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BILLINGS GAZETTE • October 15, 2012 • By VERNER BERTELSEN
Montanans have a choice this election: Speak up before your voice is drowned out entirely by big corporations with limitless money to spend on campaigns.
This is your chance to stand with Montanans, not the out-of-state interests that seek to buy our elections.
On your ballot, you'll see state initiative I-166. You should vote FOR it. A vote FOR I-166 shows that you still believe it's people, not corporations, who should call the shots in our political system.
Amend U.S. Constitution
I-166 calls on our leaders to amend the U.S. Constitution and re-institute limits on political spending. It would assert that corporations aren't people, they shouldn't be granted the same rights as people, and they certainly shouldn't be allowed to buy elections.
I-166 is a chance to fight back against the bad Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and more recent decisions that threaten to undo Montana's century-old laws against political corruption. It's an initiative supported strongly by Montana Republicans and Democrats alike.
I am a lifelong Republican and I served as Montana secretary of state from 1988 to 1989. I joined Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, a Republican, in signing the petition to place I-166 on the November ballot.
Unless we stand up, our nation will become steeped in the same sort of corruption that infected our state back in the days of the infamous Copper Kings.
Montana long ago learned a hard lesson about big money in politics when miner William A. Clark came upon a massive copper vein in Butte and overnight became one of the wealthiest men in the world. If he needed political favors, Clark paid for them. In 1899, when Clark decided he wanted to be a U.S. senator, he simply gave each corruptible state legislator the equivalent of $250,000 today and "won" the "election."
Montanans got fed up with the corruption and fought back, passing the Corrupt Practices Act in 1912 and later banning large individual donations.
Under our state protections, candidates for state offices must raise money in small increments of no more than a few hundred dollars from an individual donor per election. A state legislator, for example, can't accept more than $160.
Preserve democracy
These laws have allowed Montana to preserve a rare and true form of democracy, where citizens have access to government and nobody can buy their way to the front of the line.
But now, thanks to Citizens United and a more recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Montana's anti-corruption statute, our system is in jeopardy.
Just this month, a federal judge here in Montana struck down our limits on individual campaign contributions, immediately opening the floodgates for wealthy individuals to make unlimited contributions to local candidates they seek to influence. Fortunately, a circuit court put a stop to things, reinstating our limits for this election. But we may lose these protections for good if we don't stand up now.
Corporations aren't people and money isn't speech. CEOs of corporations may choose to personally contribute to political campaigns, but they shouldn't be allowed to use shareholders' money to do so.
If we don't protect the fairness of our elections, and the voice of individuals, corruption will follow. We don't need out-of-state interests using big money to curry favor with politicians by bankrolling their campaigns. There's a real possibility that foreign interests could get in the game, too. We don't need countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran or China trying to buy U.S. politicians.
Vote FOR I-166. Corporations are not people, and your voice still counts.
Verner Bertelsen of Helena helped prepare the proponent argument FOR I-166 in the Voter Information Pamphlet


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Christmas 2013
Saturday 14 December at 7.30pm and Sunday 15 December at 2pm.
Youtube – Born in Bethlehem: Gwyn played a lovely recording of SCCS singing these nine songs at the rehearsal. You can listen to these nine songs again on youtube from the 1997 SCCS recording.
Photographs of this concert can be seen here
It was a weekend of jazz: Chris Barber Big Band at Goring on Friday, a selection of Miles Davis CDs on Saturday and a jazzed-up version of the Christmas story on Sunday. Perfect! Actually, there was more to the concert than the jazz but that was the highlight for me.
South Chiltern Choral Society's festive concert is normally a mixture of audience carols, various Christmas music and contributions from a local school. It heralds the start of Christmas in Sonning Common and although there was a whole week to go it felt right. The junior choir this year was from Sonning Common Primary School. They sang three modern pieces chosen by the children, and written by Mark and Helen Johnson. I love modern music and these pieces were vibrant, joyous and sounded really good fun to sing. You could see that the children enjoyed singing them.
