Nitrous questions

[sfwilliams@comcast.net (Scott F. Williams)]

> what I would like to know is stuff like what is my HP ceiling,

Considering that your fogger plate is positioned between the throttlebody
and the intake manifold, fuel/nitrous oxide distribution consistency is your
limiting factor. The mixture has mass and thus inertia that will tend to
carry it mostly towards cylinder 1, and progressively less to 2,3, and
finally 4. So, you only want to push it so far.

I think the "happy" point is probably about 50hp. Anything more than that
and I think you're asking for trouble. You do have those forged pistons to
keep things safe, so I wouldn't be too nervous. Anything more than that and
you should keep your fingers crossed and run race gas.

>...where I should source the other componants ( especially
> where to get the
> fittings to run a tap off of the fuel dist.)

You'll probably have to fabricate this part. All it really amounts to is a
wierd banjo fitting. Look through the Russels, Earls, and Aeroquip catalogs.
Maybe you'll find something compatible. The racing outfits like Summit,
Pegasus, etc. all carry these. Summit has the best online catalog, I think.

> and realistic views on nitrous as a whole. this will
> be my daily driver and I want it to last a good while,
> so I am looking for conservatism here.

I say go for a 25 shot and don't worry about a thing. Just hook it up and
have some fun. If you do it right, adding horsepower with nitrous adds the
same degree of stress as adding power with any other method. The notion that
nitrous kills motors is simply half-baked. Buy a book on nitrous oxide
implementation and you'll be that much closer to designing your ideal
system.

There aren't too many options to consider when it comes to the plumbing.
Thus, system optimization will come with a progressive controller. This will
simply make the engine feel like it is bigger rather than boosted. You can
also install safety features like a fuel pressure switch which disarms the
system when the pressure drops below an acceptable point. There are lots of
options but install something simple and tune from there. That's my advice.
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
'99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
Mazda 323 GTX turbo "assaulted" vehicle
Golf GTI 16v "rollycar"
ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."