CHOOSING RIGHT ALLOY WHEELS FOR YOUR CAR

SIZE OF THE WHEEL:

 If you are buying a new set of alloys but do not wish to change your tyres then buy alloys that are the same size as your rims and you can use your original wheels. So if you have 15-inch steel rims then you need to buy 15-inch alloy wheels. If you are willing to change your tyres as well then maintain the specified wheel and tyre combination

PCD?

PCD or pitch circle diameter is the distance between the wheel bolts and the center point or axle of the wheel. It also takes into account the number of studs that you have on the rim. For e.g.: A PCD of 5×160 indicates that the rim has a 160 mm diameter on which the 5 evenly spaced bolts are located. If you don’t match the PCD exactly to what the car came with, you won’t be able to fit your alloy on the car’s wheel hub.

OFF SET?

Some people play the offset on purpose to make the alloy wheels stick out of the wheel arches. That is high negative offset while positive offset means that the wheel hub protrudes out further, when compared to the rest of the wheel. Most alloy wheels come with zero offset or slight negative offset.

It is best to stay within 1-inch of deviation from the stock setup. Negative offset aids handling while too much offset puts pressure on the hub and axle. This can even cause breakage of these parts.

RIMS WIDTH?

Take care that the alloy rim that you are buying is not too wide. Apart from having to buy new tyres, wider rims can also foul with the fender, steering rod or suspension components. The width of the alloy wheel is denoted by numbers such as 6.5 J, 7 J, 8 J etc, where 6.5 is the width in inches and J is the shape of the rim lip .

UPGRADING THE SIZE OF THE TYRE?

You will need to get wider alloy wheels if you upsize your tyres. The overall diameter of the tyre and alloy combination should stay the same. If this is not done then the reading on your odometer will not be correct and your car’s handling will suffer.

Reduce the profile size of the tyre based on the increase in the tyre’s width. Upsizing is essentially increasing the diameter of your wheels and reducing the profile of your tyre to accommodate the tyre and maintain the rolling radius.

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SOME OF THE WAYS TO TUNE A PETROL CAR

When you decide to modify your car for more performance, be warned that many of these modifications can affect your warranty, so preferably don’t do some of these modifications with a new car.

High-flow air filter

You can get high flow air-filters from K&N or Green Cotton. These come in two kinds. Stock replacement filters fit directly into the air filter slot in your car. These are oil-coated mesh filters that allow more air into your engine, allowing the car to “breathe” better. Other universal cold air intake kits are more expensive and need some plumbing. Stock replacement filters cost between Rs. 3000-Rs.7000, while universal filters will cost between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 15,000.

Free-flow exhaust

With a car that breathes better, it needs to let the gases out equally fast. Modifying the exhaust to a free-flow exhaust allows for more gases to escape faster. A free flow exhaust needs to be fitted in entirety from the “headers” or exhaust manifold that comes out of the engine head, to the muffler and tail-pipe. Some will only add a muffler that makes more noise but gives not significant performance gains. The catalytic converter may have to be removed for full performance gains, but then your car won’t meet emission norms. This modification will cost between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 30,000.

Engine oil

If you plan to increase performance of your car, it will likely see a lot of high-rpm driving. In which case it would be better to switch to a synthetic engine oil instead of a mineral oil. This will allow for better lubrication and longer engine life. Synthetic oil will cost you about Rs. 900-Rs. 1000 a litre. 

Tyres and wheels

One of the most important factors in extracting maximum performance from your car is to upgrade the tyres and wheels. Go in for low-rolling resistance tyres and light-weight alloy wheels. If possible you can widen the tyre size a little, but reduce the profile height accordingly. Also read: 

Performance spark plugs

For constant high-rpm driving and better tolerance to heat build up, you will need to replace your spark plugs with performance plugs (iridium tipped plugs). These spark plugs will cost between Rs. 1000-Rs.4000 a set.

High-voltage plug wires

To ensure there is no loss of current it would help to upgrade the plug wires to a performance wiring set. This will ensure you get the best possible spark at all times, without misfiring. This will cost about Rs. 2,500-Rs.3000.

Suspension upgrade

The car’s suspension will need to be stiffened for performance driving. One of the easiest ways to do this is to install high-performance shock absorbers such as Bilstein or Koni kits that will add that extra stiffness to the suspension. These cost about Rs. 12,000-Rs.15,000 a piece.

