I want NITROUS.....do I need anything else?
02-22-2002, 08:56 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,378
I want NITROUS.....do I need anything else?
I know very little about Nitrous other than the fact that it makes you go fast......
I was just wondering......let's say a 5th gen owner wanted to get some kind of nitrous set up in his ride. Are there other
modifications that MUST be done PRIOR to the installation of the nitrous kit in order for your car to be
able to handle the nitrous without damaging anything?
am i making sense?
thanks!
I was just wondering......let's say a 5th gen owner wanted to get some kind of nitrous set up in his ride. Are there other
modifications that MUST be done PRIOR to the installation of the nitrous kit in order for your car to be
able to handle the nitrous without damaging anything?
am i making sense?
thanks!
02-22-2002, 11:54 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,985
Re: I want NITROUS.....do I need anything else?
Originally posted by acMAX
I know very little about Nitrous other than the fact that it makes you go fast......
I was just wondering......let's say a 5th gen owner wanted to get some kind of nitrous set up in his ride. Are there other
modifications that MUST be done PRIOR to the installation of the nitrous kit in order for your car to be
able to handle the nitrous without damaging anything?
am i making sense?
thanks!
I know very little about Nitrous other than the fact that it makes you go fast......
I was just wondering......let's say a 5th gen owner wanted to get some kind of nitrous set up in his ride. Are there other
modifications that MUST be done PRIOR to the installation of the nitrous kit in order for your car to be
able to handle the nitrous without damaging anything?
am i making sense?
thanks!
Then your car should run up to a 50 shot or so depending on other mods you have.
Higher than that, you will need to augment your fuel system and should get some gauges to monitor the engine.
After that, there is a whole bunch of accessories you could get!
02-22-2002, 12:32 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,985
Originally posted by Y2KevSE
Try doing a search because there was a VERY long thread in the General forum about nitrous. You'll find all the info you need in there.
Try doing a search because there was a VERY long thread in the General forum about nitrous. You'll find all the info you need in there.
-------------------------------------------
The most common and least expensive Nitrous option for the Maxima is the Nitrous Oxide Systems Universal EFI Dry manifold kit #5124. Cost for the kit is around ~$550. This kit will supply a maximum recommended 70 hp gain from a .036 nitrous jet. It’s not a Maxima specific kit, but it does work on the Maxima.
The dry kits comes with a 10lb bottle with a nitrous pressure gauge, two small (Power Shot) nitrous solenoids with a mounting bracket, 14 ft braided line, one short braided line, one fan spray nozzle, one "TEE" fitting, one nitrous pressure regulator, flare jets, a fuel pressure safety switch, a micro switch, an arming switch, bottle brackets, some fittings, and some electrical stuff and an instruction manual.
You will need a hose barb “T” fitting and some extra EFI fuel hose, so plan on making at least one trip to the auto parts store. If you are mechanically inclined and have some experience working on automobiles it shouldn’t be a problem to install this kit in an afternoon.
Nitrous is injected into the motor through a fan spray nozzle located in the air intake path just before the throttle body. The extra fuel is supplied through the factory fuel injectors. This is accomplished by raising the fuel pressure from the normal wide-open throttle (WOT) pressure of 43psi to ~60psi when the NOS is engaged.
NOS claims that your stock plugs are fine if you use the kit as directed. However most NOS users believe that you should use colder spark plugs. I use NGK PFR6B-11 these are one step colder than the factory plugs on the Maxima, they are the stock plugs for the NA 300ZX (Thanks Don in TX!!!) Also for every 50 hp that you add you should decrease the plug gap by .004. If you add 60hp over stock you should decrease the gap .005. You have to account for all the power that you have added, not just what you've added with NOS. So if you've added 40 NA hp and 60 NOS hp you would decrease the gap by .008.
NOS claims that your stock ignition timing is ok if you use the kit as directed. However most NOS users recommend that you retard the ignition timing 2 degrees per 50hp. The only way to do this on the Maxima as of this writing is by using the JWT NOS ECU Daughter board. Its ~$900 and only available for the 95 & 96 years of the 4th gens, and I think for the 3rd gens also. JWT also controls the fuel flow for NOS runs. It’s the way to go if you have the $$$. However to increase the power level you must send your computer back to JWT to be reprogrammed.
