Thanks to popular racing movies and TV shows, nitrous oxide systems have gotten mainstream attention in the past few decades. But what are those systems, how do they work, and are they allowed for legitimate use in the motorsports world?

Nitrous oxide systems work by injecting nitrous oxide into the engine. The gas allows for a higher oxygen concentration in the cylinder that instantly multiplies the engine’s power output. Unfortunately, nitrous is expensive and adds excess pressure on engine parts. As a result, only a few motorsports bodies allow nitrous, such as Formula Drag.

In this guide, we will look at what NOS is, how it works, and where it came from.

Keep reading ‘til the end!

What Is The Meaning Of NOS?

Firstly, we must understand what the term NOS means. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misperceptions in the world surrounding this term. 

That misperception is partly thanks to how popular TV shows and movies have portrayed it for entertainment purposes. As a result, a lot of what the public has seen about NOS in those shows is, sadly, not entirely accurate.

So, here’s what you need to know about the gas.

NOS stands for Nitrous Oxide Systems, and it’s a brand name from one of the earliest pioneers in using nitrous oxide to give engines more power. 

Still, the term ‘NOS’ has become synonymous with the gas, especially after the Fast & Furious movie franchise brought it to mainstream attention.

Today, many different industries use nitrous oxide for various applications. However, drivers use nitrous oxide systems as a performance enhancer for internal combustion engines in the automotive world.

With the push of a button, drivers can release nitrous oxide and multiply their engines’ power. That instant boost can mean the difference between a win and a loss during a race.

What Is The Origin Of Nitrous Oxide?

As mentioned before, many different industries use nitrous oxide. That’s why it has a long list of names like ‘nitrous’ and ‘NOS’ when it comes to cars and ‘laughing gas’ when it comes to dentistry.

A chemist first synthesised the gas in 1772. Since then, it has found its way to dentistry and surgery as a sedative that reduces pain and anxiety during treatment. 

The gas also intoxicates patients and makes them laugh, which is why it’s also known as ‘laughing gas’.

However, the Germans were the first to use nitrous oxide in their aeroplane engines during World War II. 

In the decades after, many people were trying to harness the power of nitrous in automobiles. But, unfortunately, those attempts often ended in disaster. Yet, all of that changed in the 1970s when some racers managed to use nitrous safely for their car engines.

Since then, businesses like the Nitrous Oxide Systems (the brand name) have improved nitrous oxide systems and made them much safer.

Today, nitrous oxide is well-known in the automotive world, especially in street racing and in the world of motorsports.

How Do Nitrous Oxide Systems Work?

Nitrous oxide systems work in a very straightforward way.

Firstly, nitrous oxide sits in a tank or “bottle” until the driver injects it into the system at the push of a button. Then, the nitrous enters the engine and heats up to about 300 degrees Celsius.

At that temperature, nitrous breaks down to oxygen and nitrogen. That quickly makes a lot more oxygen available for the engine’s combustion process. With a sudden surge in available oxygen, the engine can boost its power output instantly.

Simultaneously, nitrous oxide also cools down the engine’s intake air dramatically. When the intake air is colder, it becomes denser. As a result, the engine pulls in even more oxygen than ever before, thanks to NOS.

What Is The Difference Between Wet And Dry Nitrous Systems?

Not all NOS systems are the same. Some setups are purely mechanical, while others incorporate computer systems to ensure a much higher degree of accuracy.

Generally, though, nitrous oxide systems for cars fall into one of two categories: dry and wet injection systems. Here’s how each type works:

• Dry injection nitrous oxide systems: In dry injection systems, liquid nitrous oxide is injected into the engine separately from the fuel. While that happens, the fuel system compensates by pushing more fuel into the engine to optimise the air-fuel mixture.

• Wet injection nitrous oxide systems: Wet injection systems, however, inject nitrous and fuel together at the same point.

Drawbacks Of Nitrous Oxide Systems

At first glance, nitrous oxide systems are excellent for increasing performance on-demand. So, why don’t drivers use it all the time? 

Well, that’s because NOS comes with some very significant drawbacks. In short, too much NOS will hurt both your engine and your wallet, and that’s assuming you can get the system legally.

Here’s why:

• Nitrous stresses your engine: Remember how NOS works: it introduces a higher oxygen concentration into your engine, forcing it to multiply its power output. Sadly, manufacturers didn’t design your engine components to work at increased pressures like that. So, drivers can only use NOS sparingly or risk damaging their engines from within.

• Nitrous is expensive: Nitrous oxide is undoubtedly not cheap. Firstly, installing a wet or dry NOS kit in a car will require thousands of ringgit worth of investment. Each tank or ‘bottle’ of NOS also costs money, which means you can’t use it all the time.

• Nitrous is often illegal: In many countries, it’s illegal for people to own nitrous oxide for any reason, including for use in their cars. Besides that, modifying your vehicle to include a NOS system could also be illegal in your country.

As you can see, nitrous is not usually available to the general public. Even for those who have access to the gas, it is undoubtedly expensive in the long run and can cause excess wear and tear on a vehicle’s engines.

Is Nitrous Oxide Allowed In Motorsports?

Unfortunately, only a few motorsports sanctioning bodies worldwide allow their racers to use nitrous systems in their vehicles. For instance, Formula Drift allows for the use of nitrous oxide systems in its cars.

However, other mainstream motorsports like Formula 1 and NASCAR do not allow race teams to modify their vehicles with NOS systems.

For the most part, you’ll find that nitrous oxide systems are more suited to motorsports involving short but intense bursts of power. So, drag racing, street racing, and other short-term racing formats.

To learn more about automotive systems and motorsports, check out TOC Automotive College, Malaysia’s Best Automotive College.