Thought I’d update you all on my N2O project.
Several weeks ago, I was quite bored and whilst day-dreaming, decided to fit Nitrous to the Clio. The only problem was that I couldn’t afford it, so I started thinking about how to save money. I’ve fitted a HighPower kit before, so I know what the kit consists of, and more importantly, how it works. I started thinking of ways to cut costs by buying my own nylon tubing, getting my own bottles and valves, and then it dawned on me that I could actually get hold of all of the parts to build and fit my own kit. I’m lucky here in a number of aspects, one being that I’m fairly good at working on cars, and another that I have a friend who has a fully equipped workshop and contacts in the world of pneumatics.
Well, now I have all of the parts, including switches, wiring, bottles, valves, tubing, olive joints, and most importantly the solenoids. I have two different ones. The fuel one is a basic 12V DC axial solenoid, and the other is designed especially for high pressure and low temp. It is possible to modify a std solenoid to do this, but for peace of mind, and ease of fitting, I opted for one ready made for the job.
One of the key things I wanted, was a stealth kit that can be removed without leaving a trace of evidence behind. So far I have done this. The bottles, wiring, switches, tubing and solenoids have all been fitted without having made one hole!
I have the information I need to make sure that the fuel and nitrous are supplied in the correct proportion, and have used jets from some old carburetors that were lying around to meter this. These are fitted at the solenoid.
I’ve not got much left to do, just plumb in the fuel (inc. adjustable regulator), and run the nozzle into the inlet plenum. Then its time for testing. I’ll check everything on a rolling road to make sure there are no problems.
If all goes well, I’ll be looking to supply these kits on to others at a far more affordable cost than some kits are available. Admittedly the kits on the market are more cosmetically pleasing, and they will be suitable for further enhancements such as controllers, but this should be a high quality, budget alternative for those looking at Nitrous.
I’d just like to add that I don’t believe I am a world authority on this subject, nor do I make any claim that this kit is of better quality than any other on the market.
MC