They also joined in with one of the major pieces, On Christmas Night by Bob Chilcott. This is an amalgam of carol melodies set in different styles and moods. I wasn't that impressed with the Chilcott piece as I think it spoiled the original carol tunes. Having said that, there were some good parts to this piece, particularly a solo by Susie Downer from the choir. There was also a tribute to John Tavener with a performance of his setting of The Lamb with words by William Blake and the choir did justice to this really quite difficult piece.
But the highlight for me was the jazzy piece of Christmas music Born In Bethlehem, a collection of spirituals arranged for mixed choir by musical director Gwyn Arch in 1997. With the addition of piano, bass, drums and a fantastic soloist, Aneesa Chaudry, this was a real gem. What's more, there were some more jazzy carols played and sung by this quartet as the audience were taking their seats at the beginning of the concert. And Aneesa would have carried on at the end if time hadn't run out! She has a big voice and uses it to good effect. In the ballad Sweet Little Jesus Boy she put over a really stunning performance and in the other two solos, she elevated the sound to something really quite beautiful. Credit must also go to Gwyn Arch for his musical direction. This was an impressive piece of music and was really enjoyed by the capacity audience.
John Evans
Published in the Henley Standard. 23 December 2013
A CONDUCTOR took charge of his 48th consecutive Christmas concert with the South Chiltern Choral Society. Gywn Arch, 82, led the 70-strong adult choir for the concert at Chiltern Edge School in Sonning Common, which was attended by more than 400 people over two days. The choir sang Born In Bethlehem and On Christmas Night and a selection of carols and were joined by children from the village primary School, aged seven to nine, who also sang carols by themselves. Jazz trio Jenny Carr, Genevieve Curd and Mike Jeffries also performed. During the interval, guests were offered a free glass of wine and a mince pie. The profits from ticket sales will go towards sheet music for the society. A collection raised more than £1,600 for homeless charity Launchpad. Mr Arch, from Sonning Common, said: "I often ask myself how I keep going but I guess I enjoy it. I haven't got the energy I once had but I can still motivate the choir." David Cottam, chairman of the society, said: "Gwyn is quite a character. He loves his music and singing and he inspires all of us." Teacher Paula Humm, who runs the primary school choir, said: "It's the first time I've taken this group of children to a concert outside school and they did fantastically well. "They had a lovely time and are looking forward to next year's event, when they will be singing with the Young Voices choir."
Published in the Henley Standard. 30 December 2013

subset: commoncrawl


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Budgeted Travelling Now Done In A Right Way!
Post by Sayantika Mukherji | Jan 22, 2018
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- Introduction
The Shingwedzi Reserve was proclaimed in 1903 and comprised the area between the Luvuvhu and Letaba Rivers. Being a very remote part of South Africa, poaching and other illegal activities, such as prospecting, illegal logging and so called "black-birding" (the illegal recruitment of black workers from Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) and Mocambique (then Portuguese East Africa) for the gold and coal mines) was a serious concern to Major James C Stevenson-Hamilton, Warden of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Reserves. From 1904 until 1919, the only ranger in charge of the entire Shingwedzi Reserve was Major AA Frazer, based at Malunzane next to the Shongololo River (a tributary of the Tsende), west of the existing Mopani Camp. Stevenson-Hamilton expresses the need for a game ranger in the far north of the Shingwedzi Reserve.
