NOS tank duration, etc.

["J. Sala" <jsala@skynet.uah.ualberta.ca>]

Rob:

As a reformed nitrous abuser ("Hi, my name is Jon and I'm an N2O addict")
with his own filling station, I can speak authoratatively about the
subjective power gains delivered by "The Squeeze". I am suspicious that a
0-60 in 6 stock Rabbit is vastly overstated for the reasons you mentioned. 
I wouldn't however doubt it was very fast or faster than many "high
performance" street machines from a standing start - as long as the driver
did not engage it while he was not yet launched. All that most backyard
hotrodders manage to achieve is degradation of bottom-end performance and
increased fuel consumption by adding components inappropriately matched to
the application and vehicle. 

Also, I believe the power gains are directly proportional to displacement
- a small engine such as the Rabbit wouldn't enjoy the same percentage
gains as a big block V8. I took the TB system out of my track car one
weekend and installed it on a friends 1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with a
tired 455 in it. We surely wreaked havoc on the town "fast cars" that
weekend. 

Depending on the delivery system, a standard 10lb "aqualung" tank will
provide less than 100 seconds of sheer bliss, substantially less when
multiport injected. Not at all practical for your Audi on a highway trip -
but so much fun you are willing to put up with the hassle for those warm
Saturday nights. 

BTW Rob, where are you located, fellow Albertan?
--
Jon

> Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 06:35:51 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Rob Bailey <baileyr@cuug.ab.ca>
> Subject: Re: new dimensions turbo,NOS
> 
> I think that it is nice to remember such times this way, but I can't 
> possibly see how a stock Rabbit (with NOS) could do such things. Firstly, 
> there is the traction thing. A FWD car unloads its drive wheels so much 
> that it is very hard to make them very fast. A 1980 Rabbit would probably 
> do 0-60 in 12-13 seconds, a '80 GTI, maybe 9-10. Maybe... Secondly, I 
> think that the power increases with nitrous systems are way over 
> exaggerated. I think more often than not, the NOS switch acts as 
> ammunition for bragging rights or as an aphrodisiac. Just my opinions 
> mind you. I remember the old days pretty much the same way...
> 
> Rob
> 
> >I knew a kid that threw a nitrous kit from a Chevy onto his rabbit, 1980
> >type.  Kids in all sorts of "high performance" machines would pull up 
> >next to him and laugh at the car (it looked exactly like a 1980 rabbit 
> >looks today). THey would boot it from the light, and he would accelerate 
> >in first gear, then hit the button, and 2 gears later couldn't see them 
> >anymore.  The car must have done 0-60 in under 6 seconds, and would 
> >probably turn a quarter mile at redline in 4th gear  Unfortunatly, 
> >through no fault of his own, the car was destroyed.  He laughed as they 
> >took it away.  The Mustang crowd gave a big sigh of relief that their 
> >ene,y was finally dead.