redbanditz28

I am just writing this post just so i can know the answer for myself. Not here to bash either one. I was just wondering, what delivers more power when you are going down the 1/4 mile drag strip? I mean i know it depends on how much boost an FI car is running and what level of NOS the other guy is running. But lets say if you have a 500 RWHP and torque FI car and a 500 Rwhp and torque NOS car with the same exact engine, tranny, and so forth, whats going to deliver the power stronger down the line? I am speaking in theory, cause i know there are a lot variables here. And i am not speaking about when you are coming off the line with both, i am speaking as to when both are already kicked in and you are like half way down the strip.

Got Me SOM

iTrader: (2)

prob the nitrous cause it will make more torque down low. you get the full power instantly.

redbanditz28

So you are saying that the force of Nitrous when its kicked in is more powerful than that of FI? Or maybe the question i am asking is Nitrous a stronger thing to be blown into the engine moreso than big amounts of air? If i put that right. I am a novice just trying to understand.

EPP

iTrader: (22)

A one stage nitrous kit will give you a big hit of nitrous, which usually blows the tires off, and is very hard on the engine. The two stage kits are easier to get the car to hook on, and the engine will last much longer. Many cars fly down the track on nitrous and many do the same thing on forced induction. Personally, I think nitrous is a hassle, having to keep the bottle filled, and keeping the bottle pressure up. Bob

chuntington101

nitrous is the hardest on the engine and other components. the instant hit is hard on stuff. also the way N2O works it put more thermal stress on the engine.

boost is great but it has its problems to.

i still like boost the best but thats just me

thanks Chris.

REDCYCLE13

iTrader: (7)

Ive had both. A 100 wet shot, and currently a procharger. I ditched the nitrous in favor of the procharger although the car was slightly faster on nitrous. The procharger is always there when you need it and the performance difference was very small in my case, but I'm sure would be greater if I had been on a large shot.

Drewstein

I made 600rwhp on a D1SC and a cam. In order to spray to that a 250 shot would have been required. A single hit of that would cause damage for sure so instead it would have to be scaled with a nitrous controller for example. That would make it come on like boost does instead of the BAM that nitrous does. Once it's at the level of acting like boost with power delevery scaling in then the two become equal, that is until bottle pressure changes or you run out.

I ran a 150 shot on my Camaro SS back in the day, but having the power always there on this setup is soooooo fun.

P.S. NOS is a company and a term from silly movies.

TS6

iTrader: (41)

I've had nitrous, turbo, and blower cars. I like the FI better because you don't always have to be on "max" all the time. I like to get on it every once in awhile but if I was making the power I am now with N2O instead of blower I would have wrecked the car by now. With the blower I can just half throttle it and still enjoy tons of power and wheelspin but don't have to use 100% power. Not refilling bottles is nice too. We're down to one refill place here.

WAHUSKER

iTrader: (4)

With similar setups they should have the same affect. FI is more sexpensive to get into. But like Bob said, NO2 can be harder on parts, so I think you pay for it eventually.

My tranny builder has a 250 shot on his car, my D adds 250. We make pretty close to the same power on the dyno NA & with our power adders. His car is 4/10ths quicker than mine NA & on NO2/FI. (because his car weighs 500lbs less) We have almost identical setups & have both run 1.45 60's.

Adding to the discussion, we have a turbo car up here that also makes similar power that runs right with the NO2 car. He does make 4 more lbs of boost that I do, and has a similar setup. His 60's are a tad slower tho. So IMO they are all very close....pick your poison, do it right & you'll be happy.

chasgiv3

iTrader: (1)

Your question was better power and that can be subjective. The best power is one that doesn't shock the drivetrain and is progressive in order to keep the tires planted. That being the case I like the Turbo route UNLESS....I'm dealing with 100 degree temperatures. Then I'd like Nitrous with a progressive controller to keep the shock down and give me full power on the big end when I can use it UNLESS I wanted to have that power on tap for the street. Then I'd want Turbo again.
Pros and Cons....