Captain Johannes Jacobus ("Kat") Coetser was appointed as game ranger on 01 May 1919 for the far northern part of the Shingwedzi Reserve and enjoys the distinction of being the first Afrikaans speaking ranger to have been appointed in the Sabie and Shingwedzi Reserves. Due to lack of roads, he had to have his belongings brought in by black carriers along the old trade route past Dzundwini, a large conspicuous hill on the plains southeast of Punda Maria next to the existing road to Shingwedzi. Dzundwini is a Tsonga word meaning "at the land belonging to the chief and cultivated by his people" (G Dzakani). At Dzundwini fountain he set up a temporary camp under a huge Sausage tree (Kigelia africana) which is still visible today. As winter progressed, the water from the fountain deteriorated and became brackish and could barely be used for drinking water. He had heard of a strong fountain in the region of Chief Shikokololo's fertile place known to the Tsonga people as Dimbyeni ra Shikokololo (water or fountain of Shikokololo – G Dzakani), roughly 18 kilometres northwest of his camp. In the beautiful area on the foot of Dimbo Hill (a shortening of the original Venda name Dimboni, the name of a person from bygone days – the name was used by H Berthoud as early as 1903) and close to the fountain, he set up his permanent camp. He had his family come along and named his camp Punda Maria. With his appointment in 1919, the illegal harvesting of Rhodesian Mahogany (Afzelia quansensis) and Msimbit or Lebombo Ironwood (Androstachys johnsonii) in the Punda Maria area was brought under control. He was known as "Gungunyane" amongst the local Blacks and he built a hut over the fountain at Punda Maria to keep it clean and apparently there were a few tame barbel (catfish) to keep the fountain free of insects.
The name Punda Maria stems from one of two origins.
2.1 The first and most documented origin is that of the first animals which Ranger Coetser encountered upon his arrival in the Shingwedzi Reserve, namely a herd of zebra. The Swahili name for zebra is punda milia (striped donkey). His wife's name was Maria and apparently she was fond of wearing striped black and white dresses. He therefore thought that Punda Maria would be a suitable name for the post. In 1959, the National Parks Board (on recommendation of RJ Labuschagne), changed the name to Punda Milia, based on the incorrect assumption that Coetser had spelt the Swahili name incorrectly. In 1981, the true facts were brought to the attention of the Board by Dr U de V Pienaar and the original name was restored.
2.2 The second possible origin comes from some of the older Venda people, who called the Punda Maria area, which includes the easternmost foothills of the Soutpansberg, Phande Mariha, "border of the winter(s)", as they noticed the area to the west (inland) to be greener and with a more moderate climate than the plains to the east, with it's frost, cold and brown winter grass (phande – stop, up to here, border of, and mariha (plural of vuriha) – winters). They therefore maintain Punda Maria to be a corruption of Phande Mariha.
2.3 Punda Maria camp lies in a place previously (before 1919) called Shikokololo and it was situated next to old hunting and trade routes. One of these routes was known as the Ivory Trail, referring to the era around the early 1900s when the route running from Crooks Corner to Soekmekaar was used for recruiting of labour for the mines in the hinterland of South Africa and also for hunters, as the name suggests. Several interesting people lived in the area over the many years and some are described below:
Previous poacher, hunter and recruitment officer, Cecil Barnard, named Bvenkenya, by the local Tsonga people, meaning "the one who swaggers as he walks", remembers meeting Shikokololo en route to Crooks Corner in about 1910, when he arrived in the area and describes him as a short, brownish- coloured old man. He had fine gardens at this fertile place, but gave him more trouble than contentment as he spent his life in endless bitter struggle with the wild animals over the never settled question of who was to reap his crops. All around his gardens, Shikokololo had erected with prodigious labour a vast protective fence of thorns. Around this African battlement the wild animals laid permanent siege. Within it, old Shikokololo marshaled his defences with cunning and patience. His womenfolk beat drums all night when the crops were ripening, and the place was littered with so many snares and traps that Shikokololo himself, when leaving his hut one moonless night, had come to grief in a pitfall and remained tangled in his own contrivances until morning. To Bvenkenya, Shikokololo was an ingenious and loquacious friend and he had been involved in elephant hunting as long as he could remember.