There are plenty of opinions on this; the bottle pressure should be between 900 & 1000 psi or a temperature of 75-85 deg F.
The bottle holds 10 lbs of nitrous and needs to be refilled when there is under ~3 lbs left, cost is usually ~$3 - $3.50 per lb of NOS
You'll have no trouble with running 92 octane or higher.
Here are some other very nice but not necessary items...
An EGT Gauge is a great way to monitor what’s going on inside your motor. If the temps rise higher than 800 deg C your motor is running too hot and you need to investigate why. Basically a rich mixture will show as a lower temp, a lean mixture will show as a high temperature.
An A/F ratio Gauge is just as helpful as an EGT for monitoring what’s going on inside of your motor. A rich mixture is better than a lean mixture wile running NOS. If your motor shows lean you need to investigate why.
A fuel pressure gauge is needed if you plan on going higher than 70 hp with the NOS EFI Dry kit. If you stay at or below the 70 hp level the fuel pressure safety switch that comes in the kit should be all you need. The switch does not come adjusted from the factory. You do need to adjust it. If your budget will allow, I recommend a cockpit mounted fuel pressure gauge. This is due to the issue of the strength of the stock 4th Gen fuel pump. If you are having a problem it will let you know before you have problems.
A window switch is used to control when the NOS is turned on and off. It operates of engine RPM's. You can set it to turn on and off at particular RPM's. I have mine set to turn on at 3500rpm's and off at 6200rpm's. It prevents the NOS from coming on at too low of an RPM or staying on when you hit the rev limiter. Basically if you hit the factory rev limiter while running NOS the fuel pressure will cut and bye bye motor. Only 5spd cars need worry about this. An auto will shift to the next gear. Or if the system engages at too low of an rpm, under ~2500rpm, bye bye motor. The low limit on the window switch is also useful when launching a 5spd. Most people launch their Max's at ~1800rpms. They have trouble controlling wheel spin with the normal horsepower. If you add NOS right when you launch your spinning your wheels for sure. So the window switch will allow you to launch with out the NOS up until you hit the window, 3500rpms on my set up. You could also power shift with the NOS using a window switch. But I don’t think the Maxima tranney could take it.
A bottle heater (preferable the NX model since it is pressure actuated instead of temperature or manually actuated and much more powerful than the other brands to boot.) I have the NOS version and it works just fine. It’s half the price of the NX version.
A remote bottle opener is great for street use since you can turn the bottle on from the driver's seat. The NOS brand is a heavy-duty solenoid that attached to the bottle directly or is put inline away from the bottle. The NX opener is a literal bottler opener. It actually turns the bottle valve when you flip the switch.
A purge kit makes for quite an intimidating show but if you want to save a little money you can get the same effect as a purge kit if you hit the spray briefly during your burnout. A second or so is all it takes. With a dry kit it just doesn't hit quite as hard with air in the line, which can be a very desirable thing if traction is a problem. You might just leave that air in the line if this is the case. Hello FWD.
Ok, you've got your kit installed. Now what? Let's check to see if it will fire. With the bottle off, arm the system and have someone push the pedal to the floor. Does the WOT switch get tripped? Do you hear and feel the noid's click on and then off again when the pedal is released? If you have a FPSS you'll have to bypass it to get the 'noids to click with the engine off by connecting the wires to it together. Just screw them both to the same post of the switch. Ok, disarm it and open the bottle. Check for leaks.
I recommend using a push button switch, either in place of or in conjunction with the NOS arming switch. This will allow more control over when the system is engaged. I have a small push button switch that I hold in my hand or strap to the shifter. When I am running the nitrous I can choose to engage it when I need it. If I am racing another car on the street I can use it if I need it. I can hit it in second and if I’m far enough ahead I won’t use it in third. At the drag strip I will just hold it down and let the WOT and window switch control the system.
