What causes a nitrous backfire ? ?

[plumcrazy]

i read about it twice in the past week or so...

what is the cause of one and what kinda damage can it do? im glad it has NOT happened to me but it something i fear. i think i read somewhere about it being from using the nitrous for too long. but i thought if the tune was good and ya had enough fuel and nitrous pressure all would be ok.

any info ? ? ?

 

[kwkshift]

A nitrous backfire can come from a few basic things:

1) Fuel puddling in the intake tract. This can be from not enough intake charge velocity, (ie activating the nitrous too low in the rpm range usually below about 2500 rpm)

2) Hitting the nitrous without being at wot and above about 2500 rpm. Say you are just cruising around and you activate the system while just driving normally.

3) Activating the system while the car is not running and then starting it. This is a famous one with us Mustang guys. This usually makes for fabulous hood and intake manifold removals!

4) Hitting a rev limiter with the system activated.

Usually if you have a nitrous backfire with a fuel injected car, like the Viper that has regular throttle bodies and it happens at wot, the most that usually happens is you'll blow off your intake tubes from the throttle bodies, dramatically expand your K&N air filters and possible break your air box. The throttle bodies usually survive intact due to the fact that they were fully opened. If they were closed, like in #3 above, you'll more than likely destroy your throttle bodies because the force of the explosion will bend the throttle shafts and the throttle blades.

 

[v10kingsnake]

phil, the backfire is one of those things that is always one my mind too. guess it is just one of those things you think about when you put nitrous on such a pricy motor. however, it was perfectly described by kwkshift above. and you are correct that as long as you have a good tune and the proper equiptment in line for safe measures then you have only one worry. running out of the gas in the little 10lb. bottle when you really need it! stay well friend, josh

 

[plumcrazy]

thanx for the reply kwkshift, pretty much what i figured.

josh, after all the work i did to install it right and tune it, it would make me crazy if it happened...lol

its always in the back of my head, but it sounds like i "SHOULD" be ok then.

 

[1TONY1]

Nothing to worry about, they don't get much worse than this. I was in charge of selling the race team t-shirts and I did rather well afterward back in the pits Look above the flames and you can see pieces, what you don't see is the pieces above that. Some of the damage: busted windshield, valve cover tops blown "in", radiator top blown down/in, inner fenders seperating from body and the list goes on and on. I think the guy snapped the picture at the right time because it scared the crap out of him. This was one of our VCA members car

 

[plumcrazy]

lol...thanx tony, i really needed to see THAT..

 

[1TONY1]

lol...thanx tony, i really needed to see THAT..

 

[mntngts99]

This one looks worse then it really was. I think with a little wax it's all better.

 

[kwkshift]

Instances like the ones pictured above are generally from big nitrous ****** cars, although it can happen on cars with smaller systems. Those cars had the worst kind of backfire where several of the steel braided lines, including fuel lines were broken/ damaged during the backfire and now there is gasoline just pouring into the engine bay feeding the fire.

 

[plumcrazy]

whew, thanx for THAT info...lol

 

[GARY J]

This is a video of Tom Welsh blowing his NACA duct off at the V-10 nationals last year.

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT A N20 BACKFIRE LOOKS LIKE ON A VIPER GTS...

 

[plumcrazy]

didnt seem too bad gary..thanx.

 

[1TONY1]

Instances like the ones pictured above are generally from big nitrous ****** cars, although it can happen on cars with smaller systems. Those cars had the worst kind of backfire where several of the steel braided lines, including fuel lines were broken/ damaged during the backfire and now there is gasoline just pouring into the engine bay feeding the fire.

The first picture of the Demon had no fuel lines severed or blown off, Only what was in the intake at the time of the explosion.

 

[kwkshift]

That's why I said "generally".

 

[RedEnuf93]

Never spray from zero speed....
Never spray below 3000 RPM...
Never spray more than the motor can digest...

and you'll be OK.

I think I have gone through about 30 tanks of NX, from 100 shot to more often used 300 shot. Its reasonably safe, as safe as anything that gives you 300 extra HP...

 

[Jack B]

Tony:

what caused the failure in your post?