Nitrous Oxide, Spark Plugs? Options

[JoKeRkId613]

i have a friend with nitrous(150shot). i remember a while back us talking about nos and i told him i was thinking of doing that. the ting is that i have bosch platinum +4 spark plugs and he said that nitrous won't work well with platinum core plugs. i know that zex has "hyperformance plugs" with a copper core. i was thinking of getting ngk's tho because i dont think the zex brand will be all that well. i had two questions: is it true that my bosch plugs wont work with the nitrous? and what is the best spark plugs to us on my automatic 94 ST that will also work well with nitrous? thanks!

[darksecret]

Yes Bosch plugs will work, but when dealing with nitrous you might want to get a cheap set of Autolites. Nitrous tends to foul plugs easily and it would be better on the wallet if you only spent a buck and some change each. After tuning when the A/F ratio is where it should be then use the Bosch plugs. I have a thread for nitrous on here if you want to check that out.

[JoKeRkId613]

thanks for the reply. what did you mean about the air/fuel mix ratio? i didnt get that part. so youre saying to use cheap plugs when running nitrous becaus ethe nitrous will burn them out quicker and that way i dont burn the more costly bosch plugs? let me know if i got that right. thanks.

[darksecret]

Yeah cheap plugs are good to tune with since some of the more reputable brands give a good spark, as far as air/fuel. Nitrous is basically air in a bottle (only about 10% more concetrated than regular air), when most people tune their engines for nitrous they run a richer setting in fear of running lean. A rich setting will foul plugs, also a slight lean can burn the plugs up.

This post has been edited by darksecret: May 18, 2005 - 4:32 PM

[nik]

im pretty sure you want to go a step hotter on your plugs also

[JoKeRkId613]

so ill be fine with some crappy denso's? you seem to know a lot about nitrous and how it works. im thinking about getting nitrous on my 7a-fe. its auto. i have 196k miles but the engine is in excellent condition. always had oil changes on time and always uses 93 octane gas. lol. spark plugs changed. reg. full tuneups, etc. the engine's a beast. im thinking about running a 45-50 shot. only when i race for money. lol. how long do u think my 7a would last. would you use the nitrous. im getting hte nitrous with a purge so the air going in the engine will always be n2o and the shot isnt that great(45-50). im only going to be using it when i race. do you think my engine will last? my question basically is, would you do this in my situation? lol. my concern is all the miles on my car. thanks again. o yea, and also, what octane gas should i use? i always use 93 amoco ultimate. "the only crystal clear gasoline". lol.

[nik]

you want to use the highest octane you have available i dont really like nitrous i used it for a short while good gain i though it was too hard on my motor

things to think about

hotter plugs
92 or better fuel
timing
know when and how to use it correctly

[JoKeRkId613]

nik, please clarify what you meant by a step hotter on my spark plugs? i dont know much about mechanics. thanks

[JoKeRkId613]

when i race. i floor my brake and gas at the same time. then on the third honk, i let off the brake and go. so i launch at about 2.5k rpm. thats the farthest the car would let me while braking. i dont know why. i also have overdrive off(3 gears) and i leave the car on "D". The overdrive off so that i shift at the red line and get higher rpms. is this still a good way to race with the nos? when should i arm the nitrous.

[darksecret]

As far as knowledge, i've learned the hard way running nitrous on carbed cars, in your situation I would be careful at 50, the 7A isn't exactly a beast no matter how good it runs at 196,000. 50 is possible but you'll probably experience bearing wear soon and there's no telling with the drivetrain. You should look into staging with a 25 shot for take off and a 50 for top end. It's definitly a good choice just make sure you do everything right or you'll blow your motor. Yeah Denso's should run fine and as nik said a step hotter wont hurt but for that low of a shot it shouldn't matter much. I'm really considering spraying my 5S, i'm looking at the NOS direct port for a nice kick. Also what kit were you considering, I would recommend a Wet kit due to the small duty cycle of the 7A fuel injecters, it helps to have that extra fuel just in case. Remember as I said before start rich, better to waste fuel and foul plugs than buy another motor or rebuild the bottom end.

EDIT: running a hotter plug helps prevent fouling, but if it's to hot it will lead to detonation. Alright i'm out for the evening, i'll check back in the morning.

This post has been edited by darksecret: May 18, 2005 - 5:41 PM