is nitrious oxide a good or bad idea? i heard it can mess up your engine. im running a 3.8L 6cyl 3800 series supercharged with SLP cold air intake. does it hurt the engine that much? or is it worth the extra 40-70hp?

 

Are you talking about bolting in a NOS kit on a bone stock L67???
Good luck! Do some research. But I understand a 50 shot would MAYBE be OK. Any more and you'd better be tuning.

Personally, I think a better and safer way to get 50 HP would be to put the conventional supporting mods in place along with a tune. I got about an extra 75 HP with basic mods and a tune. Pretty easy to get an extra 50-150 HP with basic bolt on mods, and more if you do head work.

 

yeah better to do mods to your motor first b/c you wont gain much on a stock motor on my truck i was running a 150 shot on a built 6 cylinder

 

Thats an awfully broad question- no one can tell you either way. Obviously for engine longevity and fuel economy, its a bad idea; but for making cheap easy power its a good idea- so it depends on what angle you're coming from.

No question about that, it can definitely destroy your engine, transmission, etc. However, its not like its Russian Roulette with if your engine gets destroyed or not- it won't mess up your engine under two main constraints:

a) that the nitrous is installed properly using proper safety mechanisms, and is used properly (ie no spraying at idle or anything stupid like that)

b) that the power made by the engine on nitrous does not exceed the strength of its components (ie if your transmission can only handle 300 horsepower; spraying a 250 shot on your engine probably isn't the best idea)

Keep in mind, nitrous was used on airplanes in war in the past- if it was that random and dangerous, they never would've used it.

I normally think nitrous is a nice addition to a vehicle- assuming you're ok with having to have the bottle on to race, and that you're ok with the cost of filling the bottle. However, I think your situation is a little different.

For about the same amount of money as a nitrous kit, you can buy simple bolt ons to get your engine making an easy extra 60 hp. Take a look at the FAQ sections for 3800 mods, its covered pretty well in there. I just think for about the same money outlay, you'd be much better off with engine mods so that your car can make that power anytime- not just when the bottle is on.