CO2 tank for nitrous?

Hey guys if you have been in the classified you may have seen I am looking for a challenge friendly nitrous setup. 914Driver brought up the question of if a CO2 tank could be used for nitrous. I did a little digging on the net and found this site here http://www.nitrous.info/co2-nitrous-bottles-tanks.htm

Does anyone here have opinions on this have done something similar? I could see this being kind of how the use of nitrous started was using tanks like this.

While it may work, why risk it with your or someone else's safety?

If you look a bit harder, you will find someone selling bottles cheap.

MOST tracks require a certified nitrous tank.

A lot of bike racers have put nitrous in their air shifter bottles. Of course the dump for the cylinder is in front of the engine's intake and the bottle is empty at the end of the run...

Yeah I have heard of nitrous being put in extinguishers and roll cages as well.

Good to know about the track requirement.

I have it on reasonably good authority that there were a couple of Pro Stock drivers a few years back who welded caps inside of the roll cage and used the cavity as a nitrous bottle. They then plumbed it through the cage and through the firewall and into the engine without being detected... for a while.

Don't do that - it's stupid and deadly. Get a real bottle. hang out and put WTB ads up at your local dragstrip.

tuna55 wrote: I have it on reasonably good authority that there were a couple of Pro Stock drivers a few years back who welded caps inside of the roll cage and used the cavity as a nitrous bottle. They then plumbed it through the cage and through the firewall and into the engine without being detected... for a while.

I can imagine a roll cage leak could be very interesting.

I remember being at a vintage race and I was walking through the paddock checking out cars. I was standing there checking out this cool old open racer from maybe the 60's I think it was and the owner came up and started telling me about the car. He pointed out a little valve hidden on the roll bar of the car that he said he found when he was restoring it. He found out it was for one of these sneaky nitrous setups.

I did find that Cold Fusion sells new 10 lb tanks for about $150. I would still rather find something a bit less expensive for the challenge budget and all.

Could you imagine a car fire with the roll cage being full of nitrous?? Egads. That is one of the most idiotic things I've heard of in a long, long time.

Ranger50 wrote: While it may work, why risk it with your or someone else's safety? If you look a bit harder, you will find someone selling bottles cheap.

It's the same bottle, that undergoes the same safety testing.

The only difference is the valve, and that's an easy swap.

If I recall, tracks require DOT bottles now, as they did not before. Many CO2 bottles will be DOT approved.

I went the opposite way and switched my NOS bottle into a co2 tank for my keg fridge. It looks pretty cool. I bet if you found a valve, a fire extinguisher place could properly convert one.

Must be a SW Ontario thing. Me too.

Just take it to the extinguisher place, and tell them what you want to do. They'll test it, and put a valve on it for you. It's very simple, and straightforward. Don't take advice from people who don't know.

I was kinda wondering why CO2 bottles were saying they are DOT approved?

No.

Are co2 tanks designed for the metal fatigue from the expansion and contraction from more than one or two shot life they normally live, as compared to the numerous expansion and contraction they will have as a NOs tank.?

I don't think so.

BTW, Porsche uses to air pressure test the roll cages on the 935/6s to about 7psi to check for weld integrity.

Same bottle. Nobody uses a CO2 extinguisher once. They are refilled after each use.

The CO2 extinguishers we have at work are all DOT approved.

It's what I use.

But are they approved to be filled and discharged 7-20 times a summer? And they are DOT approved as extinguishers, not multipurpose bottles. .

triumph5 wrote: But are they approved to be filled and discharged 7-20 times a summer? And they are DOT approved as extinguishers, not multipurpose bottles. .

Actually I had found just 10 lb co2 bottles that were the DOT approved on a site for brewing supplies it was meant for kegs.

Not saying for sure if its what I am going to do cause safety is always a concern I just wanted to be clear on where I found the info on the DOT approved co2 tanks.

CO2 tanks for welding certainly are meant to be emptied and refilled frequently.

I am pretty sure that a CO2 tank can take the frequent cycle that a NItrous bottle takes. It might even be stronger.

However, by the time you source one, have the valve changed over, and have it recertified, it will probably cost the same as getting a branded Nitrous bottle

tuna55 wrote: I have it on reasonably good authority that there were a couple of Pro Stock drivers a few years back who welded caps inside of the roll cage and used the cavity as a nitrous bottle. They then plumbed it through the cage and through the firewall and into the engine without being detected... for a while. Don't do that - it's stupid and deadly. Get a real bottle. hang out and put WTB ads up at your local dragstrip.

i believe that was the Mopar team with Darrell Alderman driving.. sometime in the mid 90's.. they were dominating the season until they had a rather peculiar explosion under the hood scoop and then their shop got broken into and all of their engines destroyed.. i think there was cocaine involved, too, but i might be misremembering..

ok.. a little google time tells me that it was Jerry Eckman that got caught with the nitrous when they had an explosive bottle "malfunction" in the pits.

mad_machine wrote: However, by the time you source one, have the valve changed over, and have it recertified, it will probably cost the same as getting a branded Nitrous bottle

For me it was cheaper. The bottle was $50 tested, and $25 for the valve for a 15 lb aluminum.

Bottles may be cheaper in your area, especially now.

rebelgtp wrote: I was kinda wondering why CO2 bottles were saying they are DOT approved?

The DOT approval is to allow for shipping of a pressurized container. It has nothing to do with approval for use in a vehicle.

for empty/refill... paintball depletes em pretty quickly... never seen a problem with a vessle... biggest issue tends to be if someone fills them to quickly... but even then it's rare for the burst disc to blow.

Just gonna leave this over here.....