Makahane was a chief who used to live on a hill which has since been named after him and is situated close to where the Madzaringwe stream flows into the Luvuvhu River, 48 kilometres north east of Punda Maria. The tribe that used to live here and across the Limpopo River, were known as the VhaLembethu, who were the forerunners of the Venda people. All that remains today are the many stone ruins as well as a miniature cave. Although no gold artifacts have been found, gold was smelted here and poured into stone cavities. Although the ruins are quite dilapidated, it is clear that it once was a worthy place for a chief. It is one of the few ruins of it's type of which the tribe and headman are known. The history of the ruin was conveyed to Kruger National Park officials (Pienaar) during a visit to the terrain in 1963 by headman Filemon Makahane, who was quite aged at that time and was living on the western bank of the Luvuvhu River. It is estimated that Headman Makahane had lived at Makahane during the second half of the eighteenth century. Makahane lived as one of two subordinate captains under his father, the great Captain Makahane who lived north of the Limpopo River (currently Zimbabwe). However, due to the distances, the captains reigned virtually independently and with great authority. On the northern side of the hill was a massive rock extending from the base to the top with a sheer drop of about 60 metres. For petty offences and for his pleasure Makahane had his subjects thrown over this cliff – a truly horrible death. Eventually Makahane was killed by his brother Nelome and on orders from his father who had heard of the inhumanity and cruelty against his people and there was great rejoicing amongst his people, who then, under the leadership of Makahane's son, Mashande, chose to depart from this hill of evil and move across the river. Headman Makahane was buried on the hill.
Klopperfontein is a perennial fountain situated in the upper reaches of the Senkhuwa Spruit named after Hans (JPJ) Kloppers (1851 – 1928), a slightly built, fair faced and long bearded hunter, and was the site of one of his favourite camps. This site, previously know as Senkhuwa (from the Tsonga name, "nkhuwa", meaning great wild fig trees), was also en route the old trade and hunting route running past Punda Maria between Crooks Corner and Soekmekaar. At the eye of the fountain there was large wild fig and this is where Kloppers made his camp site. He had a preference for hunting giraffe (Giraffe camelopardalis), which according to oorlewering were quite numerous at the time. He apparently had a great liking of the marrow of the long bones of the giraffe legs and it is said that for many years after the area became the Shingwedzi Reserve in 1903, a large pile of giraffe bones could be seen at his camp site. The fountain later dried up and in 1955 a concrete weir was built by Percy Stephansen to provide water for game. Two boreholes provide additional water at this point. During the high rainfall years between 1971 and 1978, the old fountain started flowing again and this was maintained until the long droughts of the eighties. The local black people mentioned that Kloppers moved into the area during the winter months with his wagons and hunted primarily giraffe and eland. He was known as Ribada by the local black people meaning "always on the move". In the days before 1896, the tsetse flies were a serious problem and caused serious casualties amongst his horses. After the proclamation of the Shingwedzi Reserve in 1903, Kloppers was forced to move his hunting activities elsewhere and he moved his camp to Mocambique. Kloppers lived on his farm, Doornspruit, approximately 20 kilometres south east of Louis Trichardt (on the road to Elim).
Close to Mashikiri windpump on one of the hills a Venda man named Matjigwili used to live. The ruins are still visible today and Ranger Gus Adendorff found the highly prized blue beads (Valunga ha Madi) which are regarded as sacred by the Venda people. These were supposedly brought from the north by earlier generations of the Venda when the migrated south. It is said that a family was very proud to possess such beads and would never willingly part with them and they were passed from generation to generation.
Gumbandebvu hill is situated north east of Punda Maria en route to Pafuri and was regarded by the black people as the rain hill. Many years ago a woman named Nwakama, a relative of Modjadji, the famous rain queen, lived there. Nwakama was supposed to have been invested with the power to call up the rain gods. When rain was needed she ordered a black beast to be slaughtered and the meat taken to a certain spot on the hill and offered as a sacrifice to the rain gods. Only a few chosen men would venture on the hill with her as it was believed to mean certain death for anyone attempting to climb the hill without her knowledge. The name Gumbandebvu originates from Venda, Gumba ndebvu, meaning "to shave one's beard", a custom whereby only those who shaved their beards, were allowed to climb this sacred hill.
Crooks Corner, the area between the Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers, with the borders of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mocambique meeting there, was an area inhabited by a variety of fortune seekers, poachers, smugglers, thieves, renegade and those fleeing the law. The main attraction was the unlimited hunting opportunities (especially elephant) in the adjoining Mocambique and Zimbabwe regions as well as recruitment of blacks for the gold mines of the Witwatersrand. The primary connecting route between Crooks Corner and Soekmekaar, from where the recruits were transported by rail, came past Punda Maria. Originally the recruits were transported by donkey cart, but after World War I, the official recruitment agency, Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (WNLA) improved the road and after 1929 Thornycroft busses were used.
