Nitrous Noob, a couple questions...
 

So I have narrowed it down to the NX Proton wet kit on my 5.5 gen (auto). My plan is to run this with an old school engagement button instead of the drive by wire WOT engagement. Primarily because I do not want to engage in first gear. Plus if I forget to turn the tcs off I figured this would be faster to disengage.

Now my dilema and questions are regarding purge. Not for show, but for functionality. I really don't want to purge through the motor, doesn't seem safe. If I do a purge kit, do I need a seperate engagement (switch and button) for that? I've tried searching around but have not found anything useful on the install. I keep coming up with the fake co2 kit installs.

Also, seems irridum plugs are the way to go vs. copper to maintain more n/a power. To start I was going to go with a 50 shot, but know I may start upping that as I get track time in. At what point should I go copper, if ever at all?

Any help would be appricieated. Thanks in advance.

A nitrous purge is another nitrous solenoid connected either to the N2O feed line to the main N2O solenoid ( a Tee-connection) or through a purge port in some modern N2O solenoids. Since even a purge solenoid can draw a few amps, a big pushbutton switch is required ( or switch and relay)- otherwise it will just melt and fail. Route the purge exhaust line to open air, away from any engine air intakes and hot exhaust manifolds. A small copper line works well - just get the purge gas out of the engine compartment.

Using nitrous makes more heat in the combustion chamber. At least switch to one-step cooler copper-core plugs, not the stock platinum plugs. As you raise your shot, go to two steps cooler plug. Iridiums work just as well, but are more expensive and aren't needed below the 100-shot level. Just remember that "cooler" plugs are designed to pull the extra heat out of the center of the plug and transfer it to the outer plug shell and into the head thru the threads. Learn to read your plugs - Google is your friend.

Good luck - once you're hooked on the power, you're dooomed! :D

Thanks brother. Just found a PDF floating around a LS1 forum for the dynotune purge kit. Seems self explainitory now.

I'm afraid once I start I'll want to raise that shot. Just like boosting. Apparently 22psi was the limit for my old b18swapped cCRX

You might want to start "stockpiling" some spare parts in order to limit your down time. :p To use one of Grey's many sayings....
"It's always something" :nx:

I recommend spare engines and transmissions. " if you ain't breakin' sumthin, you ain't racing " Nitrous has many traps for the unwary, so don't jump from a 50-shot to a 150-shot directly. Go up gradually, be sure your fuel filter is new and your plugs are copper-core when you start down that long, painful and expensive road of spraying, and learn to read those plugs. Monitor your fuel pressure and nitrous pressure like your car depends on them (it does). Nitrous bottles are like baby bottles - gotta be just the right temp to work, and never too full or empty.

I'll stop now.... ;)

Lol

All good info, which I thank you for. Much appricieated!

Another thing I was thinking of. I was reading that ignition timing needs to be retarded. If I have my afr straight with my tuner do I still need to worry about that?

Thanks and sorry. These questions keep coming up and don't know where to turn.

That depends - on which octane fuel you use and how much nitrous you're spraying. If you're burning 87 octane and spray a 50-shot, that's risky. If you use 91 octane you can probably go to a 100-shot, with the right plugs. Maybe. All this is using the stock timing.

If you disconnect the knock sensor and run without it, your base timing is retarded automatically, quite a bit.. I covered all this in my main Nitrous thread, complete with numbers. Look back a ways for details. I had discovered that my knock sensor had failed and made the car more sluggish in normal driving (and a OBD2 code scanner doesn't show it!) so I went from there and was able to switch timing curves on demand.

Good question to ask before you destroy an exhaust valve or piston with pre-ignition from too much nitrous. Been there - did that.

Thanks brother. I can go back to -2 degrees with the Car Gauge Pro app. Going to start there on a 35 shot. Then gently merge to 50... 75... who knows where I'll stop. Looking for a used tranny and motor for the right price now as a tinker project/backup.

I'll dig for your thread.

