Pimp Your Ride for Less Than $500
Just because you can’t afford to buy a new car doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to drive an old school clunker for the rest of your life. In fact, an entire industry exists to supply drivers like yourself with an array of aftermarket gadgets, gizmos, and doohickeys that’ll make your old car feel new again.
Knowing the Basics about Installing a Car Audio System
Can you tell the difference between a nice car and a great car? It’s easy a great will make someone’s head turn as it drives by. The same line of thinking holds true for a great car audio system. A great stereo system can get people outside the car nodding their heads to the music while a poorly put together car stereo system causes nothing but stares and laughs. The lesson in all this is to know your car audio system pieces.
A great car audio system instantly brings street-cred and something to show off. Now, not only has your stock increased with your friends but you also have raised the value of the car overall if and when you decide to sell it. Only you know what can make the perfect audio system for your own car. It is up to you to design and plan it out.
Before you can do that you should at least have an understand all of the essential components of a complete system. Here is a breakdown of the four main parts you’ll need to get started.
Before you can get started installing a brand new car audio system, you should probably have an understanding about the basics of a car stereo system. First off, it consists of four main components with all of the wiring connecting them together. The system includes the head unit, the main speakers, amplifiers for power and the subwoofers for some kick.
In case you were not aware of the terminology, the head unit is just another name for the stereo itself and is the core part of the entire system. They normally contain a cassette or CD player and installed directly into the dash. Everything else you add on to the system is all connected to the head unit through at least one pair of wires if not more. Think of the head unit as the brain of the system.
Next thing on your list to become familiar with are the car speakers. Most cars come standard with four main speakers, two in the front and two in the back. Some speakers are component speakers with each single speaker broken down into two: one for the highs and one for the bass. The speaker or channel then is connected to the head unit through speaker wire. If you are installing everything brand new, such as a new head unit and new speakers, then you should use new speaker wires for the installation too.
You can spend all the money in the world on a kicking audio system but if no one can hear it then what’s the point? For that, you are going to need some excellent subwoofers. They are what give your car audio system that deep and heavy bass which your normal, smaller speakers cannot provide. If and when you decide to add subwoofers to your system, you will need an amplifier to hook them to for its extra pop in power.
Speaking about amplifiers, you are going to need a good one if you plan on adding any additional equipment to the system other than the stereo and speakers. They provide extra muscle for the system plus a few extra channels of power for additional speakers but they are commonly used to power all the subwoofers. It is connected to the head unit through an RCA cable and directly to the car battery by a fused "hot" wire and a ground wire to the chassis of the car.
Source: http://www.teamhonda.cn
Installing a Nitrous Oxide System (NOS)
Begin by installing the NOS tank. The correct installation of the tank is important to getting the most out of your nitrous system. As we’ve mentioned in basic nitrous system guide, the NOS tank has a siphon tube that extends from the release valve to the bottom of the tank. The siphon tube reaches the side of the tank on the opposite side of the label. Therefore the tank should be installed at a 15° angle, with the label facing up and the release valve facing the front of the vehicle. This will ensure that more of the liquid N2O is used before the siphon tube begins to pick up gaseous Nitrous Oxide, even under acceleration.
Another consideration is the pressure of the NOS tank. The pressure of the NOS tank will fluctuate as the ambient temperature fluctuates. This can cause problems with the correct calibration of your air/fuel mixture. To overcome this problem, you should ensure that the NOS tank is mounted away from heat sources (such as the exhaust system) and out of direct sunlight. You can also use a NOS blanket to insulate the tank.
You should install the injectors next. The placement of the injectors will depend on whether you’re installing a system with a single injector, or a Direct Port System that requires one injector per cylinder. When you need just one injector, you should install the injector as close to the throttle body as possible. If you have a rubber inlet hose connected to your throttle body, you must drill a suitably sized hole to fit the injector, and bolt the injector down with a nut and washer on either side of the hose. If you have a cast aluminum manifold, you must drill a hole and tap a thread into the cast aluminum for the injector to screw into. If you are fitting a Direct Port System, make sure that everything that must be fitted to the intake manifold is in place and find enough space on the manifold to fit the injectors. The injectors must be fitted at the same distance from the cylinder head but try not to fit the injectors too close to the cylinder head. Also, wherever you fit the injectors, apply a little locktight to the thread to ensure that the injector does not work itself loose. If you are installing a Direct Port System, you would need to install a distribution block between the solenoids and the injectors. The purpose of the distribution block is to distribute the fuel and nitrous between the injectors. Although it is not crucial, try to install the distribution block so that the tubes are more or less horizontal. The injectors for a Wet System has two inlets — one for fuel and the other for nitrous. You must connect the right tube to each inlet as indicated on the injector.
The next step is to install the solenoids. These should be installed away from the exhaust manifold but as close to the nitrous injectors as possible. The solenoids must also be installed slightly higher than the injectors to ensure that the nitrous and fuel do not need to flow upward as this will reduce the effectiveness of the system. The solenoids are electrically operated; therefore you’ll need to run a few electrical cables to the solenoids.
Once you have your hardware in place, you can install the nitrous and fuel supply lines. It is best to route the tubing that carries the nitrous to the engine bay along the stock fuel line as this would be routed securely, and away from heat sources. The tubing should be secured to the vehicle so that it cannot be damaged by abrasion or by moving suspension and drive train parts. You can use nylon tie-wraps to secure the tubing to the vehicle but ½ inch Tinnerman clamps work much better. The tie-wraps or clamps should be placed no further than 18 inches apart. When ever you route the tube trough a metal body panel, be user to use suitably sized rubber grommets to prevent the body work from cutting through the tube.
