Just Say N20!

Ok well as my signature shares, I dont currently have any money, and although I would kill for a turbo project on my car, it is not going to happen. Car nut or not, I am 17. A Camaro SS around here supposably runs high 11s, with exhaust, larger rear wheels and spray. From what I hear, other then internals, none of it cost him much.

I was looking at nitrous for an Alternative. For like $500 I can get a kit that is like 100-250hp. Id obviously have to spray 100 until some internal work is done, but that seems like alot of bang for the buck.

A guy on a local forum, said he would sell my forged internals (unused) from his shop for around $800 (if he hasnt sold them yet ~ been awhile). So that could be the next step.

What do you guys say? Yes, no maybe so? And what shot is safe on a stang? (4.6l '99). I heard 100 is safe, 150 is pushing it...

Ok well as my signature shares, I dont currently have any money, and although I would kill for a turbo project on my car, it is not going to happen. Car nut or not, I am 17. A Camaro SS around here supposably runs high 11s, with exhaust, larger rear wheels and spray. From what I hear, other then internals, none of it cost him much.

I was looking at nitrous for an Alternative. For like $500 I can get a kit that is like 100-250hp. Id obviously have to spray 100 until some internal work is done, but that seems like alot of bang for the buck.

A guy on a local forum, said he would sell my forged internals (unused) from his shop for around $800 (if he hasnt sold them yet ~ been awhile). So that could be the next step.

What do you guys say? Yes, no maybe so? And what shot is safe on a stang? (4.6l '99). I heard 100 is safe, 150 is pushing it...

I'd say go for the nitrous.I know people who run 125 or 150 shot on their 99+4.6 and are running fine.If I were you I would start out with a 100 shot then work your way up.Thats what I did.If you can, have it put on a dyno to see if your running lean.If your not running lean then try a larger shot.It will also be good to see how much power and TQ your making.

Make sure to get colder plugs(your burn out the stock ones),a 190lph or a 255lph fuel pump(your going to need more fuel pressure),use 93 octane gas and decrease your timing(so you won't ping.)

If your not pinging and not running lean with a 100 shot then try a bigger shot.You should be able to run a 125 or 150 shot though.

BTW are you getting a dry or a wet kit?
If your going dry you may need to get bigger injectors.

BTW are you getting a dry or a wet kit?
If your going dry you may need to get bigger injectors.

Good question...I havnt really looked into the advantages/disadvantages... Which is better, or do you have any links to comparison? My worry with spray is ill become a junkie, and always want more. If I were to get spray, id plan on building the engine for it to take more. Also if you were to use a shot that, say ran perfectly on a dyno (a perfect safe setup), will it still damage the engine every use, or if tuned properly for the engine does it not damage?

After reading some sites out there, it seems there are people that go both ways. However, almost every "accident" I saw, involved a dry, kinda making me lean towards wet...

dude just to let you know, wet nitrous systems are usually alot more exspensive because they mix with the fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. My adivce if you on a budget, get a 100-150 hp N2O application and build your engine up around that
the nitrous will give you the added power until you have the funds to truly bring your stang into the camaro ass kicking cataegory

dude just to let you know, wet nitrous systems are usually alot more exspensive because they mix with the fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. My adivce if you on a budget, get a 100-150 hp N2O application and build your engine up around that
the nitrous will give you the added power until you have the funds to truly bring your stang into the camaro ass kicking cataegory
If I were to do spray, id stick with spray. Building my engine to give it as large of a shot as it will take. I wouldnt temporarily use a 100, then toss it for a s/c or turbo. I would get an adjustable kit to last me. And since this would be a one time purchase (other then the actual nitrous fills), I wouldnt mind spending more...

Good question...I havnt really looked into the advantages/disadvantages... Which is better, or do you have any links to comparison? My worry with spray is ill become a junkie, and always want more. If I were to get spray, id plan on building the engine for it to take more. Also if you were to use a shot that, say ran perfectly on a dyno (a perfect safe setup), will it still damage the engine every use, or if tuned properly for the engine does it not damage?


Since your going to build your engine and plan to run a bigger shot in the future then go with a wet kit.A common problem/accident that people have with a wet kit is puddling in the intake but you shouldn't have a problem with that unless you spray at too low a rpm.

