What Is the Difference Between Gas & Nitro Gas?

Gasoline and Nitromethane

• Gasoline, the most commonly used fuel in most motor vehicles, is primarily a mixture of hydrocarbons. Different brands of gasoline come in different blends with different additives to conform to various engine or customer specifications. Among the additives usually added is ethanol for enhanced performance. In some regions, the blends also take into consideration geographic climate and seasonal weather conditions.

  Nitromethane is an organic compound used in manufacturing various products, from pharmaceuticals to explosives. Nitromethane, or 'nitro' when it pertains to fuel, is typically mixed with methanol. Commonly used in drag racing, nitro gas comes in varying mixtures with varying percentages of nitromethane. A higher percentage of nitro is generally equated with more power.

Combustibility

• Gasoline burns faster than nitro, but greater amounts of nitro can be burned inside an engine's cylinder. Gasoline is also more volatile than nitro, but it needs a lot of oxygen to combust. Nitro uses the oxygen in nitrous oxide, which is one of its chemical components; because of this, nitro requires only about an eighth of gasoline's oxygen requirement for complete combustion. This translates into more powerful explosions inside the engine. Making enough oxygen available for gasoline to produce more powerful explosions usually requires turbo or super-charging.

Power per Volume

• The same engine can burn about eight times more nitro than gasoline; however this does not mean that using nitro guarantees an eight-fold increase in power. Gasoline has more energy potential than nitro, such that eight times more nitro is equals to about two to three times more power.

Practical Uses

• Gasoline is generally considered safer for everyday use than nitro. One reason for this relates to nitro giving off more toxic fumes than gasoline. Also, pumped gasoline is blended in a way that considers certain factors, such as preignition, detonation control and climate factors. Nitro requires much higher capacity fuel tanks and various modifications, including an enhanced engine cooling system. Unlike gasoline, nitro doesn't burn easily, but a powerful explosion can be expected when it does.