I ran a 50shot wet for one tank then a 75shot for 6months all on 2segree advanced timing and NGK 1 step cooler plugs never had a problem..

Now i got the Car gauge app too, i pulled my timing from 17 to 13degree put a Walbro 255 pump in and jetted up a 100 shot And WOW it felt good, been thru 2 bottles on it. I just installed my wideband so im going to try a 125 shot this friday and tune with wideband.

Just take it slow i guess lol..im Learning as i go..

They say pull 2degrees every 50 shot but im not sure how we would pull 6degrees out a maxima..

You can pull 8 degrees right off the bat by doing as Grey mentioned earlier... that's enough timing retard to run a 200 shot. Might want to go 2 steps colder on the plugs as I remember reading a while back about going 1 step colder for every 75-100 shot you use.

Thanks. Isn't -8 kind of overkill if I'm only looking to run 35 out of the gate? Is -2 enough for a 75 shot? Maybe I misread something while digging through these old threads.

There is no exact answer - only guidelines for pulling timing. You need to learn how to read your plugs. Every car is a little different, unless you get identical models off the assembly line, so your requirements will be different from mine and most other Maximas. Type and quality of fuel, delivered fuel pressure, type and quality of plug, how much throttle you use at different RPMs, your intake air temp and quality of filter, water temp, the outside weather, road or track traction are all factors when you push your engine beyond normal limits.

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/4089/bnfy.jpg I'll be reading plugs regularly. Just installed NGK coppers last night while swapping my spacers, (3pc economy to 5pc). As far as intake I'll be running a 4" from Cant_Get_Ryte with AEM dryflow and velocity stack. But anyway, I get all the factors and to be safe I'll just start pulling the knock sensor past a 50 shot. NX said this Proton kit is safe on factory timing and 91 octane up to a 75 shot. But they will not replace my motor if it blows so I'll play it safe. Also, here's a shot of the Proton solenoid (with Mainline purge solenoid) in case others were interested.

Just figured I'd update. Started with a 35 wet shot, then 50, now I've been running constantly on a 75 shot. My base AFR is now at a 12.2 to a 12.6. When I spray this puts me in the low to mid 11's. This seems to be the sweet spot between rich and lean, well... for my car anyway.

Also, I've used the Car Gauge PRO app to retard my timing 2 degrees from factory. This plus 93 octane and copper plugs has not shown me any signs of detonation.

I've sprayed through seven 10lb bottles now with no noticeable ill effects. I was paranoid to go this route with the maxipad but I'm glad I did plenty of research (and many thanks to fellow orgers). Hope this posts helps anyone who's thinking about spraying in the future.

Actually that's pretty impressive - you researched the problems with nitrous, took precautions with fuel, plugs, and ignition timing, and survived seven bottles of spraying without losing an engine. Can you read your plugs yet?

What have you accomplished with the spraying? Low ETs, high MPH, some major kills (on the track, of course)? Got any good stories to share??

Pulled plugs a few times now, no signs of detonation, been on the rich side of the "good" range according to the chart I have.

Mainly it's been all street tuning and data logging at a local airport runway. My first track day is Import Face Off on the 30th. Trying to track down 100shot jets before I go.

Races in which I sprayed? Street racing is illegal but I will write a math problem...

06 Mustang GT (supercharged) + 05 WRX (unknown mods) + Dodge Dakota R/T (unknown nitrous shot) < Maxima

Edit: roll, roll, dig. And the Dakota was the closest.

Sounds like a lot of fun! Nitrous is where it's at.

My nitrous camaro was a blast!

Just a quick update for anyone that would care (now or in the future).

I've sprayed through countless bottles now at a 75 shot. My best 1/4 mile is a 13.3 ET at 108 trap. I'm heading back to the track this Friday (hopefully) with 100 shot jets. Holy crap! What a difference between 75 and 100, torque is crazy! Hoping to break into 12's with the new jets and some weight reduction.