Turbo Pros:
Power is always there and waiting (Spooling is not really an issue any more in modern turbos)
No worrying if I have the bottle open or not (even with a remote bottle opener)
Less shock to the drivetrain
quieter on the street (cops don't come running from miles around when I get on it)
Electronic boost controllers allow you to dial in the power you want with the flip of a switch inside the car at about 3 seconds notice
Bottle temperature is never an issue with a turbo.
Could run on Pump gas if I had to by just setting the electronic boost controller
I never run out of turbo but I've DEFINITELY run out of Nitrous (used to go through a 15lb bottle every week)
I've run nitrous for too long in a car on the highway and the heat built up to the point of failure. Turbos are much more repeatable and for the most part I can road race a turbo without worrying too much.

Nirtrous Pro's
I can run high compression ratios and keep my NA power at good levels
If the outside air temps are really hot I can bring my own weather in a bottle
Sophisticated nitrous controllers can add differing levels of nitrous as necessary
Gobs of instant torque on demand
Nitrous is relatively inexpensive to do while turbos are SUPER expensive
Some people think turbos quiet down the exhaust too much
I can add more fuel using nitrous without having to buy bigger injectors with a wet setup
Nitrous doesn't add that much weight while Turbos add a good bit

kp

iTrader: (34)

Depends on the engine, if you have a stockish engine with a tiny cam the forced induction car will win. If you have a big overlap cam with high compression the nitrous car will win.

I ran my car once with the outlet of the blower disconnected and ran 11.60 @ 117 mph. I can guarantee that it would be hard to pick up over 2 seconds and almost 30mph in the 1/4 with nitrous with such a small cam and stock intake/TB.

redbanditz28

Thanks for the answers. I was just wondering because i have actually never seen that discussed with teh way i was asking the question. It wasn't just a point blank question, which is better?, i mean i understand the variables involved. I just wanted to see what the answers would be if both were on equal ground during a quarter mile stretch and making the same exact power and both were kicked in at full intensity half way down the drag strip. Thanks for answering. This was just out of pure curiosity, I do plan on going with a turbocharger system as i always have. Nitrous kind of scares me a little in certain ways. The more i learn about it, the less i am interested. But thats me, i am not bashing anyone who has it.

calongo_SS

iTrader: (7)

Not to hi-jack here, but I have a similar question. I've started getting stuff to make the switch to FI, I'm just curious which car would run the better 1/4 mile time.
Heads, decent size cam w/ 150 wet shot vs. heads, FI cam, turbo or s/c @ 8-10 psi. I'm tired of filling the bottle, not having the right pressure, so I'm going to make the switch either way, I just want to be prepared for the end result.

Navy David SS

iTrader: (13)

I have run both nitrous and now twin T-67's.

Nitrous: best even with the 6.0L was low 10's (had other issues at the time). Ran through 2 15lb bottles a weekend; or possibly even 3 bottles. Got it to be fairly consistent. Was turning about 600-625rwhp with a 200 shot (and some times a 150 shot on the stock bottom end).

Turbo: no compare with nitrous. No bottles to fill or run out of (just ice ). Can turn the power up or down; adjust when I want the power. Now right at 1K rwhp. Best so far is 9.1 with only 8lbs of boost.

Nitrous hits harder out of the hole; but the twins have given me my best 60' ever. When the nitrous has gotten you up to speed, it doesn't seem to pull just coasts to the finish line. Turbos, never ever stop pulling until you let off the gas.

Nitrous is cheaper to get into, but weekly costs are way more expensive. FI has a larger initial expense, but weekly costs are down. No more turning on a bottle, warming it up, filling the bottle. Just step on the gas and watch out. Down and dirty.... give me turbos any day.

David

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

Trying to add 150-200hp, nitrous will be cheaper. I think when trying to add 200 hp or more forced induction starts to look more competitive.

A full weight car would need to run about a 300 shot to run run 9's on top of heads and cam, and a 300 shot costs a lot more to run run than strapping a 150 shot.

bigturboz28

NOS and FI are basically doing the same thing... adding oxygen in the combustion chamber.

NOS adds as much cold pressure as you want instantly.
FI adds "warmer" pressure and is not normally instant (turbo spool or cent. blower eff. - PD blowers can be instant but most suffer eff. problems - screw pumps being an exception).

Normal air is about ~20% Oxygen
NOS is about ~40% Oxygen

Which means you get about double the Oxygen for each additional psi of pressure added to the engine.

What makes more power? - NOS if you have enough.
What is better? - As stated above NOS is more abusive on motors due to the instantaneous shock of power, and NOS runs out. NOS has the cool purging, FI has the cool whistling. You decide....