Captain Kat Coetser was born in Lydenburg on 03 May 1872 and was married to Maria Johanna de Beer and the couple had 14 children, of which four died at a young age. He worked as a sheriff in Standerton for a while and then joined the Department of Native Affairs as he could speak quite a few black languages. Later he becomes member of the State Artillery and is promoted to rank of Captain with the outbreak of the Second War of Independance. He was in command of the Johannesburg fort until he was succeeded by Judge Krause and he could then take up active duty. He was taken prisoner of war and held in camp at Green Point. After the war he joined the army and became an intelligence officer. With the start of World War 1, he joined General van Deventer's Reconnaissance and he experienced the whole East African campaign. It is during this period that he learned the Swahili language. In 1919 he was appointed as game ranger at Punda Maria and was transferred to Satara in July 1924 and left the National Parks Board on 15 December 1928 to join the Department for Veterinary Field Services. On 21 November 1935 Coetser was manning a foot and mouth disease cordon next to the Limpopo River east of Musina, when he was attacked by an angry elephant. His rifle bearer had apparently fled the attack and Coetser was crushed to death by the elephant. His remains are buried in Pretoria.
Lt Col Petrus Lafras de Jager succeeded Captain Coetser in July 1924 and a new brick house was built at Punda Maria in 1926. However, the Highveld design proved impractical without the verandah around the house and this was added later on. He retired in January 1929.
Thomas Llewellyn James succeeded de Jager in February 1929 until April 1930.
Izak Johannes Botha was transferred to Punda Maria in April 1930 and during the winter of 1931, tourists were accommodated for the first time in a tent camp at Punda Maria. Soon afterwards, Botha and a team of black labourers, commenced with the construction of the traditional pole and mud thatch roof huts. The design and outer shell of these huts is still in use today, more than seventy years later. These huts were completed in July 1931 and an ablution block was added in 1933. During this time, Botha also constructed the roads from Punda Maria to Dongadziva, Shidzavane, Magovane and Klopperfontein. In the rangers garden at Punda Maria, Botha planted a seedling Baobab (Adansonia digitata) on 04 February 1931 and in the more than seventy years it has grown into a beautiful young tree and has a circumference of 6,7metres (01 April 2002). Amongst his black colleagues he was known as "Mawawa" meaning the dominant one. In 1935 he obtained permission to build the gravel dam, just south of the camp and for many years this has drawn game to the area. In 1937 he constructed a number of side roads on the Punda Maria Shingwedzi road, including the picturesque routes along the Shisha and Mphongolo Rivers. Botha resigned on 31 May 1938.
Lt Col Maurice Rowland-Jones succeeded Botha on 01 June 1938 and was called up to do military duty in Madagascar and the Middle East on 21 May 1940. He was relieved by Walter Henry (Harry) Kirkman stationed at Shangoni and Herbert Ernest (Bert) Tomlinson of Shingwedzi and resumed duties on 01 January 1946 and was promoted to senior ranger at Skukuza on 26 June 1954.
Today, Punda Maria Camp has 31 units – 22 in the old units that Botha built in 1931/2. The interior construction was altered in 1978 to convert the rooms into units with shower and toilet en-suite. The outer walls and roof construction remains original and the resistance of the Msimbit or Lebombo Ironwood (Androstachys johnsonii) to insect boring is clearly evident. Two four-bed cottages were built in 1978 to the west of the camp reception complex. They were originally intended to house staff, but upon completion, were made available to the public, and have been upgraded significantly since 2001. In 2001 7 fully equipped tents were added to the camp.
The Shikokololo fountain remains in use to supply Punda Maria with fresh clean water and is situated 50 metres to the east of the camp gate. It had a large and fairly distinctive Jakkalsbessie tree (Diospyros mespiliformis) close by.
The police station at Punda Maria was a landmark for many years. Sergeant Oosthuizen was succeeded by Sergeant van Deventer. The last commander stationed at Punda Maria before it was closed down was Awie de Clerq. The old house still stands to the east of the camp and the many stone terraces are still visible too.
