Speed in a Bottle

Out of the fires of the most brutal war in history emerged new technologies, things that were science fiction in the innocent years before the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. The horrors dealt to the world at the hands of that regime are undeniable, so it is difficult to appreciate fully what the Germany of World War 2 gave to the generations of car altering speed freaks who came home from that brutal conflict.

A great if not unexpected place to see German innovation in modern use is between the pages of a speed shop catalog. Every speed catalog today will have a full-color section dedicated to Nitrous Oxide Injection System. A popular brand owned by Holley Performance Group is Nitrous Oxide Systems or NOS.

Nitrous oxide is mainly used by race car teams but can have benefits for streetcars where legal.

Note: Local law advisory! NOS is probably illegal on your street car, so read up on the laws before spending the money. Most areas require that nitrous systems are not functional when installed on street cars.

Germany developed nitrous oxide injection to allow their fighter planes and bombers to climb to a higher altitude than was capable with their standard engines. The equipment was bulky and degraded low-altitude performance but was a great trick for surprising Allied interceptors that could not climb so high.

Today, racers carry nitrous in a tank under 950 psi and at a stable 85 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve maximum effect. German fighter planes used nitrous injection to get the jump on Allied aircraft, while their bombers used it to climb out of danger. Today, racers use it to steal a checkered flag from unsuspecting opponents.

Brand-name NOS bottles are a distinct bright blue. Holley licensed the iconic colors and logo for an energy drink during the 2000s as well. NOS has also been featured in the Fast and the Furious movie series.

NOS is a leading manufacturer of nitrous oxide injection systems. The blue NOS bottles are iconic.

It is an interesting fact that Americans recognize NOS for powering college students through cram sessions and blazing fast race cars on a track day before its role in powering death-dealing Nazi war machines.

How Does Nitrous Oxide Make Power?

Nitrous Oxide works because it enables a cooler, more oxygen dense charge of air than is possible through the atmosphere. Massive power gains are possible with nitrous injection, but the consequences nitrous adds to the mix can make it spectacularly destructive.

Nitrous oxide is a liquid in pressurized bottles. When depressurized, nitrous oxide becomes a gas and separates into an oxygen molecule and two nitrogen molecules. Nitrous oxide allows the total available oxygen to increase to 36.36%. Atmospheric air is 21%.

A larger-than-normal quantity of fuel is required to take advantage of the power-boosting properties offered by nitrous oxide. The key to nitrous oxide injection is being able to add more fuel when using nitrous than when not. Nitrous oxide is not flammable on its own. It only increases oxygen. Too little fuel or too much will cause complete and total destruction.

Nitrous injection can be useful in many racing scenarios. This drift racing car features direct injection nitrous oxide delivery.

What NOS can do is allow massive horsepower gains. 75-100+ horsepower is easy to attain. A nitrous injection system is not difficult to install. The average person can order a kit online and install the system in a day.

Using nitrous causes extreme heat and pressure to build in an engine. Even a race-prepped engine cannot readily have 100 or more nitrous oxide-fueled horses added without problems.

Properly built engines designed for nitrous oxide applications will feature the strongest rotating parts possible -crankshafts, pistons, and connecting rods of forged steel. Racers build nitrous oxide-equipped racing engines using the strongest parts possible.

NOS on the Street

Pay attention to local laws. NOS is probably illegal on your car, and getting caught using NOS may be expensive.

Nitrous oxide injection is not practical for most street-driven cars.

A well-built turbocharged or supercharged street engine running large amounts of nitrous oxide can be a devastating combination, as the Royal Air Force pilots discovered facing off against Germany’s BF-109 fighter planes equipped with a supercharged Daimler-Benz engine that already made 1,100 horsepower before the pilot opened the bottle.

How Nitrous Oxide Helps Turbocharged and Supercharged Racers

Small amounts of nitrous will greatly enhance acceleration when used correctly. Many systems use timers to accurately add nitrous to the air/fuel mixture when the driver needs it. Turbocharged engines benefit from nitrous applied while the turbo is under lag. The added power spools the turbo quicker and really gets a car moving. Superchargers benefit at the other end, where effective air compression starts to drop off, a tiny bit of nitrous oxide can keep the power on a little longer.

A nitrous injection system can be used with superchargers and turbochargers to overcome shortfalls of these types of compressed air delivery components.

Today, even diesel engines have nitrous oxide injection kits available. Team up a NOS bottle with a twin-turbocharged Cummins Dodge Ram and watch Corvettes disappear in your rear-view off a stoplight!

Nitrous oxide systems are typically advertised as adding a specific amount of power when installed. Engine builders will need to prepare a robust engine for high power nitrous oxide injection systems.

What Happens If Too Much Nitrous is Used

There is no such thing as too little or too much nitrous oxide. An engine needs more fuel to make more power when using nitrous. Engine failures happen when too little fuel is available for the combustion cycle. Too much fuel can result in explosions.

Piston damage is common when using nitrous oxide. These pistons are burned from too much heat and pressure in the combustion chamber.

The worst issue that using nitrous eventually will cause, even when used in small doses, is the added stress placed on an engine. Nitrous oxide is not practical for street driving because of the cost, wear and tear, and limited uses. Eventually, piston rings will fail, valve train components will break, and an engine will succumb to the punishment.

In a catastrophic failure, massive engine explosions are possible. Cylinder heads can blow clean off an engine when a nitrous oxide failure happens. Nitrous can cause pistons to be ejected from the engine block when explosions happen.

Have some fun and search videos on the internet of NOS installs on budget, stock cars. The absolute destruction nitrous oxide can produce is something that must be seen to believe, and must be respected.

How Much Does Nitrous Oxide Cost?

A driver wanting to add nitrous oxide needs to build an appropriate engine to avoid damage. There are several options available to consider when choosing a system.

Carbureted vehicles will use either a single nozzle or a baseplate spray bar, while fuel-injected vehicles will use single or multipoint nozzles. The best systems are direct injection systems, where nitrous is injected into the cylinder along with the air/fuel mixture. These systems are more reliable than the older, single nozzle and spray bar applications.

Engine builders have two types of delivery systems to build around. Dry systems spray nitrous oxide into the air stream. Wet systems inject nitrous oxide directly into the engine.

Nitrous oxide needs to be injected into the engine at a point where it can mix with the fuel and air to increase the available oxygen. This is a home-made injection system that sprays into the throttle body.

A NOS from Holley for a direct-injected V8 engine will run about $1,150 for the kit. This includes one, unfilled bottle. Nitrous injection requires a tremendous amount of nitrous oxide to operate, and the standard 10 lb. bottle will provide only a few uses before requiring a refill. Most racers carry a second bottle. Nitrous oxide prices will vary by distributors, but typically range between $3.50 and $5.00 per pound. A second bottle will run about $150. Drivers using NOS typically store the tanks in the trunk of a vehicle. Drivers using nitrous will lose most of their trunk space because of the size of a nitrous injection system. Don’t even think about putting jumbo bass speakers in there.

Closing Thoughts

There are few power adders out there that can bring as much power for the price as nitrous oxide injection. Cheap nitrous systems are rarely worth the savings. Don't pinch pennies when it comes to a good nitrous injection system for your car. A really bad explosion might kill you or others standing nearby.

Running a drag car in an NHRA-approved class and hitting the bottle hard right at the perfect time is a feeling unlike any other in the world, and there is no doubt that nitrous oxide injection systems can take a pretty good drag car over the top.