Strut braces

To add more rigidity to a car’s body you will need to add strut braces. This is a bar that connects the two suspension struts across the top and prevents the car’s body from flexing (especially in monocoque designs), adding rigidity and giving better handling. This mod will cost about Rs. 5000-Rs.6000

Roll cage

Once you’ve got most of your performance upgrades done, it is a good idea to consider additional safety for your car. Installing a roll cage (like a rally car) will ensure that in the event of a crash you are more likely to step out unharmed. A roll-cage will cost about Rs. 50,000 and will require extensive body work (cutting and refitting of the body).

Performance brakes

Keeping safety in mind, another very important performance modification is the braking system. If you give your car 20% more power, you will need 20% more stopping power as well. You will need to upgrade the disc size and the brake pads and calipers. A brake upgrade can be expensive, with cost ranging from Rs. 8000-Rs.50,000.

Tuning chips

Diesel tuning boxes are now a common performance modification for diesel cars. There are tuning boxes available for petrol cars as well, which function in the same way. They “piggyback” with the car’s ECU and modify some engine parameters to fool the car’s ECU into injecting more fuel for a given rpm range. Tuning boxes cost between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 35,000.

Clutch upgrade

If you plan to use your car for rallying, it would be a good idea to upgrade the clutch as well, as constant high-rpm driving will involve a lot of clutch wear. Upgrading the clutch, however, can affect day-to-day running of your car as it won’t be as smooth as you want it and will respond only to rough use. This will cost between Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 50,000 to upgrade.

Upgraded camshaft

The camshaft is what controls the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves in the car. Upgrading this to a performance (or high-lift) camshaft will allow the engine to breathe better and take in more fuel. However, day-to-day drivability will be affected. Camshaft kits from Piper etc, cost about Rs.30,000-Rs.45,000.

Polishing heads

Polishing the cylinder head will add a little more breathability to the engine as the ports for the intake and exhaust valves become bigger. This is not a task for the fainthearted, as it involves opening up the engine and refitting it. This will cost between Rs. 12,000-Rs.20,000 depending on the car.

Turbo-charging

Normal petrol cars can also be turbo-charged to make them even more powerful. Installing a turbo-charger would also mean changing the other parameters in the car. The cost of turbo-charging a car can vary between Rs.1 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh depending on the kind of turbocharger used.

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RULES FOR USING NITROUS

The Three Rules of using Nitrous.
1. Never spray more than 50% over your stock horsepower. (on a stock engine)
2. Always use Colder Spark plugs. (at least 1 stage colder for every 75 HP)
3. Always use a stronger fuel pump. (dont rely on the stock fuel pump)



1. Adequate fuel pressure and delivery are the key to successful nitrous systems. Be sure to use a high pressure fuel pump, don't rely on the stock fuel pump even if the instructions on the nitrous kit says its ok. There are many types of upgrade pumps that can be used on most efi cars. The easiest to work with are the in-line pumps. MSD makes a great pump for use with power adders and it sells for just around $130. The part number is (2225) MSD High pressure electric fuel pump, 43 GPH.

2. Fuel Quality is also very important. Be sure to use 92 octane pump gas whenever you use nitrous. If you are fine tuning your system, use a high quality octane booster like the kind made by NOS, Off road formula. It can boost your octane rating by up to 7 points!

3. Engine upgrades are not necessary for most low power nitrous systems. I suggest that you do not spray more than 50% over your stock horsepower.. IE: if your stock engine makes 100hp, then dont spray more than 50HP worth of nitrous. Be aware that if you have regular cast pistons (most stock engines do), then DO NOT plan to use more than 125 hp of nitrous (on a v8). If you risk using more, you can easily melt your pistons.

4. Spark plugs. DO NOT USE STOCK SPARK PLUGS WITH NITROUS! NGK sells really good spark plugs for almost any car in the world. They are the V-Racing series. I can get these spark plugs delivered to your door, just E-mail your vehicle information to me and I'll reply as fast as possible. I recomend using plugs with NON- PROJECTED NOSE, but if you cannot find those for your car, you can use the V-Racing plugs that are one heat range colder than stock for anything below 75 HP.

5. Timing should be retared at least +/- 1 degree for every 50 HP of nitrous used. If your vehicle is distributorless, and you want to spray more than 50 HP, then you can use an MSD DIGITAL ignition system that is specifically desinged for vehicles without distributors. For the rest of you, just adjust your distributor using a timing light from the auto parts store. Extra note: some low horsepower nitrous kits do not require any timing adjustments, but be aware that you must use the highest octane fuel possible.