Running about 8 to 10 degrees of base timing, plugs look good so I'm assuming that's enough retard for now.


IF YOU WANT TO SEE VIDS AND PICTURES, my Instagram is @kt3maxima

Think about this - you really need to monitor your fuel pressure when spraying heavier shots (or just change out the fuel pump to a Walbro 255lph) because the bigger the shot, the more fuel you pull from your fuel delivery system. If you spray a large shot and the fuel system can't deliver, you will go lean instantly. If you're lucky, the ground straps on the plugs will just burn away. If not, then it's the exhaust valves. Not good.... Update your fuel pump.

Oh, and you are now eligible to join the NA club - Nitrous Anonymous. Club meetings are usually held in old garages or pit areas at a drag strip, and much weeping and wailing is heard. I quit going to the meetings - too crowded, depressing and noisy. :eek:

Already running said pump. Got it for like $50 off here or my5th a while ago when mine crapped out.

I will not go to those meetings because I refuse to admit I have a problem. So what if the guy at Pep Boys said I should look into a second bottle, or a mother bottle.

Good -you can never have too much fuel pump. Bottles? I just counted, and I have nine 15lb bottles, and I just installed the newest NX bottle valves in two of them. Also ordered two new nitrous blow off tubing sets for them, just for those cranky tech guys at checkin. Like one of my bottles would ever blow up. :eek:

A mother bottle is getting closer for me - if I can rent one without a siphon tube, which mounts upside down, and gives you about ten more lbs of nitrous from momma. Those bottles are heavy, though. About 120-180lbs, depending on supplier, I hear. 60-70 lbs N2O isn't really very much for one month's spraying, pulling 2 1/2 - 3lbs per pass from two 15lb bottles.

Attachment 23187

I had a moderate obsession a few years back. I'm better now.... Lol

Finally quit sniffing the stuff, eh? You have more plumbing there than what's in Lowe's AND Home depot, but I see only two nitrous stages? :eek:

I like the fuel regulator stack - kinda like pancakes at IHOP. :goofy: Pretty cool work there. And this makes you an honorary member of the NA club, for sure.

2 stages was all that was needed to run the 8.50 index class. That 406 sbc made 1283 hp at the wheels. :)

To quote Achmed the dead terrorist, "Holey Krap" !! So maybe Daddy Dave's Sonoma PU w/ 500 Cu In LSX with 3 stages might make a few more? That would explain a lot - I saw the YouTubes of OKC's #1 on a dyno, (and watched him race at Wichita KID) but no numbers mentioned or shown. :eek:

Hmmm... maybe it's time to convert a maxima to RWD....

Ran a 12.9 with 110mph trap this past Friday on a 100 shot. Only spraying once in 2nd gear. Since I will not be going with a higher shot, I'm thinking about a 2nd nozzle and solenoid set to spray a 35 or 50 out of the hole. Need to research how to do this, not sure how this will work with how I'm tapping fuel, but idk. We'll see.

That's a respectable ET and MPH. Now that's you've done this and experienced how fun it is to launch on a 100-shot, if you have two nozzles and pairs of solenoids installed, one set for the launch and one for adding spray once into second gear, you can control the launch nozzle with a throttle switch and the second stage with another switch of some sort, so that you can launch with a 50-shot and once thru first gear then spray the second nozzle jetted for another 50-shot. Whenever you have enough traction to engage the afterburner.. :eek:

I did that for a couple of years, used a 75-shot to launch and had a second 100-shot nozzle for the afterburner. The launch stage was controlled with a microswitch+relay attached to the TB and the second stage used a fat doorbell switch+relay on the floor over to the left side. Of course I was using M&H slicks (8.5x15x24.5") to do this, but if the track was prepped well, I could launch with the 75-shot and get into the second stage while still in first gear. I went thru some transmissions doing this but generally this worked well. :D

Good info,bthanks. Definitely looking into a backup tranny before this. Just tossing ideas around to get a mid 12.