02-22-2002, 12:34 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,985
info con't
Approximate HP values for single NOS Jets HP NOS Jet
25 .024
30 .026
35 .028
40 .030
50 .032
60 .034
70 .036
I recommend you start with a ~50hp shot, .032 nitrous jet, and work your way up. This is because the stock fuel pump may not be able to support the fuel needs of the 70hp shot.
When you first make your test runs you need to check your spark plugs. If you see metallic specs (looks like pepper) on the white insulator part of the plugs your motor is detonating. Or if the ground strap on the spark plug looks like its anodized blue all the way up to the plug threads you are too lean. Adjust you system to compensate.
If you have engine mods other than NOS you many need to decrease the NOS hp level because you are approaching the limits of flow of the factory fuel pump. I put the NOS kit on my stock motor and it worked fine at 60hp. When I added my CAI and Y-Pipe my plugs showed that I was running a little lean. Others have not had this problem, perhaps I had a weak fuel pump or I’m too **** about leanness (is this a bad thing when running NOS?). I then went down to a 40 hp shot and the leanness went away. Of course I wanted the full 60 hp shot back so I then upgraded to a bigger fuel pump and an adjustable FPR. This did the trick, no leanness at 60 hp.
I use a Walbro GSS342 255 Liter Per Hour (LPH) High Pressure pump. Walbro makes 3 versions of the pump. A 190lph which is a good stock upgrade or replacment, a 255lph which would be good for a high volume stock pressure set up like a wet nitrous set up, and 255lph HP which will flow 38gph@100psi, this is useful for modified dry nitrous set up's like mine, I run ~85psi of fuel pressure. The two smaller pumps can’t support the flow needed at extremely high pressures. However, both the standard Walbro pressure pumps will support a dry kit that runs 70psi and under. Running at 70psi you should be able to use a .042-.044 nitrous jet. If you start playing with the jets in the NOS dry kit I recommend you get cockpit mounted fuel pressure gauge.
I don’t claim to be the know all on NOS but I have used it for a wile on a few vehicles. If you are unsure about something take your time and ask around. Please follow the directions included in your kit. The NOS web site and technical assistance phone line are great resources for information on using nitrous. Play it safe and you’ll get many miles of fun out of your NOS kit. If you get greedy for hp or careless you can blow your motor very quickly.
I have the instruction manual scanned in if you would like a copy just e-mail me.
Thanks to our own “Don in TX” for helping me understand some of the Maxima specific issues for NOS use and “The Colonel” from the LS1 site.
Matt Pelto
MardiGrasMax
matchou@home.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOS tips
NOS kit#5124
50 shot = 0.032 jet
Max without fuel pump
Fuel pump
Walbarro 255lph high fuel flow pump
Spark Plugs
NGK
Gauges
(autometer)
NOS pressure
Fuel Pressure
Egt
T fitting needed
Bottle opener
Bottle heater
Part #s from summit
Air Fuel Ratio: ATM-4375 $49.95
Fuel Pressure: ATM-4309 $84.95 (not full sweep)
Flip up Toggle switch: SUM-3902 $19
Remote bottle opener is $158
Window switch is $80+ $34 to get it modified.
run compression tests on my cyclinders. factory spec is 185 BRAND NEW
lean=higher temp, rich=lower temp. to provide enough fuel for a 100shot you need 85 psi of FP, i run mine at 89-90, i'd rather run a little rich than a little lean.