6. Synthetic Oil is not required for use with nitrous. But I suggest that if you want to keep everything ultra lubricated while under the extra load while using nitrous... use MOBIL 1 full synthetic motor oil. Or if you dont like Mobil 1, then use whatever brand you want, as long as its full synthetic.

7. Manual Transmission cars should be aware of an issue concerning these kinds of trasmisions. The factory rev limiters in most modern cars cut the injector pulse rate when the redline is reached.. this can cause a lean condition while using nitrous. To avoid any potential problems, I suggest using an MSD Window switch along with an MSD ignition system. This device and be used to control exactly at what rpm the nitrous can spray, and at what rpm it will stop.. Hopefully you set it to stop BEFORE the factory rev limiter kicks in!

8. Automatic Transmission cars dont have any kind of limiter problems because on most modern cars the ECU will shift into the next gear before the limiter is hit. No Window switch is necessary as a safety precation, but you should be aware that nitrous shouldnt be applied before 2500 rpms. The solution to that problem is solved simply by adding a manual push-button activation switch inline with the WOT switch.. to spray the nitrous, two conditions must be met, the gas pedeal is at WOT, and the manual switch is enganged.


9. Relays should be used with any solenoids and fuel pumps that you install. Also, if you are adding a remote bottle opener and/or a bottle warmer, you should also use good relays for those. I have purchased some relays and harnesses at PEP BOYS for a fairly good price, and if they ever break, you can just walk in and buy a new one for cheap! Just ask for a fuel pump relay for a 1993 Ford Mustang, and you'll have exactly what you'll need for any nitrous electrical components.

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a view about nitrous oxide

Nitrous is often used as an abbreviation for nitrous oxide, also referred to as NOS. The term NOS is derived from the initials of the company name Nitrous Oxide Systems, one of the pioneering companies in the development of nitrous oxide injection systems for automotive performance use.

OVERVIEW OF NITROUS OXIDE

When nitrous oxide decomposes, a single mole will release 1/2 mole of oxygen gas, allowing an oxygen saturation of 33% to be reached. Air, which contains only 21% oxygen, permits a maximum saturation of only 21%. This oxygen combines with hydrocarbons such as gasoline, alcohol, and diesel fuel to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor, which expand and exert pressure on pistons.

Nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid in tanks, but because of its low boiling point it vaporizes easily when released to atmosphere. When injected into an inlet manifold, this characteristic causes a reduction in air/fuel charge temperature with an associated increase in density, thereby increasing the cylinder's volumetric efficiency.

When N2O breaks down in the engine's combustion phase, the oxygen atoms are freed from their bond to the nitrogen atoms in an exothermic reaction, contributing to the overall power increase.

Nitrous systems can increase power by as little as 0.5 hp (0.37 kW) or as much as 3,000 hp (2,200 kW), depending on the engine type and nitrous system type. In many applications torque gains are even greater as increased fuel is burnt at a lower rpm range and is what causes the significant improvement in acceleration. All systems are based on a single stage kit, but these kits can be used in multiples (called 2, 3 or even 4 stage). The most advanced systems are controlled by an electronic progressive delivery unit that allows a single kit to perform better than multiple kits can. Most Pro Mod and some Pro Street drag race cars use three stages for additional power, but more and more are switching to pulsed progressive technology. Progressive systems have the advantage of utilizing a larger amount of nitrous (and fuel) to produce even greater power increases as the additional power and torque is gradually introduced as opposed to being applied to the engine and transmission immediately, reducing the risk of mechanical stress and consequently damage.

Fans can easily identify nitrous-equipped cars at the track by the fact that most will "purge" the delivery system prior to reaching the starting line. A separate electrically operated valve is used to release air and gaseous nitrous oxide trapped in the delivery system. This brings liquid nitrous oxide all the way up through the plumbing from the storage tank to the solenoid valve or valves that will release it into the engine's intake tract. When the purge system is activated, one or more plumes of nitrous oxide will be visible for a moment as the liquid flashes to vapor as it is released. The purpose of a nitrous purge is to ensure that the correct amount of nitrous oxide is delivered the moment the system is activated as nitrous and fuel jets are sized to produce correct air / fuel ratios, and as liquid nitrous is denser than gaseous nitrous, any nitrous vapor in the lines will cause the car to "bog" for an instant (as the ratio of nitrous / fuel will be too rich) until liquid nitrous oxide reaches the intake.

