Nitrous Installation Notes

[Dave]

UPDATE 8/11/06: My nitrous kit was removed to allow for the installation of the Tri-Point supercharger. I'm leaving these notes in place for anyone interested in the install. At the time it was removed, the kit had worked flawlessly on the Elise for well over a year....

Nitrous Oxide? Ah, yes, the subject that breeds controversy on virtually every automotive newsgroup. Yes, it’s true; I’ve installed it on my Elise. I hesitated posting these notes, as it surely will invoke a magnitude of flaming - not the first (or last) time for me I’m sure. But before you gather to light your torches and circle the wagons, at least hear me out…

I’m hardly a nitrous guru (or car expert for that matter), but can say I’ve been installing systems since the early 80s; five of my own personal vehicles, and several for friends. I’m a conservative installer with safety being paramount - I don’t push any vehicle to its mechanical limits, or even close. I’m not out to impress anybody with track times or horsepower numbers, but rather enhance my own driving experience. I’ve always been picky about functionality, with aesthetics coming secondary. Conservative also implies that I’m not a nitrous junkie, and always have my finger on the trigger switch – not a good idea. In fact, in the 3 months I've had this system installed, I've refilled the bottle only once. No, I’ve never destroyed an engine, or even caused any damage whatsoever (via nitrous). I can say that with complete conviction.

The reputation of nitrous has been clouded in the past, and I feel it’s primarily due to the lack of experience of the installer, coupled with that ‘need to be the fastest’ mentality. The nitrous manufactures further complicate matters with attractive advertising and promises to awaken the beast under the hood, provoking amateurs to do-it-yourself, with some probably over beers. There are plenty of horror stories out there, and I’ve witnessed a few myself. I pity those who slap on a kit, jet it to the highest HP setting, and go out looking to take over the street racing world. The best-case scenario is that they’ll only blow their engine into dust. Nitrous can be damaging and even dangerous when used improperly, just like anything else. We all know that. I am, however, a firm believer that if it’s used properly and conservatively, it’s an effective (and safe) way to increase vehicle horsepower, at a fraction of the cost of forced induction. I didn’t come here to sell you on nitrous, or even recommend it for that matter – it’s clearly not for everyone. Most consider it too ‘radical’ or ‘taboo’ - it’s obviously a personal choice and commitment. Also, I’m not endorsing NX, NOS, ND, or any other company that makes these systems.

Before installing on the Elise, I wrestled with some of the variables: warranty, longevity, expense, etc. I must admit it probably took a couple of weeks for me to decide, and some sleep was lost along the way. I researched the Toyota/Celica tuners websites and groups until I couldn’t stand to look at them anymore. So, why didn’t I just go out and buy a Z06 or Viper? No thanks; I’m crazy about this car (and Lotus for that matter – this is my 3rd). Anyway, I’m very happy with my decision. The 2ZZ is very receptive IMHO, and the results are MUCH better than I had anticipated. Zero fuel pump delivery or timing issues with the wet system. The stock Elise is without a doubt a quick car. With the nitrous engaged, it becomes a fast car. The ‘boost’ is phenomenal; similar to the kick-in-the-pants you get from the second cam. If any owners are passing near Dayton, send me a pm & stop by for a look/drive to experience this acceleration…you won’t believe it. I’ve also shot some in-car video which I need to convert to mpeg…I’ll post a link when I do if anyone is interested.

I’m off my soapbox and here's some brief install notes. I didn’t post a complete step-by-step set of procedures, as I’m sure few others will elect to do the install.

Kit: Nitrous Express Stage I EFI Import Kit (wet).
Jet: 50 shot, Shark nozzle (35, 50, 75 100 jet options are included).
Installation Time: ~6 hours.
Cost: $575, bottle fills ~$40.

The 10lb bottle fits perfectly in the left side of the trunk. The bracket was secured to the floor using some short lag bolts. I painted it SY to match the car (www.towerpaint.com). Having installed a PC645 dry cell battery, I found the excess space in the battery box a perfect place for the solenoids & relay. I secured them in place with cable/wire ties to facilitate an easy removal of the system. I also like the fact they are segregated from the hot engine compartment.

I had already installed a FF cold air induction kit (love it, BTW). The coupling made a perfect injection point for the Shark nozzle. The preferred point is approximately 3-5 inches before the throttle body. I elected to use a 50 shot with the Elise. From my non-scientific research, most of the 2ZZ tuners consider 50 to be ‘safe’, 75 acceptable (and most common), and 100 marginal/take what you get.

The WOT (wide open throttle switch) mounted to an existing bolt on the back of the throttle body, using the supplied universal bracket. You just need to bend the bracket about 45 degrees toward the linkage.

The system power switch was mounted to the lower seat belt housing…plenty of room there, out of the way, and hardly noticeable. Routing the wiring was somewhat of a pain. I finally removed the left rear speaker and drilled a hole through the firewall. The exit point was just a few inches from the WOT. It ended up being a very clean install.

