Nitrous............

[coolhand]

Just a reminder to those of you using Nitrous on your cars. Being an emergency worker has many inherent dangers, and you can alleviate one of them by clearly marking your vehicle with the fact that it is equipped with NITROUS. This fact would be appreciated by Ambulance/Police and Fire.

[StillmaticSC]

Its always good to have a little NOS logo in your window somewhere, shows emergency worker that you do have a compressed gas in your car and shows other people your running giggle gas.

[lazybird4pt6]

What if I put it on my hood!!! LOL!!!

Sorry, I really don't mean to make fun of something so important. I've got experience installing and tuning a N2O system, but I don't see the difference. Is this something that requires a different method of distinguishing??? Sorry, but I don't have much experience with things blowing up. No, really.

And here I thought when I read the title I thought you were gonna get nitrous, too. Oh well.

[johnny o]

Is it legal to run NOS on the street in Ontario? If it isn't legal to use is it legal to have it hooked up?

[Paul93SC]

No one seems to know for sure if it's legal or not... however there are lots of opinions

Does it fall under car "modifications"? (the law states that anything is illegal if it isn't OEM, but this is rarely enforced to the full extent). All NOs kits are labelled "off-road use only"... hmmm.

Or, is it illegal under the "transportation of hazardous materials" laws?

Asking people to put stickers on their cars (if it is illegal) is like asking people to advertise they are breaking the law, and chances are they won't do it.

One thing for sure though, it can be dangerous... just ask this guy! (thank God he wasn't in the car when the bottle exploded).

[SkunkWorks]

Hers his website and what really happened...

If "2" Blow off safety-valves fail, 15lb. Nitrous Bottle will BLOW?

http://www.enhancedhealth.com/nitrousexpress.htm

[lazybird4pt6]

"I didn't know it was on"

This will be an unusual departure from my usual fun-loving, peace-and-goodwill-to-all posts.....

HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED!!!!! If someone is going to do something so incredibly stupid as to not wire the bottle heater's 12V power to a switched (ie. ON with key ON, OFF with key OFF) source then this extreme negligence, IMHO, is solely responsible on the installer. Does this excuse the 'faulty' blow-off valves? Absolutely NOT. "I didn't know" is complete and utter bull****. IF the installer had wired the bottle heater properly then, most likely, none of this would ever have happened. Whether it's 2 1/2 or 5 hours is irrelevant. Safety is not measured in TIME, it's measured by the fact that necessary precautions are either in place or not! This guy even has the nerve to be so arrogant as to make wild stabs at NX, then, when the table turns and something IS found to be of HIS fault, he dismisses it and lays blame on them for a "malfunctioned" part! "I didn't know" will not stand up in a court of Law. I'd love to be there when this punk goes to court and sits before a Judge/Jury and replies to questions with..."Duh, I didn't know". What a ****ing morron. I'd even suspect that the rest of the system's safety was never even checked in the first place. If it had been, then this would never have gotten to where it has.

Safety, safety, safety! I can't understand why people don't use their heads when it comes to something like nitrous oxide. If someone is going to install a N2O kit and not check that it is operating in a safe and proper manner, then they are ultimately responsible.

On a more jovial note......I hope he had some hot dogs and/or marshmallows when that went up.


Nice finds, guys, but what about the extunguishing methods where N2O is involved? IS it really something different that can't be handled with good old H2O? Perhaps a different form of extinguishing is required? I know there are (fire extinguisher) bottles one needs at the track, but how do they differ from a normal one?

[coolhand]

Andrew et al

Its not a matter of a difference in putting a fire out with nitrous, its a matter that I am in that car while it is smoking, burning, on its roof trying to remove a driver or passenger from that car. If I know that there is nitrous in the car, I will be extremly careful and possibly effect a rapid extrication. Gas tanks rarely blow up, as much as the movies and the TV would have you believe. I still need to be careful about gas fires, but in 27 yrs on the job, I have seen only 2 tanks explode, and both of those cars were demolished at the time of the explosion.
I started this thread as a cautionary note, and I am excited to see so many opinions. Thanks to all of you.

