a couple nitrous related questions

pyroskater6912

well i'm not sure if too many people have gone this route but i'm considering doing a nitrous build here in the following months on my 89 rt, and have a few questions reguarding the general build of the engine.

seeing as its got ~ 150k miles on the clock, i want to rebuild the engine before i spray it, and while i dont plan on going too big (probably only a 50 shot, maybe 75) i was wondering 2 things:

1: when it comes to pistons, would it be better to stick with the stock compression ratio, or bump it up a bit? if i remember correctly a higher CR would mean i would have to retard the timing a little more to prevent detonation, but other than that, i'm not too sure about what else would have to be done with the change. also if anyone has any recomendations on what pistons to consider i would appreciate it

and 2: would it be worth getting a new cam with a grind specific to nitrous applications? i am looking at the bisimoto cam options, and i cant decide if it would be worth the extra $100ish to go with a level 2.3 nitrous regrind over their standard level 2 NA street/strip regrind.

thanks for the help guys, and i'm sure i'll have more questions in the coming weeks when it goes under the knife

Fabprowago

If your only talking 50ish shoot using, stock honda parts will be ok. I myself would go ahead an run a set of p29 pistions and the na cam would be ok. I however would do alittle port and polish on the head to help with flow.
Jumping up on the compression is not a must but it will give you that much needed extra power that you wouldnt have with the stock flat pistions. Asfar as setting timming you are correct on retarting timming. Id swap to a z6 head and an obd1 conversion. This is going to help not only with power but also in the much need tunning your going to need. With going to obd1 use a p28 ecm chiped with chrome. This will make tunning easy for you. Hope this answers your /'s the way you liked. Ill keep a watch if you have anything elas.
Jay

pyroskater6912

Is doing a head swap all that vital? I understand the tuning aspect of doing it, but I know before I ran a 75 shot through my Saturn and I only had a WOT switch and an rpm window switch and never ran into any issues due to lack of tuning, since there was none available other than a complete stand alone unit at the time.

But doer now I was thinking of running a 50 shot and upgrade the cam/gear/possibly valve springs for now, and down the road new pistons and a ported head with fresh valves

fast2camciv

For anything under a 75 shot, I wouldnt change a thing when it comes to "nitrous specific" parts for the engine. Just build the engine how you want. When it comes to the nitrous system, there are 3 things that IMO, are a MUST. (i've ran a LOT of nitrous systems over the years, with and without these parts, and the difference in HP output and consistency is night and day)
Window switch. (minimum rpm activation, max rpm shut-off. prevents blown motors from low rpm, high load detonation...and nitrous backfires when hitting the revlimiter)
Bottle Pressure gauge. (a must for getting the most HP, and best air/fuel mixture out of the system...low bottle pressure = lower than expected n2o output vs actual fuel output at the jet)
Bottle Heater. (cant regulate bottle pressure without a bottle heater. a bottle heater that works off pressure, rather than temperature is the best kind)

When running a 50-75 shot, just drop in a 1 step colder spark plug and call it a day. on 100+ you may have to move to a 2 step colder plug (plug reading is key) and retarding the dizzy a degree or two (depends on what the plugs look like, and what octane gas you are running) would be a wise move. there isnt a "standard" when it comes to nitrous, because every setup is different. these are just some guidelines i've come up with over the years....Good Luck!

There is nothing you can do to a car that compares to the feeling of a hitting a big shot of nitrous!!

lavoy1

when ever you are talking a small shot like a 50 shot you dont have to do anything for the most part, you can even normally run a 50 shot with stock heat range plugs. once you get around the 100 shot range then you start having to go colder plugs and pull timing. if your plans are a 50 shot just make sure your plugs and wires are healthy and have at it.