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2001 Edelbrock Corporation
Brochure No. 63-0040
©
Rev. 11/01
Page 19 of 25
4.0 Baseline Tuning Suggestions
Utilizing nitrous oxide as a power adder is similar to a supercharger or a turbocharger in that it increases the
amount of air an engine can get from atmospheric conditions. There are some significant differences though:
1. The “air” in nitrous oxide is very oxygen rich. This oxygen is of a much higher density, so the opportunity
to extract very high quotients of power is very high.
2. Nitrous oxide injection does not have a parasitic load factor associated with its use like a turbocharger or
supercharger does. Meaning, it does not cost as much horsepower as a crank-driven supercharger or an
exhaust-driven turbocharger.
The most important thing to remember when looking at baseline tuning issues associated with nitrous oxide is that
a nitrous “rich” condition is bad. Two parameters that will keep you from catastrophically affecting your engine are:
Nitrous Bottle Pressure...Always keep your bottle pressure between 900 and 950 psi. Yes, there are
racers that use different pressures, but the testing we did here at Edelbrock to ensure the jetting maps
within the manual are correct, was done in this pressure range. Use any higher pressure than 950 psi and
you will be nitrous “rich”. Use any pressure below 900 psi and you will be nitrous “lean”.
Fuel Pressure...Always ensure that you have between 45 and 50 psi of fuel pressure every time you
enable your nitrous system. We used 48.5 to 50 psi of fuel pressure to perform our jetting map testing on
this system. If you do not have at least 45 psi of fuel pressure going to the fuel solenoid, when it is
activated, you will be nitrous “rich”. If you were to have more than 50 psi of fuel pressure going to the fuel
solenoid you will be nitrous “lean”.
The jet map provided for your Performer RPM nitrous system is purposefully “rich”, or biased to the fuel side of the
nitrous to fuel ratio. There are many different ways to jet to a specific power level. However, for the continued safe
operation of your nitrous system, we suggest you do not move too far away from the jet map listed within this
manual. Catastrophic engine failure could result.
Your Performer RPM nitrous system comes with matched sets of nitrous and fuel jets. These are conservative
jetting combinations, based upon 900 to 950 psi nitrous oxide bottle pressure, and 45 to 50 psi flowing fuel
pressure. Operating with these pressure levels should yield safe and reliable power increases.
How to Read Spark Plugs From a Nitrous Oxide Injected Engine...
Spark plugs are a window into the combustion chamber. They will tell many things about the operation of the vehicle. Here
are some tips on looking at spark plugs to “read” what is happening with your engine:
1. Correct timing, mixture and spark heat range
Ground strap retains “like new” appearance. Edges are crisp, with no signs of discoloration. Porcelain
retains clear white appearance with no “peppering” or spotting.
2. Excessively rich mixture
Porcelain may be fuel stained, appearing brown or black. In extreme cases, ground strap, electrode and
porcelain may be damp with gasoline, or smell of fuel.
3. Detonation
Edges of ground strap may be rounded. Porcelain has the appearance of being sprinkled with pepper, or
may have aluminum speckles. During heavy detonation, the ground strap tip may burn off. This
phenomena can result from excessive ignition timing, too high a heat range spark plug or inadequate fuel
octane.
4. Excessive lean mixture
Edges of ground strap may become rounded. Under moderate overheating the tip of the ground strap can
discolor, usually turning purple, or the entire ground strap can become discolored.