If you are using nylon tubing, you can use a sharp utility knife to cut the tube to the correct length leaving about 2 inches of free play at either end for possible flexing. Never cut the tubing too short and never cut the tube using a scissors or wire snips as this will deform the tube and make fitting the olive and nut quite difficult. Once you have cut the tube to the correct length, slide the nut over the tube with the treaded part facing the end of the tube. Never tighten the nut too much as this will cause the olive to compress the tube and will restrict flow through the tube. Then slide the olive over the tube. Secure the nut to the outlet on the NOS tank while keeping the tube in place and repeat the process at the other end where you must secure the nut to the inlet on the nitrous solenoid. The tube from the solenoid to the injector will require the same treatment. You can install the tube from the fuel solenoid to the injector as well but don’t secure the tubing to the fittings on injector just yet — you will need to perform a few tests first. Also beware, the injector for a Wet System has two inlets — one for fuel and the other for nitrous. You must connect the right tube to each inlet as indicated on the injector. Next, tap into your fuel line using a metal T or Y splitter and fit the tubing that will supply fuel to the fuel solenoid and connect it to the inlet on the fuel solenoid.
The final step is to install the electrical circuit that will power the solenoids. The NOS solenoid must lift the plunger against the pressure that can be upwards of 800 psi in the system. A fair amount of current (amps) is required to accomplish this task so make sure that the electrical cables can supply the required amperage to lift the plunger. The electrical circuit should supply both solenoids with power and should incorporate a fuse, a microswitch fitted to the accelerator linkage, an arming switch and a relay. Start by disconnecting the negative terminal from the battery. This will prevent you from causing short circuits wile working on the electrical system. Run a live wire from the positive terminal of the battery to the fuse box under the dashboard and on to a relay. Another live wire can then be run from the relay to the relay to the solenoids. This wire must carry sufficient current to activate both solenoids. You can fit the arming switch on the live wire between the relay and the solenoids as this wire will run close to the dashboard area; however it is better to place the switches on the earth wire. The earth wire will run from the solenoids to a suitable metal point on the vehicle’s body but it is best to run the earth wire to the negative terminal on the battery. You can fit the microswitch to the earth wire as the solenoids would be placed close to the accelerator linkage.
The basic nitrous oxide injection system, or a NOS kit, is pretty straight forward and easy to grasp. It consists of a nitrous oxide tank, some tubing, a nitrous solenoid, a fuel solenoid and toggle switch, throttle position microswitch, jets, a nitrous fogger, a relay, nylon pipe, and a distribution block.
The nitrous tank is used to store Nitrous Oxide in a liquid form. The tank is actually a pressurized canister as Nitrous Oxide must be compressed to remain liquid at room temperature. Remember N2O reaches boiling point (i.e., it becomes gaseous) at -127° F and more Nitrous Oxide can be stored when it is in a liquid form. Approximately 850 psi of pressure is required to keep Nitrous Oxide liquid at room temperature and at sea level but the nitrous tank must be pressure tested and certified to withstand 1,800 psi. If the certification on your NOS tank is older than five years, your nitrous dealer will not refill it and you will have to have the tank pressure tested and recertified. The tank is mounted in the car’s trunk and has a siphon tube that is connected to the release valve and extends to the bottom of the tank. The tank must be mounted at a 15° angle to ensure that the maximum amount of Nitrous Oxide can be released from the tank.
High pressure nylon or Teflon inner-lined braided-steel pipe is used to carry the Nitrous Oxide to the engine where it is regulated by the NOS solenoid. The solenoid is an electrically controlled valve which uses a strong electromagnetic field to open a small plunger the blocks the flow of the liquid Nitrous Oxide. A second solenoid is used to supply extra fuel so that the air/fuel mixture remains constant. Both solenoids are controlled by electric switches that activate the electromagnetic field. The NOS system should have at least two switches — a microswitch that is fitted to the accelerator linkage and is only activated at full throttle; and a spring-loaded momentary switch that is activated by the driver. The microswitch on the accelerator linkage ensures that the nitrous system can only be activated at full throttle. Activating the system during part throttle or during a gear change can have very catastrophic consequences. As an added precaution, the oil pressure switch can also be used to ensure that the system can only be activated when the engine is running and there is oil pressure. Starting an engine with NOS in the combustion chamber can also be very catastrophic.
Some more high pressure nylon or Teflon inner-lined braided-steel pipe is used carry the nitrous and fuel (which are still separate at this stage) to the intake manifold where it is released into the engine via two small jets that are located in a special nitrous injector. The jets must be correctly calibrated to release the correct amount of fuel for a given amount of nitrous. In addition, the pressure on the fuel supply side must be adequate and at a constant level to ensure that the air/fuel mixture is correct at all times. This may require the fitting of an electric fuel pump and a fuel regulator.
The quantity of the nitrous flow depends on the size of the jet fitted. A jet is basically a screw with a whole through it. It’s used as a restriction tool depending on the size of the link up orifice. Applying a bigger jet is the easiest way to squeeze a bit more power out of your current system. The fuel supply comes from a similar jetting system.
Written by Ian Slacker and "Bad Ass" Bre
