Ford Mustang Nitrous Express Install - It's Time For Nitrous - Tech

Let's face it, Mustang enthusiasts are big fans of nitrous oxide-for years it's been making fast fillies even faster and at a reasonable cost. We decided to have a little fun at the track by bolting on some of the latest nitrous components from Nitrous Express. Based in Wichita Falls, Texas, Nitrous Express has attacked the nitrous-oxide aftermarket, offering state-of-the-art nitrous systems and accessories to make your ride twice as fun.

We originally planned to bolster our latest project car, Stolen Goods, with a nitrous-oxide system, but we opted instead to use a vehicle that desperately needed a good kick in the pants-the '92 5.0 Mustang notchback belonging to Brian Bohnsack. Saddled by a mostly stock engine and the dreaded AOD automatic transmission, it was severely lacking at the dragstrip. When it came time to drop the hammer at the lights, the coupe eased through the quarter-mile at a leisurely 15.05 seconds at a whopping 92 mph.

Despite a pair of Flowmaster mufflers, an off-road H-pipe, 3.55 gears, and Ford Racing Performance Parts underdrive pulleys, the Mustang was running and hiding from some of the imports at the track, which was something that we as muscle-Mustang enthusiasts just couldn't let happen again.

After consulting with NX Marketing Director Randall Mathis, we went with the company's Stage One EFI system, which is a universal EFI nitrous-oxide delivery kit that uses a single nozzle for injection. After perusing the NX Web catalog, we also specified the RPM Window activation switch. Mathis suggested we use the company's new throttle-position activation switch as well. The TPS switch reads the throttle-position sensor to know when the throttle is wide open or close to it. This eliminates having to bend the mechanical throttle switch bracket and adds to the stealth factor, since there is only an extra wire going to the sensor, which is easily concealed if necessary.

Performing the installation is our handyman-at-large, George Xenos, who did a bang-up job on our '93 Cobra, Project Stolen Goods. Xenos made the install appear as factory as aftermarket can get, and he served as crew chief at the track, making sure the bottle pressure was correct prior to all passes.

Having originally planned to install the NX system on Stolen Goods, we stopped by HP Performance in Orange Park, Florida, where we've performed most of the tuning on the Cobra. Though we decided the notchback was a better candidate, HP filled up our nitrous bottle for us. Top-notch refill stations like HP use a quality pump to administer the nitrous quickly and efficiently. Some places will need three hours to fill a bottle, whereas HP needed about 10 minutes.

Prior to the install, we added an upgraded fuel pump from Brothers Performance. The BBK 255-lph in-tank pump (PN BBK1607) would ensure that the engine and fuel solenoid were getting the proper amount of fuel. We've seen high-mileage 5.0 engines start to go lean with 80hp setups, so the 25 minutes we spent installing the $134 pump was well worth the added margin of safety.

Installation took a day and a half, with the RPM window switch and throttle-position activation switch adding a bit more time both in the installation and wiring. If it's going to be a permanent install, then you'll want to take your time mapping out where everything should go so it all works well within its environment. Once the wiring was complete, we got to the fun part.

After filling up the bottle and installing the 100hp jets, we headed to Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida, and laid down some baseline runs. A 15.12 followed by a 15.16 (both at 92 mph) had us gravely concerned about the tricked-out Lexus IS300 in the other lane. Our '93 Mustang is behind the times, technology-wise, but we were about to travel through time with the flick of a switch.