EDIT: One follow-up note. I have finished up with the gauge bracket/nitrous monitor. I added a meter to monitor the voltage while the bottle warmer is operating. Also, I installed a yellow LED (Radio Shack) to the bottom of the bracket which indicates when the heater/warmer in on. It's a nice peace-of-mind feature to have in the event the warmer pressure sensor were to fail. Zero voltage issues thus far with the heater and PC625 battery. A bottle warmer in cooler climates is mandatory. The second gauge is nitrous bottle pressue, with electric sender. It works fantastic (about $260 on the internet). I've also updated a few photos.

[Ground Loop]

Holy Moley!

No need to make excuses around here.. I'm drooling over the pictures, yellow bottle and all. Very clean installation.

Where did you put the actual trigger? Purge switch/outlet? How hard was it to tap the wet nozzle into our fuel rail?

What safeguards are there aside from the WOT switch.. is there anything to ensure revs are sufficiently up? I've never run NOS, but haven't ruled it out if it can be done with minimal risk and wear.

I think you have the first NOS Elise on record, and I, for one, look forward to your video and long-term experience with it. Awesome work!

[MattG]

Indeed, we all saw this coming, the 'first nitrous install' thread. it's great to see it so well written and coming from someone with some obvious experience in this area! The one negative is that now you have me thinking about how nice it'd be to have that little 50hp boost on tap when needed...and I already have a FF intake ordered and on the way...hmm...

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Ground Loop

Holy Moley!

No need to make excuses around here.. I'm drooling over the pictures, yellow bottle and all. Very clean installation.

Where did you put the actual trigger? Purge switch/outlet? How hard was it to tap the wet nozzle into our fuel rail?

What safeguards are there aside from the WOT switch.. is there anything to ensure revs are sufficiently up? I've never run NOS, but haven't ruled it out if it can be done with minimal risk and wear.

I think you have the first NOS Elise on record, and I, for one, look forward to your video and long-term experience with it. Awesome work!

With this system, the 'trigger' is simply a SPST toggle switch, which is the one I mounted on the lower seatbelt housing (hard to see on that lousy picture above). When on, the WOT is hot and full gas pedal deflection will activate the system. Nitrous requires you pay attention to the tach, but we should all be doing that anyway. You need to avoid activating the WOT below 3K RPM, and of course hitting the rev limiter. That's where that red light really comes in handy I've been looking at adding a second light, or somehow enlarging the stock one.

The purge is not included with the kit. It's next on my list now that I'm satisfied with the core install. The only item I installed aside from the kit was an inline fuse holder...can't believe they don't supply one. It's connected to a fused accessory outlet, but I like the added redundancy. I used a 10A, which correlates to the relay wire gauge.

BTW, thanks for the other kind remarks...

[keith86a]

we need more people on this forum like you man! Go_Lotus is da man!

[mrluky]

i like your install, it is very clean and i like the way you have a semi fail-safe and an on-off switch

would a 20 shot, or a very small shot be even worth doing it? im a NOS hater, but reading this and thinking of eleanor in gone in 60 secs(go, baby, go) in the storm drain(??) scene has pursuaded me lol. i wonder then the 3 fast 3 furious is gunna come out.

kind of off topic but: can you run a super charger and a big turbo?

[The Stig]

Holy ****!!! DUDE IS SQUEEZING!

The install looks great. WoW!

Neil

[OneFastLotus]

Originally Posted by Ground Loop

Holy Moley!

No need to make excuses around here.. I'm drooling over the pictures, yellow bottle and all. Very clean installation.

Where did you put the actual trigger? Purge switch/outlet? How hard was it to tap the wet nozzle into our fuel rail?

Its not a direct port set up.

The trigger is his little switch he showed a picture of. You flip that on and it arms the system. Then when he goes wide open throttle it trips a switch on the throttle body which completes the circuit and hits the fuel and juice. The fuel and gasoline both come out of his "fogger" which you see going into the blue silicone line there. It's a Y type fitting with two nozzles. Red lines are fuel, blue lines are nitrous. You choose what size nozzle for fuel, and what size nozzle for nitrous. When he goes WOT the juices flow and atomize somewhat...this mixture sucks into the intake.

Without a purge what happens is this. He flips the switch, see's a Porsche Carrera GT ( ) so he floors it and goes WOT. There is a little air in the line so the first thing to come out of the fitting is fuel. The extra fuel BOGS the car down pretty bad, then POW the nitrous finally fills the line and starts entering the intake too...then DOUBLE POW, he goes from BOG to FOG and takes off.

The crappy part about nitrous in my opinion is that unless you pay the scrilla for a remote bottle opener you sometimes find yourself without the juice. Also you'll need a bottle warmer for the cooler months.