[lazybird4pt6]

Cool (pun intended)! I had no idea you were a fireman, Matt. Actually, I think it was great you brought up this very subject due to the fact that some people have no idea what precautions are/should be taken as far as safety is concerned. It's never really discussed.
I think it's kinda funny when you see someone put a single bullet in the front of a car (in the movies, of course) and the whole thing goes up in a huge ball of flames and catapults itself 30 feet into the air. Yeah, that's entertainment alright - LOL!!
So, I guess, based on your reply, that a car with N2O is better advertised when the safety of emergency workers' is involved. Okay, that's fair. I would think this to be a good idea ('advertising' aside). So there is no difference if the car is on fire? Sorry for the questions, but I remember hearing that there are three kinds of fires one can deal with. One is electrical, the second is "natural" (can't remember the exact term) and the third is chemical. Am I right here? Would N2O not be a chemical fire and require different physical methods and/or extinguishing?
Maybe you can tell us all a little on how to deal with each. That way if someone's breaker box catches fire they don't get the garden hose and.....you know?

[coolhand]

OK, First off, I am not a fireman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a paramedic, born and bred and proud as hell to be so. Secondly, I treat all fires with respect. Its just that nitrous has the capability to inflict a lot of damge. I will make some inquiries about the properties of nitrous, but I am sure it would be fought as any canister fire would.
I have nothing against NOS as an enhancement, get me straight there. I did things to cars that would curl your hair. I ran a 69 Chevelle on the street for 2 years with no firewall, almost no floorpan, half the frame cut away, and anything that weighed anything was removed. That car was a menace to me and everyone in my way. As for the legality, I know we have received memos re: NOS and a lot of other enhancements: Window tinting is cool, but dangerous for Police Officers amking a stop. Officers and drivers have been hurt and or killed because of them, so if your stopped and your windows are tinted, roll the window down. You dont want to be looking at a Glock in your face.
This is fabulous. All of this conversation. I am soooooo impressed.

[Jason Wild]

windows that are tinted now thats a vary gray are as to what is legal and whats not legal. As for Nos thats something I would only run at the track no need on the street for that.

[SkunkWorks]

Window tint is illegal if the Cop who pulled you over is in a bad mood or not... heh

[lazybird4pt6]

SORRY, Matt! I didn't mean any dis-respect with my fireman statement. You're a paramedic - hey, that's cool too! It takes guts, brains and integrity to do either. I'm not trying to be mean in any of my posts, or nothin'. Maybe you're reading me wrong, or i'm typin' wrong or something. I'm just curious about this because I don't know (kinda like the dummy that set his car on fire).
Respect for nitrous as an enhancement? Yeah, okay, I guess. I never questioned it, but, anyways. My comment was more directed to the moron that is trying to sue a company for his own negligence. Window tinting? Yeah, ask Jim Gravelle about that one (no offense, Jim). I agree, have you're window rolled down and I.D. ready when the officer gets there.
'69 Chevelle - niiiiiiiice. "anything that weighed anything was removed" - that a boy! I'm the same way with my Capri. You DO realize our cars weigh over 4000 pounds, right? Just a thought with our recent p.m.'s.
Fabulous, impressive conversation - yeah, they come up every once in a while. I thinks it's nice to talk about something a little different, though somehow still related.

[coolhand]

Hey
I think you took me wrong. I have the utmost respect for Fire Personel. You will find that I am very, very hard to upset.
I dont think I worry to much about how there leviathons we drive weigh. I still find them to be one of the best cars on the road, moreso from the point of view of overall usefulness. I can drive 6-7 hrs in her to the races in Pocono, to Gettysburg, and to Charlotte, and not need a chiropractor like I did in my Firebird. And even with all that weight, they can still smoke a lot of cars in the long run, if your willing to stay with it.
As to the challenged gentleman whose car we have been perusing, "OH- WELL"-lesson learned.
Andrew, you have a PM as well.

[lazybird4pt6]

You like those LX seats? Okay, to each they're own. I ended up needing a chiropractor anyways, and a physiotherapist and a month off work. When it was all said and done I got SC seats and love the power lumbar. The next vehicle I buy will have SC seats fitted into it - I don't care if it's a Ferrari - LOL!!!



BTW - you need a PI top-end, or have your heads ported!!!!!