These were built by prisoners who were mostly illegal immigrants passing through the Park from Mocambique.
ADENDORFF, GM (1984) – Wild Company – Books of Africa Ltd, Cape Town
BULPIN, TV (1954) – The Ivory Trail – Books of Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town
BULPIN, TV (1974) – Kruger National Park (No. 1 & 2) – Mobil Travel series 18 and 19.
COX, GRAHAM – Personal discussion.
DAVIES, PETER – Personal discussion.
HOPE, DOUGLAS – Custos – Letters from our Readers – December 1973
KLOPPERS, JJ AND HANS BORNMAN – A Dictionary of Kruger National Park Names – First Published 2005.
NATIONAL PARKS BOARD – Northern Parts of Kruger Park now easily accessible (Custos September 1972)
NATIONAL PARKS BOARD – Seclusion of Punda Milia (Custos May 1977)
NATIONAL PARKS BOARD – Punda Milia and Shingwedzi (Custos August 1974)
PIENAAR, U de V (1990) – Neem uit die verlede – National Parks Board, Pretoria
PRETORIUS, BEN – Personal discussion


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A common trap on a book, this puts whoever opens it in suspended animation. If the book is still there after the suspended animation ends, you can read the book.
Detect: Per-based Thaumatology, or Perception + Magery for mages, at -6.
Disarm: No.
Circumvent: Automatic (don't open the book).
Evade: Resist Will.
Effects: The reader falls into suspended animation (per the spell) for one day by which he failed his resistance roll.
Shots: 1.
Rearm: No.
Steal: Automatic, but wouldn't you like to read the book?


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My Nonprofit Reviews
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1 reviews
Review for Dress for Success Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Dress for success is an amazing organization that empowers women and helps them get back on their feet. It is wonderful to know that as a volunteer and organization we are not only helping dress women but giving them the skills and confidence to fill that suit and get a job.
More Feedback
Would you volunteer for this group again?
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
Role: Volunteer


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How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?
How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?
There are three points. First, nitrous oxide is comprised of 2 parts nitrogen and one part oxygen (36% oxygen by weight). When the nitrous oxide is heated to approximately 572F (on compression stroke), it breaks down and releases its load of extra oxygen, However, it is not this oxygen alone which creates additional power, but the ability of this oxygen to burn more fuel. By burning more fuel, higher cylinder pressures are created and this is where most of the additional power is realized. Secondly, as pressurized nitrous oxide is injected into the intake manifold, it changes from a liquid to a gas (boils). This boiling affect reduces the temperature of the nitrous to minus 127 Degrees F. This "cooling affect" in turn significantly reduces intake charge temperatures by approximately 60-75 Degrees F. This also helps create additional power. A general rule of thumb: For every 10 Degrees F. reduction in intake charge temperature, a 1% increase in power will be realized. Example: A 350 HP engine with an intake temperature drop of 70 Degrees F, would gain approximately 25 HP on the cooling affect alone. The third point, the nitrogen that was also released during the compression stroke performs an important role. Nitrogen acts to "buff or damper" the increased cylinder pressures leading to a controlled combustion process and better slower heat release
Why N20?
Nitrous oxide injection has become a very popular option for today's performance enthusiast for several reasons:
N20 offers you more performance per $ spent, than any other performance modification.
N20 installations are relatively easy to accomplish.
Since N20 is used only when needed, it offers you the advantages of complete drivability and normal gas mileage while not "on the button."
Systems available for virtually any power need from 5 HP to over 500 extra HP.
One of the few performance options available for today's computer controlled, fuel injected engines.
Systems can easily be removed or transferred to another vehicle unlike conventional tuning parts.
Absolutely! In turbo applications, turbo lag is completely eliminated with the addition of a nitrous system. In addition, both turbo and superchargers compress the incoming air, thus heating it. With the injection of nitrous, a tremendous intercooling effect reduces intake charge temperatures by 75 degrees or more. Boost is usually increased as well, adding to even more power.