If your running safe on the dyno and theres no pinging then you'll be fine.Remember it's better to run a bit on the rich side then to run a bit on the lean side.

Highrev, I'm not for or against nitrous, but unlike other power adders, it comes with a never ending payment. Just something to consider for the long-run. Make a spreadsheet and weigh the long term costs of the refills against the larger up-front costs of turbos or blowers (we're talking on-demand power adders, not high power n/a engines, so let's not add that possibility in yet). Just something to consider.

Don't. What do you got? $500? Go for some gears or something to hold you over until you come into some more money. I couldn't imagine a turbo'd/nitrous 4.6. Sounds like an expensive timebomb to me.

Don't. What do you got? $500? Go for some gears or something to hold you over until you come into some more money. I couldn't imagine a turbo'd/nitrous 4.6. Sounds like an expensive timebomb to me.
Nitrous would replace the turbo. Im 17 and it really doesnt seem logical financially... Saving 3k-5k would be rather hard, especially when I pay for insurance/gas. Also, as for the continualy cost, nitrous can be bought as you need it, which kinda is good for me, as if I have plans for some races, ill get a fill, but if it's winter or just no need time, ill skip the fill. It's also not like ill be spraying after every red light. Mainly for track/closed course street.

Like I said earlier, I would kill to have a turbo setup in my car. Especially because a guy on a local forum (same one offering me the forged internals) told me he would work with me to help me get turbo'd, such as building the kit for me for closer to 3k, as opposed to the kits he sells which are mostly like 5k. But with 76k on the odometer, and not much bank, it seems ill have to let that idea die.

I'm in a somewhat similiar situation, I'm going to run spray on a basically stock 302 no higher than 150HP shot. Just enough to make myself competitve and better times at the track while I keep sinking money into my 351WTT project.

Spray is great at the intial $500-600 price tag. Then you'll want to get the most out of it so you'll have a nitrous pressure guage, fuel pressure guage for safety, and a purge and bottle blanket over time. So now your in to almost $700-$1,000. Plus depending how much you use it your paying $40 a whack to fill that 10lbs bottle which doesn't last long!

I still find the example above fairly cost effective but building a motor set-up for large shots of nitrous is horrible idea on a street car. It's only enjoyable if your a track junky or it's a track car. Imagine a low CR blower/turbo motor but w/o they S/C or turbo on it.

It will be a real dog anytime your not spraying and they money you spent as the shot gets larger starts equaling a S/C or turbo set-up especially when you add in your going through the 10lbs bottles at $40 a whack even faster!

Well thats a good example. Makes you look at the building side different. Will a 150 shot damage the engine on a 4.6?

my friend runs a 150 wet shot in his 2001 4.6 and he hasnt had a problem since he switched...he ran a dry shot and blew his motor running a 125 shot. the only mods he has is NOS and a 3.73 gear and he runs mid-low 8's in and 1/8 mile track

I'd never put nitrous on my car. I've seen way too many people invest all kinds of money into a really bad ass car and decide they want just a little bit more and they go for nitrous and they blow the whole fucking motor to bits.

well i wouldnt do it if i had a supercharger or turbo ... but on a stock motor it wont hurt if you dont over do it

I'd never put nitrous on my car. I've seen way too many people invest all kinds of money into a really bad ass car and decide they want just a little bit more and they go for nitrous and they blow the whole fucking motor to bits.

Most of those cases are because of the drivers fault like running too big of a shot..spraying too low..spraying while running lean..using it while pinging etc...

If done right you can run safe with nitrous with no problems.
Just be resposible,don't be stupid with it,get a new fuel pump,change the plugs,run 93 gas,decrease the timing,get a dyno tune and spray away...


All the little stuff does add up when getting nitrous but it also adds up when getting a turbo or S/C.With a S/C you'll need to change your ignition,change your injectors,get gauges etc...I'm also guessing you'll have somebody install it for you which will cost alot more money to install then a nitrous kit.And don't think a S/C or turbo is safer either because that too if not done right can cause problems.

And if you look around you can find used nitrous kits for half of what they cost new.