WIndow switch, Better known as a RPM switch, it turns on the NOS at a particular RPM setting, lets say 3000 RPM and turns it off at 6000 RPM. The concept behind it is that you DO NOT want to spray while the car is shiftingbetween gears. With a window switch... The NOS power connects to the window switch. When you arm your NOS, it will not get any power. Once you pass the designated RPM, the window switch will allow power to the NOS solenoids, and you flow, once you pass the next designated RPM, the window switch cuts the power and no flow. $80 from www.summitracing.com + $35 to have it modified by MSD to work on the maxima... You have to mail it to MSD
reccomended setup
NOS KIT 5124
Autometer Phantom A/F Gauge (2 1/16")
Autometer Phantom FP Gauge (2 1/16)
Autometer Phantom NOS pressure gauge (2 1/16)
NOS Bottle Heater with Bottle Blanket
Dual Pod Pillar gauge holder
Custom Passthrough Mounted NOS pressure Gauge Holder
Walbro 255LPH Fuel Pump
NOS jets sizes, .034, .036, .042, .047, .055, .065, .073
Blow down tube, need the tank adapter
Assorted wiring
Fuel line tap with EFI fuel line
TPS adjustment for ZEX
The way I did mine was to look on the firewall side of the throttle body and you will see a large sensor that is actually 2 sensors. First you have to find the "hot" wire in these sensors with a volt meter. It will be the one with 3.9ish Volts at full throttle, and about .4 or .5 at idle. Then you look on the sides of this sensor and you should see 2 screws. Very slowly loosen these screws, it doesn't take much force or rotation of the screws to make the TPS loose! Once this is done you can rotate the whole sensor clockwise and counterclockwise. Well all you do now is rotate it while looking at the volt meter and when you see the volt meter move from .5 at idle to about .7 or .8, you are done. This has successfully adjusted the TPS to be wide open and to test your work, check the voltage at full throttle and it should be around 4 or 4.2 volts. Once you are certain that you are finished just tighten the 2 screws back and go test drive. I am not sure how much of a difference you will notice, because when I did mine I was more interested in playing with the nitrous than I was worrying about this extra little power. Good luck and be careful.
Also I just wanted to let you know that if your local dealership finds out it will probably void some warranty.
-----------------------
I'll say again, I found this info in the removed sticky on the 4th gen forum, Its not my thoughts or experience
25 .024
30 .026
35 .028
40 .030
50 .032
60 .034
70 .036
I recommend you start with a ~50hp shot, .032 nitrous jet, and work your way up. This is because the stock fuel pump may not be able to support the fuel needs of the 70hp shot.
When you first make your test runs you need to check your spark plugs. If you see metallic specs (looks like pepper) on the white insulator part of the plugs your motor is detonating. Or if the ground strap on the spark plug looks like its anodized blue all the way up to the plug threads you are too lean. Adjust you system to compensate.
If you have engine mods other than NOS you many need to decrease the NOS hp level because you are approaching the limits of flow of the factory fuel pump. I put the NOS kit on my stock motor and it worked fine at 60hp. When I added my CAI and Y-Pipe my plugs showed that I was running a little lean. Others have not had this problem, perhaps I had a weak fuel pump or I’m too **** about leanness (is this a bad thing when running NOS?). I then went down to a 40 hp shot and the leanness went away. Of course I wanted the full 60 hp shot back so I then upgraded to a bigger fuel pump and an adjustable FPR. This did the trick, no leanness at 60 hp.
I use a Walbro GSS342 255 Liter Per Hour (LPH) High Pressure pump. Walbro makes 3 versions of the pump. A 190lph which is a good stock upgrade or replacment, a 255lph which would be good for a high volume stock pressure set up like a wet nitrous set up, and 255lph HP which will flow 38gph@100psi, this is useful for modified dry nitrous set up's like mine, I run ~85psi of fuel pressure. The two smaller pumps can’t support the flow needed at extremely high pressures. However, both the standard Walbro pressure pumps will support a dry kit that runs 70psi and under. Running at 70psi you should be able to use a .042-.044 nitrous jet. If you start playing with the jets in the NOS dry kit I recommend you get cockpit mounted fuel pressure gauge.
I don’t claim to be the know all on NOS but I have used it for a wile on a few vehicles. If you are unsure about something take your time and ask around. Please follow the directions included in your kit. The NOS web site and technical assistance phone line are great resources for information on using nitrous. Play it safe and you’ll get many miles of fun out of your NOS kit. If you get greedy for hp or careless you can blow your motor very quickly.
I have the instruction manual scanned in if you would like a copy just e-mail me.
Thanks to our own “Don in TX” for helping me understand some of the Maxima specific issues for NOS use and “The Colonel” from the LS1 site.
