Nitrous on a cavy?

[rustbird]

I was wandering how dangerous it would be to throw a low shot of nitrous on a 1993 3.1 auto Cavalier. I just assumed my engine would be jacked, but I am curious.

Also, I am new to these boards. I came from V6z24.com and you guys seem to be just as cool, so thanx in advance!

[sharkey]

no it would be just fine. a 55 shot will not harm your motor in any way if used properly. if you try bigger shots, you will likely cause damage

[rustbird]

thanx for the reply. I was just curious b/c by the sound of it, i could thrash my motor. But what do i know, i'm an idiot . I might give it a shot, depending on the other responses. Thanx!

[Dave]

if you do use nitrous, set it up as a wet system, don't let anyone tell you dry will work, because it will NOT work properly, I gaurentee it, it will lack proper power, and can/will cause severe engine damage.

[sharkey]

there is only one dry kit i would recomend if you want a dry kit. the zex universal dry kit is actualy decent and does have a form of fuel enrichment. when you plumb it in you have to run from you vacume sorce for the fuel pressure regulator into the controll box, and from the controll box to the regulator. on the box you can unscrew the fitting on the line going to the fpr and there is a jet in there. this restrics the vacume to the fpr, and give more fuel pressure, and to a point, increases the fuel flow, effectivly richening the motor.

if you want a bolt on anf fill the bottle nitrous kit, then the zex is the way to go. simple to install, and is the only dry kit with a for of fuel enrichment.

[rustbird]

Thanx for the help, but a couple more questions. On v6z24.com, they mentioned that it's dangerous to even do this. My MAIN issue is this..... I will only maybe use it for mid 2nd and 3rd b/c of the shitty top end. I would never use it in first, i could imagine my engine blowing to bits . And if i only plan on using it at night, wont that eliminate most, if not a little engine overheat?

[Dave]

I've run N2O many times, always Loved it, the only problem with running it in 1st gear is that it just rev's too quickly and you're shiftin' real fast so it's just a pain in the ass.

Zex does sell a good kit, but I had bad luck with their customer service so I'm turned off of that brand name.

Remember too, fillin' a 10lb bottle of N2O will run ya about $50.00 and the average 50hp kit is about 2lbs of N2O per minute, so that's a total of 5 minutes of fun, if you brake that down into 1/4 mile times (assuming you ran it the ENTIRE time) you'd be lookin' at about 20 total runs so realistically that'd be about 30 runs if you're conservative with it - but you'll find you use the N2O more on the highway then you do at the track.

Also, put an ignition switched source for the bottle heater if you go that route, and have a BRIGHT light on the dash to tell you when the heater is on, to help prevent an accidental overheating and bottle rupture.

Remember too, N2O is NON FLAMABLE - it doesn't burn if the bottle brakes, but you'll basically have a huge pipe bomb goin' off at over 3000 lbs of force.

there's lots of little hints I can help ya with when setting up your kit should you decide - I'd recomend if you're thinking about it, to find someone who has N2O and go for a ride with them once or twice to get an idea of what it actually does.

--Dave.

[rustbird]

When you mean overheating, do you mean the engine? or the nitrous? I am new to this and want as much info as i can get.


Also, put an ignition switched source for the bottle heater if you go that route, and have a BRIGHT light on the dash to tell you when the heater is on, to help prevent an accidental overheating and bottle rupture.

And what do you mean by the "heater"? Sorry for sounding stupid, but I dont wanna jump into this like a COMPLETE fool.

[rustbird]

damn this quote thingy!!! supposed to be in the middle >_< lol

[Dave]

I'm refering to overheating the bottle when using a bottle heater/blanket.

.. when I'm talkin' about the heater, I'm talking about the bottle heater, or bottle blanket - there's been 1 case EVER reported of a bottle blowing up because the kid left the thing on in his garage - and the blanket malfunctioned and didn't turn off when it got too hot, so extra switching is always best - I've always believed in using more failsafes then needed.

and don't feel stupid, we all gotta learn sometime!

--Dave

[malibu97ss]

the bottle should have a saftety blow off valve on the neck...even if overheated, it should release pressure long before it ruptures.

I think that dry kits tend to get a bad name, I have been really happy with mine...just don't get too greedy with the nos, a 60 shot is about as large as I would consider running dry.

Also, wet or dry, it is a good idea to invest in a gauge or two to know what is going on under the hood, I would recommend nitrous pressure, fuel pressure (especially on a dry kit), and EGT can tell you a lot, but is more of a pain to put in.

have fun!

[rustbird]

With my mileage would i still be considerably safe. I know nothing is 100% safe, but i dont wanna thrash this engine, just wanna help it out a little

[Dave]

I saw a wet 100 shot got onto a stock ford 5.0 with over 150k on the clock, it's still running today, still pushin' the 100 shot when he wants some fun (about 30k more miles since then)

I'd say as long as you aren't greedy with it you should be okay.

--Dave.

[sharkey]

i saw a fiero run a 125 dry shot with no ill effects. the guy was trying ot blow it up so he could put his new motor in, but no luck. ended up open jetting it (im gonna guess its close to a 400 shot) and it took about 4 runs at the track to finish the motor off.

[rustbird]

Well, i have decided I am going to go with a wet kit. What kind of kit is there thats priced good and does it's job? Thanx!