TYPES OF NITROUS SYSTEM

There are two main categories of nitrous systems: dry & wet. A nitrous system is primarily concerned with introducing fuel and nitrous into the engine's cylinders, and combining them for more efficient combustion. There are 4 main sub types of wet system: single point, direct port, plate, and plenum bar all of which are just slightly different methods of discharging nitrous into the plenums of the intake manifold.

DRY

In a dry nitrous system, extra fuel required is introduced through the fuel injectors, keeping the manifold dry of fuel. This property is what gives the dry system its name. Fuel flow can be increased either by increasing the pressure in the fuel injection system, or by modifying the vehicle's computer to increase the time the fuel injectors remain open during the engine cycle. This is typically done by spraying nitrous past the mass airflow sensor (MAF), which then sends a signal to the vehicle's computer telling it that it sees colder denser air, and that more fuel is needed. This is typically not an exact method of adding fuel. Once additional fuel has been introduced, it can burn with the extra oxygen provided by the nitrous, providing additional power.

Dry nitrous systems rely on a single type nozzle that only sprays nitrous through it, not nitrous and fuel. These nitrous nozzles generally spray in a 90 degree pattern.

WET SINGLE POINT

A wet single-point nitrous system introduces the fuel and nitrous together, causing the upper intake manifold to become wet with fuel. In carbureted applications, this is typically accomplished with a spraybar plate mounted between the carburetor base and the intake manifold, while cars fitted with electronic fuel injection often use a plate mounted between the manifold and the base of the throttle body, or a single nozzle mounted in the intake tract. However, most makes of nitrous systems combined with unsuitable intake designs, often result in distribution problems and/or intake backfires. Dry-flow intakes are designed to contain only air, which will travel through smaller pipes and tighter turns with less pressure, whereas wet-flow intakes are designed to contain a mixture of fuel and air. Wet nitrous systems tend to produce more power than dry systems, but in some cases can be more expensive and difficult to install.

A wet nozzle differs in the way that it takes in both nitrous and fuel which are metered by jets to create a perfect or proper air-fuel ratio (AFR). Proper atomisation of the fuel and nitrous will ensure consistent power gains.

WET DIRECT PORTA wet direct port nitrous system introduces nitrous and fuel directly into each intake port on the engine. These systems are also known as direct port nitrous systems. Normally, these systems combine nitrous and fuel through several nozzles similar in design to a wet single-point nozzle, which mixes and meters the nitrous and fuel delivered to each cylinder individually, allowing each cylinder's nitrous/fuel ratio to be adjusted without affecting the other cylinders. Note that there are still several ways to introduce nitrous through a direct port system. There are several different types of nozzles and placements ranging from fogger nozzles that requires one to drill and tap the manifold, to specialty direct port E.F.I. nozzles that fit into the fuel injector ports along with the fuel injectors.

A multi-point system is the most powerful type of nitrous system, due to the placement of the nozzle in each runner, as well as the ability to use more and higher capacity solenoid valves. Wet multi-point kits can go as high as 3,000 horsepower (2,400 kW) with only one stage, but most produce less than half that amount with two, three or even four stages.[citation needed] These systems are also the most complex and expensive systems, requiring significant modification to the engine, including adding distribution blocks and solenoid assemblies, as well as drilling, tapping and constructing plumbing for each cylinder runner. These systems are most often used on racing vehicles specially built to take the strain of such high power levels. Many high-horsepower race applications will use more than one nozzle per cylinder, plumbed in stages to allow greater control of how much power is delivered with each stage. A two-stage system will actually allow three different levels of additional horsepower; for example, a small first stage can be used in first gear to prevent excessive wheelspin, then turned off in favor of a larger second stage once the car is moving. In top gear, both stages can be activated at the same time for maximum horsepower. A more recent improvement on the staged concept from WON is the progressive delivery system, which allows a simpler single stage system to act even better than multiple stages, delivering a smoothly progressive increase in power which is adjustable to suit the user requirements.

PLENUM BAR

Another type of system is called a plenum bar system. These are spraybars that are installed inside of the plenums of the intake manifold. Plenum bar systems are usually used in conjunction with direct port systems in multi-stage nitrous systems.

PROPANE OR CNG

It is possible to combine the use of nitrous with a gaseous fuel such as propane or compressed natural gas. This has the advantage of being a dry system and yet still maintaining proper air/fuel mixture. Such a system requires exact choice of jet sizes and gas pressure regulation to provide a consistent pressure to the jets. Other advantages include better air/fuel mixing and distribution and less risk of knocking due to the increased octane of propane and CNG.

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