Matt Pelto
MardiGrasMax
matchou@home.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOS tips
NOS kit#5124
50 shot = 0.032 jet
Max without fuel pump
Fuel pump
Walbarro 255lph high fuel flow pump
Spark Plugs
NGK
Gauges
(autometer)
NOS pressure
Fuel Pressure
Egt
T fitting needed
Bottle opener
Bottle heater
Part #s from summit
Air Fuel Ratio: ATM-4375 $49.95
Fuel Pressure: ATM-4309 $84.95 (not full sweep)
Flip up Toggle switch: SUM-3902 $19
Remote bottle opener is $158
Window switch is $80+ $34 to get it modified.
run compression tests on my cyclinders. factory spec is 185 BRAND NEW
lean=higher temp, rich=lower temp. to provide enough fuel for a 100shot you need 85 psi of FP, i run mine at 89-90, i'd rather run a little rich than a little lean.
WIndow switch, Better known as a RPM switch, it turns on the NOS at a particular RPM setting, lets say 3000 RPM and turns it off at 6000 RPM. The concept behind it is that you DO NOT want to spray while the car is shiftingbetween gears. With a window switch... The NOS power connects to the window switch. When you arm your NOS, it will not get any power. Once you pass the designated RPM, the window switch will allow power to the NOS solenoids, and you flow, once you pass the next designated RPM, the window switch cuts the power and no flow. $80 from www.summitracing.com + $35 to have it modified by MSD to work on the maxima... You have to mail it to MSD
reccomended setup
NOS KIT 5124
Autometer Phantom A/F Gauge (2 1/16")
Autometer Phantom FP Gauge (2 1/16)
Autometer Phantom NOS pressure gauge (2 1/16)
NOS Bottle Heater with Bottle Blanket
Dual Pod Pillar gauge holder
Custom Passthrough Mounted NOS pressure Gauge Holder
Walbro 255LPH Fuel Pump
NOS jets sizes, .034, .036, .042, .047, .055, .065, .073
Blow down tube, need the tank adapter
Assorted wiring
Fuel line tap with EFI fuel line
TPS adjustment for ZEX
The way I did mine was to look on the firewall side of the throttle body and you will see a large sensor that is actually 2 sensors. First you have to find the "hot" wire in these sensors with a volt meter. It will be the one with 3.9ish Volts at full throttle, and about .4 or .5 at idle. Then you look on the sides of this sensor and you should see 2 screws. Very slowly loosen these screws, it doesn't take much force or rotation of the screws to make the TPS loose! Once this is done you can rotate the whole sensor clockwise and counterclockwise. Well all you do now is rotate it while looking at the volt meter and when you see the volt meter move from .5 at idle to about .7 or .8, you are done. This has successfully adjusted the TPS to be wide open and to test your work, check the voltage at full throttle and it should be around 4 or 4.2 volts. Once you are certain that you are finished just tighten the 2 screws back and go test drive. I am not sure how much of a difference you will notice, because when I did mine I was more interested in playing with the nitrous than I was worrying about this extra little power. Good luck and be careful.
Also I just wanted to let you know that if your local dealership finds out it will probably void some warranty.
-----------------------
I'll say again, I found this info in the removed sticky on the 4th gen forum, Its not my thoughts or experience
02-22-2002, 02:11 PM
#7
A writeup I did about 6 months ago...
I wrote this up quite a while ago...
Alright, I keep getting emails and post about how NOS is going to destroy my car and take miles off my engine, so heres some info that will hopefully become a sticky! (hint hint) NOS kit #5124 is a universal kit that works great on the Nissan Maxima. You can use it in a basic 50 shot (.032 jet) without the addition of gauges or a fuel pump. The NOS jet connects to your intake plumbing and your fuel pressure regulator, to boost your power and raise your fuel pressure. NOS is not a combustable per say, it lowers your intake temp and adds more parts oxygen to the proccess, which increases your power. It can be used with either an auto or 5 speed, though I recommend getting a tranny cooler and vb mod for the auto, and a new clutch depending on what shot you use for the 5 speed. You can run a 50-60 shot without added much else, though once you go over that, I would recommend at a minimum, a fuel pressure gauge, EGT, and new fuel pump. The stock pump can not reliably provide enough fuel pressure over a 70 shot. NOS is like anything else, abuse it you lose it. It is not on all the time like a supercharger or turbo, and can be used safely for many many miles. The only time I have heard of anyone damaging anything was through negligence or running too high a shot of NOS. FYI, the picture of the blown up maxima, that was because he wired his bottle heater wrong, it was on all weekend, and he added an extra disc to his relief valve. NOS is inherintly safe, it's the users that get dangerous. The fastest times Ive seen posted so far are 12.6 and 12.8, 5 speed and auto, with 120-125 shots I believe, but this was with other extensive mods and experience. Right now I am running:
Warpspeed Y-Pipe
Place Racing CAI
Stealin Exhuast
Transgo VB mod
Tranny cooler
Walbarro 255lph High flow fuel pump
NOS
.042 jet
Step colder NGK platinum plugs
autometer gauges
Good luck to all!
