Nitrous Oxide Kits
Surely the ultimate after market modification to anyone’s car is a performance enhancing Nitrous Oxide kit! These astounding kits will turn your car from ‘nice but dim’, into a thundering dragster packing pulse pounding brake horsepower!
Key to all this is the burning of extra fuel, for which oxygen is required. The system works by spraying a specific amount of Nitrous Oxide into the car’s combustion chambers, along with a measured amount of additional fuel. The Nitrous Oxide comprises two-thirds oxygen, and this extra O2 allows the car to burn the excess fuel rapidly and efficiently. Nitrogen makes up the remainder of the Nitrous Oxide and is crucial to the system as it keeps the temperature low and stable within the engine chambers. The resulting explosive reaction leads to a ‘super charger’ effect, which sends the engine into massive over drive and boosts your car’s power output by up to 200 brake horsepower!
These kits are amazing, delivering the kind of acceleration you would normally only associate with supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis; but bear in mind there are some drawbacks. And dangers…
Clearly, your car’s engine wasn’t designed with this kind of enhanced performance in mind, so it’s important not to get trigger happy with the ‘On’ button – if you engage the system for more than 10 seconds at a time, there’s a good chance your engine will explode!
You’ll also want to keep focussed on the fact that your suspension and tyres were not designed for this, so when you apply the Nitrous Oxide, be prepared for your car to lose some traction.
The Nitrous Oxide is usually stored in a 10lb canister, which is likely to be housed securely either in the boot (if there’s room), or behind the driver in the cabin. These tanks will typically get you around 3 minutes’ worth of extra power, and will need refilling or replacing once you’ve exhausted them. So you might want to use your newfound BHP sparingly!
Another critical factor you will have to address is the law. While some of these kits are legal in the UK, most are not; we cannot stress enough the importance of checking your supplier / installer’s credentials. In addition, it’s worth asking them to recommend an insurance company who will cover your pumped-up car, as most insurers will probably refuse to cover you for road use. If they will provide cover, be prepared for your premium to skyrocket even faster than your car. Please be aware though, you MUST inform your insurance company when you make any such modification to your vehicle!
Prices for these systems start at around £600, but you are strongly advised to choose high quality, legal equipment over cheaper imported systems that may not meet UK standards (hence illegal).
DIY kits are available for the mechanically minded, but due to the strict UK legislation on this type of modification, we again recommend that you have a professional installation undertaken where guarantees of quality and legality are offered.