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Nitrous Oxide - lezebre
This is a query on behalf of Junior (the fryup and Coca Cola freak) who is considering wheter to add a nitrous kit.

Until recently I had assumed that boosting the engine with a nitrous bottle was a clandestine pursuit, but I was surprised when I discovered that it's perfectly legal.

So my question is, is it desirable?

The car is a Honda Vtec.

I understand that a problem with nox is that while on modern engines the induction and ignition of the petrol air mixture is achieved with incredibly precise timing, it becomes difficult to get the timing right with the different reqirements of the nox enriched mixture.

It occurs to me that when the Vtec (variable valve timing) kicks in suddenly at a certain r.p.m. the effect with nitruos could be disruptive and therefore particulrly damaging.

So what's it to be, Backroom? 'you're only young once' or 'don`t do it kid' ?
Nitrous Oxide - Dave N
You can use it OK. I think it just makes the air more dense, thereby forcing more mixture in. The mixture doesn't get changed, just the quantity. If you get more power out, then the laws of physics dictate that the engine will be under more stress. What effect it will have is anyones guess, but if it does bang then you know it's been too much. Suppose you should tell the insurance co. too.
Nitrous Oxide - Dizzy {P}
Back in the days when I was into drag racing, nitrous oxide was used because it provided an extra boost of oxygen as it combusted. That's getting on for 30 years ago now and I can't recall if, or how, the engines were modified to run on it. You could try looking for a drag racing forum and asking an opinion there.
Nitrous Oxide - Dizzy {P}
"getting on for 30 years ago now" ... I wish! It's nearer 40!
Nitrous Oxide - Dizzy {P}
Hold hard. I may be getting crossed up between nitrous oxide and nitromethane! I did tell you that it was a long while ago.

Please ignore my earlier postings whilst I try to engage brain.
Or perhaps I should just admit to senility and do a search on Google!
Nitrous Oxide - Dizzy {P}
Sorry to dominate this thread. A search on Google has put me right and perhaps what I found will interest others ...

Nitrous oxide and nitromethane work in roughly the same way, by getting more oxygen into the engine, but nitrous oxide is injected as an 'extra' to the normal fuel whilst nitromethane is a fuel in itself (it's a bit like a mixture of nitrous oxide and petrol).

It seems that injecting pure oxygen would probably make the engine explode but nitrous oxide contains two parts of nitrogen to one part of oxygen and the nitrogen is said to help moderate the combustion temperature and fuel burning rate.

I don't know the answers to LeZebre's questions but, having studied the pros and cons, I would rather go for a larger engine than play around with this stuff. I suppose that might count as a "Don't do it, kid"!
Nitrous Oxide - Andrew T
Nitrous oxide is an anaesthetic, sometimes known as laughing gas. What exactly do you all imagine it will do to your engines?
Nitro gen - Onetap
That's my new bit of knowledge for the day.

Air is 76% (I think) nitrogen. In combustion, nitrogen is inert, but it has an effect in that it absorbs heat and takes the heat out of the process with the exhaust gases. So, air & acetylene will burn, but oxygen and acetylene will burn much hotter.

Similarly, one of the early Apollo space missions came to grief because the astronauts were breathing oxygen. A spark cremated 3 astronauts. Later missions used air.

Try the nitro at your risk, but keep some change handy for a new engine. The insurers won't approve.
Nitrous Oxide - lezebre
Thanks Dave and (multiple) Dizzy.

As Chris Tarrent would say - "That's the *right* answer!"