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLi.../NOS/index.html
www.zex.com
www.autoperformanceengineering.com
www.summitracing.com
www.autometer.com
Alright, I keep getting emails and post about how NOS is going to destroy my car and take miles off my engine, so heres some info that will hopefully become a sticky! (hint hint) NOS kit #5124 is a universal kit that works great on the Nissan Maxima. You can use it in a basic 50 shot (.032 jet) without the addition of gauges or a fuel pump. The NOS jet connects to your intake plumbing and your fuel pressure regulator, to boost your power and raise your fuel pressure. NOS is not a combustable per say, it lowers your intake temp and adds more parts oxygen to the proccess, which increases your power. It can be used with either an auto or 5 speed, though I recommend getting a tranny cooler and vb mod for the auto, and a new clutch depending on what shot you use for the 5 speed. You can run a 50-60 shot without added much else, though once you go over that, I would recommend at a minimum, a fuel pressure gauge, EGT, and new fuel pump. The stock pump can not reliably provide enough fuel pressure over a 70 shot. NOS is like anything else, abuse it you lose it. It is not on all the time like a supercharger or turbo, and can be used safely for many many miles. The only time I have heard of anyone damaging anything was through negligence or running too high a shot of NOS. FYI, the picture of the blown up maxima, that was because he wired his bottle heater wrong, it was on all weekend, and he added an extra disc to his relief valve. NOS is inherintly safe, it's the users that get dangerous. The fastest times Ive seen posted so far are 12.6 and 12.8, 5 speed and auto, with 120-125 shots I believe, but this was with other extensive mods and experience. Right now I am running:
Warpspeed Y-Pipe
Place Racing CAI
Stealin Exhuast
Transgo VB mod
Tranny cooler
Walbarro 255lph High flow fuel pump
NOS
.042 jet
Step colder NGK platinum plugs
autometer gauges
Good luck to all!
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLi.../NOS/index.html
www.zex.com
www.autoperformanceengineering.com
www.summitracing.com
www.autometer.com
02-22-2002, 05:38 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,378
wow.....talk about a deluge of information!
looks like I'm gonna have to do the VB Upgrade and get me a tranny cooler sooner than I thought!
oh wait......I'm probably gonna need better brakes and rotors too!!
okay........ so then which transmission cooler comes most highly recommended for our Max's?
and thanks A LOT for all that useful info!
looks like I'm gonna have to do the VB Upgrade and get me a tranny cooler sooner than I thought!
oh wait......I'm probably gonna need better brakes and rotors too!!
okay........ so then which transmission cooler comes most highly recommended for our Max's?
and thanks A LOT for all that useful info!
02-22-2002, 05:48 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,985
Originally posted by acMAX
wow.....talk about a deluge of information!
looks like I'm gonna have to do the VB Upgrade and get me a tranny cooler sooner than I thought!
oh wait......I'm probably gonna need better brakes and rotors too!!
okay........ so then which transmission cooler comes most highly recommended for our Max's?
and thanks A LOT for all that useful info!
wow.....talk about a deluge of information!
looks like I'm gonna have to do the VB Upgrade and get me a tranny cooler sooner than I thought!
oh wait......I'm probably gonna need better brakes and rotors too!!
okay........ so then which transmission cooler comes most highly recommended for our Max's?
and thanks A LOT for all that useful info!
