's when you mix nitrous with fuel in the manifold that you get spectacular manifold and hood removals."

I'm just quoting here. I'm still sorting out all the different options. I got this book to learn about the different nitrous set ups.
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Old Sep 21, 2005 | 02:37 PM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by dragon84
According to How To Install and Use Nitrous Oxide by Joe Pettitt, ISBN 1-884089-22-4:

"A fuel-injected dry manifold system uses a spray nozzle to deliver nitrous oxide only to the intake. The additional fuel is supplied by increasing fuel pressure when the nitrous system is activated. It's called a dry manifold system because there isn't any fuel present in the intake manifold. A dry manifold is safer than a wet manifold because nitrous by itself is not explosive. It's when you mix nitrous with fuel in the manifold that you get spectacular manifold and hood removals."

I'm just quoting here. I'm still sorting out all the different options. I got this book to learn about the different nitrous set ups.
While this applies to most cars, especially up until the last few years, it's somewhat dated. Most new cars are returnless fuel systems, which doesn't give you the ability to manipulate the fuel pressure regulator. My 2004 (and I'm betting the others are the same) don't work this way. But if you spray before the MAF on these cars the PCM will compensate with fuel, there is just a split second of time between the nitrous kicking in and the fuel being added, causing you to go lean for a brief moment. If your car is rich enough as it sits this really isn't an issue. If you car runs leaner, then this could be dangerous. This is why smaller dry shots are safer.

Wet kits can puddle, that is very much a fact. That is why anyone using one should have a window switch. At WOT at 3000 RPMs there is more than enough vacuum to prevent puddling.
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Old Sep 23, 2005 | 11:08 PM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Michrider
Dry kits totally safe? Maybe less risk of fire, but with N20 its really a pressure explosion that is your worst case. Ask this guy how safe he feels nitrous is. Peeled his car and garage open like a grape.
http://www.enhancedhealth.com/nitrousexpress.htm

I think if you stay away from bottle heaters, it's quite safe.
That guy is an idiot, he bypassed and dissabled some common sense safety things. THis has been floating around for ever. Left his warmer hooked up with no auto shut off and disabled the valve or something like that.
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