Nitromethane in 2 strokes

[Dragmeistr]

I have about 3 gallons of Nitromethane hanging around after my last drag race event and was wondering if anyone has ever experimented with mixing it in small quantities (10-20%)? I realize you would have to jet richer, flush it out when done, etc. I would assume that you would want to use a forged pistion vs. cast, etc...Has anyone tried it, any gains or losses? Is it even feasible without tearign things up?

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by Dragmeistr
Is it even feasible without tearign things up?

No.

There isn't enough time to cool the piston crown in a two-cycle to use it effectively for anything but a few seconds at a time.

 

[Lazyeiger]

Radio control car engines are 2/ engines and they routinley run up to 60% nitro in methanol.

I seem to remember that Bell touches on this in his book, I think he talks about 5% , and again if my memory serves me correctly he even gives some jetting recomendations.

I say GO FOR IT!! and don't forget to post the results!!!

 

[Dragmeistr]

Yes, and the radio control cars also use methanol mixed with the nitro instead of gas. Maybe that would cool the crown enough? I dont think its worth killing my bike to find out. Thanks for the reply Rich.

 

[SamLS]

Talk to the folks at Powermist they have a Nitromethane additive that works with gasoline. Most additives for gasoline that I know of are Nitropropane or Nitrobenzene. There may be some issues with Nitromethane mixing with gasoline. As far as actual experience, its been awhile. I went through the additive phase at a young age. I did put a product called Nitro-Joe in my Kitty Cat snowmobile , someone gave my father a case. I was 6 or 7 at the time so it could have been ( Nitro Go or something similar ), it was yellowish and had a strong odor. I could beat any Skipper in the neighborhood with that added to my fuel. A Skipper was a small snowmobile with a Briggs engine and typically faster. My cousin, now upset over the wipping he was getting, saw me adding it to my fuel and decided he needed some. Thankfully the Skipper came apart before I ran it half and half in my snowmobile to stay out front. Big difference in performance, we went from go!!!!!!! to it won't go. Of course everything seems better at that age. I say go for it. Let us know

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by SamLS
There may be some issues with Nitromethane mixing with gasoline. 

Yes, there certainly are issues ;)

 

[NWMyers#5]

Being a redneck we took some Nitromethane from a buddies RC plane stash and mixed some in the ol 78 Artic Cat snowmobile... the results.... well lets' just say the Kawi 440 was never the same.. not sure how a newer engine would handle it but I'm sure the results wouldn't be worth it.

 

[pyromaniac]

No.

There isn't enough time to cool the piston crown in a two-cycle to use it effectively for anything but a few seconds at a time.

I think RC models running 2-stroke methanol/nitro engines are quite effective - 1hp per cc is pretty effective i think. The engines are designed for it and uses alot more oil than in a dirtbike though.

 

[Studboy]

I wouldn't try and mix it with gasoline that is for sure. Dragmeistr, have you looked at the Klotz Nitro (Nitropropane/Koolinal.) additive? It is weird to jet with but it does produce more power. I have played around with it a little bit despite Rich's warnings... :debil:

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I I have played around with it a little bit despite Rich's warnings... :debil:

I've worked with it a lot as well, but in my experience the trade-offs far outweigh the benefits unless you ride your bike WOT for a quarter mile at a shot. :cool:

 

[Studboy]

Rich most of my testing was at the sand dunes. The transitional throttle response was affected but it wasn't too horrible. I managed to run a full bottle without burning anything up. How many ozs. per gallon were you running? I started with one and worked my way up to the recommended four but I felt safer with 2-3 ozs. per gallon. I didn't have any real problems with heat or detonation either, but I did jet up 3-4 sizes.
Also, do you think the Klotz Nitro may cause corrosion of the metal or seals?

It seems like a pretty inexpensive way to gain some temporary horsepower in exchange for throttle response because you have to jet up so much to be safe.

BTW, it does smell sweet. Even after you stop using it you can still smell it pretty strong. :)

 

[Green Guy]

I have had R/C cars that run on a 20% nitro fuel, and the air/fuel mixture is very critical. I think a bike is alittle expensive to experiment with highly volital fuels such as any kind of nitro, however I have run avgas and noticed a crisper running bike.

 

[morningoak]

I have R/C cars that run off of 20% nitro. My race engine is 1.2cc's and makes 1.4 hp @ 38,400 rpm (she's a screamer). Anyway, the fuel is mixed with alcohol and lubricants. Some brands use castor. I looked at a gallon I have and it just says something like "special blend of lubricants". Perhaps the alcohol helps it run cooler?
Peace