The most reliable method is to weigh the bottle to determine how many pounds remain. When a bottle is near empty (about 20% or less nitrous remaining) a surging effect is normally felt.
Most late model ignition systems are well suited for nitrous applications. In some higher HP cases, it may be advisable to look into a high quality high output ignition system with a built in spark retard.
It is very important not to overfill a bottle; i.e., a 10 lb. capacity bottle should not be filled with more than 10 lbs. of nitrous oxide by weight. Over-filling and/or too much heat can cause excessive bottle pressures forcing the safety seal to blow and releasing all the contents out of the bottle.
Pressures often exceed 1,000 psi. This is why nitrous systems use only high pressure tested aircraft quality components like stainless steel braided Teflon lines throughout its system.
The cost of many other performance options can put you in the poorhouse. Dollar for dollar, you can't buy more performance with less money than nitrous. With a nitrous system, performance and reliability can be had for a much more reasonable price while still retaining the advantage of a stock engine during normal driving. Nitrous offers tremendous gains in torque without having to rev the engine to excessive rpm's. These factors help your engine last longer than many other methods of boosting horsepower.
Nitrous bottles come with siphon tubes and, in order to maintain proper nitrous pickup, it is important to mount the bottle correctly. We recommend mounting the bottle at a 15 degree angle with the valve end higher than the bottom of the bottle. The valve end of the bottle should point to the front of the vehicle and the valve knob and label should face straight up.
Most stock fuel pumps will work adequately for smaller nitrous applications. It is important to check to see if your pump can flow enough fuel to your existing fuel system (whether carburetor or fuel injected), as well as being able to supply the additional fuel required by the nitrous kit under full throttle conditions. It may be a good idea to dedicate a separate fuel pump to the nitrous kit.
The advantages of a plate system are ease of installation and removal, ability to transfer easily to another vehicle, ability to change jetting combinations quickly, and in most cases, provide you with all the extra HP you will ever need (75 to 350 more HP). In some cases, such as in-line type engines with long runners, a direct port type system is advisable for maximizing distribution. Also, where more than 350 HP is needed, our direct port Fogger systems will provide the ultimate in distribution and power (up to 500+ HP). Direct port injection is also desirable when the system is hidden under the manifold.
Generally, cams that have less exhaust overlap and more exhaust duration. However, it is best to choose a cam tailored to normal use (when nitrous is not activated) since 99% of most vehicle operations is not at full throttle. There are special cam grinds available for nitrous competition which have more aggressive exhaust profile ramping, etc. Since cam selection depends largely on vehicle weight, gearing, etc., it is best to stick to cam manufacturers' recommendations for your particular goal.
Yes. Use of a premium type leaded or unleaded fuel of 92, or greater, octane is recommended for most applications. Many nitrous systems are designed for use with service station pump gas. However, when higher compression or higher horsepower levels are used, a racing fuel of 100 octane, or more, must be used.
Absolutely. High or low compression ratios can work quite suitably with nitrous oxide provided the proper balance of nitrous and fuel enrichment is maintained. nitrous kits are used in applications from relatively low compression stock type motors to Pro-Modifieds, which often exceed 15 to 1. Generally, the higher the compression ratio, the more ignition retard, as well as higher octane fuel, is required. For more specific information talk to one of our technicians.
Not really. In most cases the percentage of increase is greater from a stock engine because it is not as efficient as the modified engine in a normal non-nitrous mode. However, since the effects of nitrous oxide magnify the output of any engine, the total power output will be much higher in the modified engine.
Some of the most important components of any nitrous system are nitrous and fuel filters. To keep contaminants from attacking the solenoid or plugging up a jet, nitrous filters feature a special stainless steel mesh element from the aerospace industry.
No. The increase in oxygen present in the exhaust may actually increase the efficiency of the converter. Since the use of nitrous is normally limited to 10-20 seconds of continuous use, there usually are no appreciable effects. Temperatures are typically well within acceptable standards.
This depends largely on the actual condition of the engine components. Any performance modification to an engine that is worn out or poorly tuned will have detrimental effects. However, an engine in good condition, with good ring and head gasket sealing, should be able to use nitrous without any abnormal wear.