I had nitrous on my 5.0 miata. I sitting at a light to get on the interstate one day when a mustang SVT pulled in behind me and revved on me. I guess he saw the rollcage and also heard my car loping. His car sounded MEAN too, and he had a giant tach, and a large VORTECH sticker across the windshield. So I though, oh **** he's gonna try and jump on me when we get on the interstate.
Pathetic me, pops the trunk, gets out of the car at the light, turns my bottle on, then run back into the car. I gave the guy a wink and a smile. The guy in the stang behind knew EXACTLY what I was doing and was laughing his ass off and gave me thumbs up.
I vowed to get a remote bottle opener after that, but some arsehole decided he wanted my nitrous system more than I did, it got stolen about a month later.

[Terminus]

Having been out on a track with mine and seen how little acceleration there is from 120mph->top speed, I am wondering how well this beauty does at getting you through that speed band.
Let me know how it goes if you get a chance to try that.
Thanks for the great write-up!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by OneFastLotus

Without a purge what happens is this. He flips the switch, see's a Porsche Carrera GT ( ) so he floors it and goes WOT. There is a little air in the line so the first thing to come out of the fitting is fuel. The extra fuel BOGS the car down pretty bad, then POW the nitrous finally fills the line and starts entering the intake too...then DOUBLE POW, he goes from BOG to FOG and takes off.

The crappy part about nitrous in my opinion is that unless you pay the scrilla for a remote bottle opener you sometimes find yourself without the juice. Also you'll need a bottle warmer for the cooler months.

Good points Jen,
Yes, a purge is a must for this system. Nitrous Express claims 'A purge valve is usually worth about one tenth decrease in E.T.' Maybe, but it's value to reduce the chance of detonation from a fog filp-flop is more important to me. It's also imperative to check the jets regularly for clogs. Again, I wanted to test the core install prior to throwing any more cash at it. I ordered the purge last week ($120) and pressure gauge ($55). The bottle warmer is sitting on my bench and I'll install that come fall.

A remote opener would probably be a good investment for off-track use. BTW, I would love to have seen you jump out and spin the top of your bottle! Guessing the Mustang stayed in your mirror?

[Stan]

The trunk gets pretty warm! I'd be concerned about this factor...

[hpman]

No consideration to retard timing???

Looks clean I like it.

[NMRJock]

I'm not Nitrous savy. I've always assumed a '50 shot' means 50 horsepower. True? How long does a bottle last? I know it depends on how much you use it, but some idea would be cool.
I'd like to try Nitrous on something.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by hpman

No consideration to retard timing???

Looks clean I like it.

Some consideration was given, but the NX Stage 1 wet kit works with the factory fuel system/computer and does not require any timing retard. I've run it through all the gear cycles (except 6th), and the performance has been great...not one single backfire/detonation or bog. Regarding octane, 92-94 octane is generally recommended for up to 50 shot. One nice thing - I have a Sunoco nearby with 94.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by NMRJock

I'm not Nitrous savy. I've always assumed a '50 shot' means 50 horsepower. True? How long does a bottle last? I know it depends on how much you use it, but some idea would be cool.
I'd like to try Nitrous on something.

Yes, the shot/horsepower are synonymous.

Usage (quoted from the NX website for 100 shot, so just interpolate): The formula for calculating your nitrous usage is .8 lbs N2O X 10 seconds = 100 horsepower. I.E. If your system is jetted for 100 horsepower it will use .8 lbs of nitrous for every 10 seconds of usage.

[hpman]

Originally Posted by Go_Lotus

Some consideration was given, but the NX Stage 1 wet kit works with the factory fuel system/computer and does not require any timing retard. I've run it through all the gear cycles (except 6th), and the performance has been great...not one single backfire/detonation or bog. Regarding octane, 92-94 octane is generally recommended for up to 50 shot. One nice thing - I have a Sunoco nearby with 94.

91 Octane is the max at the pump here in CA. That could be a problem???

Where did you tap into for the fuel input/mix with the nitros??

[Dave]

Originally Posted by hpman

91 Octane is the max at the pump here in CA. That could be a problem???

Where did you tap into for the fuel input/mix with the nitros??

The 91 could be an issue with a wet system. You can buy octane boosters at the local auto store to supplement...usually runs about $6/bottle/tank. The booster from NOS seems to be the most popular. I tapped the fuel line where it runs just below the coolant overflow tank. The supplied T adapter/tap is the correct fuel line diameter. NOTE: The fuel line is hardened PVC. I split the line on my first attempt to insert the tap. I then used a blow dryer to warm then ends and soften them a bit...worked perfect.

[LastToy]

That's the best damn written post I've ever read anywhere.
Clear and concise... orderly flowing thought process... You sure you are not a sales person... or an Eglish teacher?

Nice!

[mrluky]

id imagine mpg drops drasticly with a mod like this

[Dave]

Originally Posted by LastToy

That's the best damn written post I've ever read anywhere.
Clear and concise... orderly flowing thought process... You sure you are not a sales person... or an Eglish teacher?

Nice!

Business major, not English...slept through those classes Terrible sales person too. I'll throw out a shamless plug for my companies however: www.electronix.com & www.raidweb.com The first I started back in '86.

Thanks for the kind remarks.

Update: I'm having trouble converting the video to mpeg...results are lousy, and I'm still working on it. I need some of that Randy Cam expertise.