Ok first lets make it known what NOS is. Nitrous Oxide is a mixture of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur-dioxide. The type of NOS that is used in cars is made up of 2 nitrogens and 1 oxygen and then sulfur-dioxide is mixed in at a 1000:1 ratio. When this mixture reaches 572 degrees F it releases oxygen atoms.
I know you don't care about what it is made of, but you do want to know how to bolt the kit in and add 200 Horsepower to your Stang at the touch of a button. First off you have to choose a kit. I have seen kits from 10 horsepower to 1000 horsepower. Keep in mind that your engine has to be able to handle the extra horsepower. If you don't want to have to worry about the engine at all you want to keep the horsepower at 350, 400 will still work pretty reliablely but you are starting push it. At 450 horsepower you are really starting to push things, you may not break things at first but the stock transmission will not live long and you are really pushing the engine hard. Also keep in mind that even at 350 horsepower you are beyond the stock transmission limit (5-speed trans). As long as you don't abuse the transmission it will be fine (Even at 400, don't abuse it and it will work fine, I know from personal expierence).
I know that I still haven't got to the tuning part yet but most of this is still stuff you need to know to add NOS to your car. The next thing you need to consider is price and availbilty. Remember that you have the cost for the kit up front ($600-$800) and the cost of the NOS itself. Also remember that NOS is hard to find and is fairly expensive. It's an 1.5 hour drive for me and is $4 a pound. Also expect to buy at least one set of spark plugs (possibly wires) if not two. If you want things to be done the "right" way you could also need a ignition system but, this is not required to run NOS properly (a in car timing adjust module is highly recommended though). Some kits that add "tons" of horsepower will probably require a new fuel pump and injectors if the kit does not already come with them but, we aren't even going to talk about those types of kits. A second bottle is highly recomended though. This will help to ensure that there is always constant pressure. Also a bottle warmer is highly recommended. If the bottle is not kept at the "right" temperature you will lose considerable pressure. Oh and one last thing: in general a 10 pound tank will be good for three quarter mile runs.
Ok now I know after seeing the long list of things that you should buy you are proably reconsidering adding NOS. You can add just the kit adjust the timing and run the car fine. As a general rule you will need a cooler set of spark plugs. I have heard people say at about 150-200 horsepower you will mostly likely need spark plugs that are three ranges cooler but, that is not written in stone, it always varies. The first thing you need to do is retard the timing. As a general rule of thumb retard the timing 2 degrees for every 100 horsepower of NOS. This is also just to start you will have to run the car and then make changes from there. I have seen NOS applications that have needed to retard the timing as much as 30 degrees. I do have one warning though: If your engine is blown (turbocharged or supercharged) you must modify any NOS kit or you will ruin some very expensive parts nearly instantly (It this applies to you and you want to know what needs changed E-mail me).
Well basically I have given you the jist of it, retard the timing and cooler plugs. I would like to clear something up before I sum this article up though. A stock motor will show a larger improvement on NOS than a modified motor. Always remember that with any aftermarket part it's affect will vary between cars and your setup. I have outlined a few general rules to follow on adding NOS but you will have to fine tune your setup. Warning: if you use NOS and your timing is advanced to much you run a very high risk of destroying the engine. (retard the timing, you should be able to keep the timing advanced maybe 1-2 degrees if you are only adding 100 horsepower).
Well that basically sums it up and as always if you have any questions or think I am wrong on something E-mail me and I will return your letter within 2 days. (Most E-mails are responded to the same day)
If you would like to add a "Mr5oh's Mustang Page" banner to your site or would like to advertise on my site for free go to
https://members.tripod.com/Mr5oh/banner.html