The only costly thing about nitrous is filling the bottle and it's not like your going to be spraying everytime you go out....oh wait,you might like it so much you just might......:biggrin:

Nitrous will become like a heroin addiction. You wont be able to stop pushing that button and before you know it you're spending $40 a day just to get your fix.

i dont know where you get 40 but every where i go its 3 dollars a pound.. but it still gets expensive if you get addicted to spraying

12lb bottle. 3X12=36. May as well be $40.

my bad i thought we were talking about a 10lb bottle

Nitrous will become like a heroin addiction. You wont be able to stop pushing that button and before you know it you're spending $40 a day just to get your fix.

Your right.When I first started using nitrous I was always using it.Not a bottle a day but I was using it alot.I also was addicted to the purge kit too.Everywhere I went I was purging the nitrous.After a while though you'll start to not use it as much and in my case only use it when I need it.

12lb bottle. 3X12=36. May as well be $40.

The nitrous kits come with a 10LB bottle unless you buy a bigger bottle.I only pay $3 a pound which costs me $30 to fill.

i need to replace my feed line... the shop that installed it did a half ass job and my feed line busted... where can i find a good cheap line?

So 150 wet shot... dyno tuned before use, and watch for excessive usage. As for paying for the spray, my buddy works at a shop, so id probaly get it for cheaper. I figure ill do spray, gears, exhaust, and consider sport wheels for summer (something wider). By then ill be going into college and money will get really tight, so id just save whatever I have left, and by the time im financially stable ill decide if I want to get a blower/turbo, or if I just wanna wait til the next car.

I still say nitrous is a no-no. buy hey what do I know. :(

Superchargers and nitrous will both blow your engine if there not correctly installed or tuned. You can't slap either one on your car without the proper mods to support it. Im running a 100 shot right now but I still upgraded the fuel pump fuel injectors and fuel pressure regulator to ensure I had enough fuel. Overkill maybe but whichever power adder you choose it's better to have more fuel than not enough.

The reason many people blow there motors with seemingly small shots of nitrous is because they don't take out enough timming.

Heres the real deal with nitrous, dampachi refered to it as a heroin. Well he's kind of right but then again he's kind of wrong. Yes nitrous will cost you about 38.00 everytime you fill up. However how often you fill up is directly related to how modded your car is. For example when I first put my kit on my car I found myself hitting the juice pretty often, why because that was the only way I was gonna win. I had a few mods but I still ran stock heads so I was at the speed shop filling up probably once a week.
After the heads went on all that changed, I'm hitting the juice a lot less now because I don't have to. Its there but as my mods increase my dependency on nitrous is decreasing. (less fill ups) Think of nitrous as an amplifier it multiplys what you give it to work with.

Superchargers are great as well if you can afford the upfront cost. The only thing I don't like about superchargers is that they take hp to run. And as your heroin like thirst for hp increases and you decide you need more PSI now you need to consider the cost of an intercooler.

You can put most superchargers right onto a stock engine. The engine failing is not the problem...but your tranny/axles/rearend is what becomes the weak points on a stock car with a supercharger.

when you mod a car from its original form its going to increase the chance in fucking up.... so it just really depends on how much money you want to put in your car. If you want to spend 600 for nitrous and $38 for a refill every week and then after a while a rear end and new tranny... it just depends on how much you love to race...

Plastic intake manifolds don't like laughing gas. I wouldn't go with 150, I only know of 2 people spraying that much on a stock gt and they both blew the intake, one of them blew it about 3 times and then blew his motor. I've seen 125 with the plastic intake, then again that car is running SUPER rich. I would only go to about 100. My :2cents:

i would say that 100 is a safe bet as long as you dont run lean.

I agree I think that 100hp shot is pretty safe. I personally don't suggest putting nitrous on anything totally stock. Yes you can get away with it buy why. If your going to be using nitrous pretty regularly spend a little more cash and do some upgrading. Improved ignition larger injectors and pump are going to reduce your risk and improve your performance with nitrous.

I personally don't like wet kits, there guys that use them that don't have problems, I don't like the idea of spraying raw fuel into my intake. Nitrous by itself is not flammable so in my opinion I feel dry kits with small shots like 100 or smaller is a safer way to go.