The key is choosing the correct H.P. for a given application. A kit that uses the correct factory calibration does not usually cause increased wear. As the energy released in the cylinder increases so do the loads on the various components that must handle them. If the load increases exceed the ability of the components to handle them, added wear takes place. Nitrous kits are designed for use on demand and only at wide open throttle. Nitrous can be extremely advantageous in that it is only used when you want it, not all the time. All Nitrous kits are designed for maximum power with reliability for a given application.
No. Chilling the bottle lowers the pressure dramatically and will also lower the flow rate of the nitrous causing a fuel rich condition and reducing power. On cold evenings you might run on the rich side. For optimal running conditions, keep bottle pressure at approximately 900-950 psi, nitrous pressure guage that allows you to monitor this. If you live or operate a nitrous system in colder temperatures, it may also be a good idea to purchase a bottle heater kit, part #14164. Generally, ambient temperatures of 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit will allow for best power potential of nitrous kits.
Yes. Due to the ability to burn more fuel, this is exactly why nitrous makes so much power.
As long as the manifold doesn't interfere with the spray pattern of the bars, either will work fine in most cases. The distribution is better with a single plane at high RPM. If your goal is to increase power by more than 150 HP, the single plane manifold is better.
Only if the chip has been designed specifically for use with nitrous oxide. Most aftermarket chips use more aggressive timing advance curves to create more power. This can lead to possible detonation. You may wish to check with the manufacturer of the chip before using it. The top manufacturers, such as Hypertech do make special chips for use with nitrous.
None! The additive does not affect performance.
Not directly. Detonation is the result of too little fuel present during combustion (lean) or too low of an octane of fuel. Too much ignition advance also causes detonation. In general, most of our kits engineered for stock type engines will work well with premium type fuels and minimal decreases of ignition timing. In racing application where higher compression ratios are used, resulting in higher cylinder pressures, a higher fuel octane must be used as well as more ignition retard.
Nitrous Oxide by itself is non-flammable. However, the oxygen present in nitrous oxide causes combustion of fuel to take place more rapidly.
No! The nitrous system is independent of your carburetor and injects its own mixture of fuel and nitrous.
This largely depends on the type of nitrous kit and jetting used. For example, a 125 HP Power Shot kit with a standard 10 lb. capacity bottle will usually offer up to 7 to 10 full quarter-mile passes. For power levels of 250 HP, 3 to 5 full quarter-mile passes may be expected. If nitrous is only used in 2nd and 3rd gears, the number of runs will be more.
At wide open throttle only (unless a progressive controller is used). Due to the tremendous amount of increased torque, you will generally find best results, traction permitting, at early activation. Nitrous can be safely applied above 2,500 RPM under full throttle conditions.
It is possible to hold the button down until the bottle is empty. However 15 continuous seconds at a time, or less, is recommended.
For many applications an improvement from 1 to 3 full seconds and 10 to 15 MPH in the quarter mile can be expected. Factors such as engine size, tires, jetting, gearing, etc. will affect the final results.
Nitrous oxide is made up of 2 parts nitrogen and 1 part oxygen (36% oxygen by weight). During the combustion process in an engine, at about 572 degrees F, nitrous breaks down and releases oxygen. This extra oxygen creates additional power by allowing more fuel to be burned. Nitrogen acts to buffer, or dampen the increased cylinder pressures helping to control the combustion process. Nitrous also has a tremendous "intercooling" effect by reducing intake charge temperatures by 60 to 75 degrees F.
Generally, forged aluminum pistons are one of best modifications you can make. Retard ignition timing by 4-8 degrees (1 to 1-1/2 degrees timing retard per 50 HP gain). In many cases a higher flowing fuel pump may be necessary. Higher octane (100+) racing type fuel may be required as well as spark plugs 1 to 2 heat ranges colder than normal with gaps closed to .025″-.030″. For gains over 250 HP, other important modifications could be necessary in addition to those mentioned above. These special modifications may include a forged crankshaft, a high quality race type connecting rods, a high output fuel pump dedicated to feeding the additional fuel demands of the nitrous system, and a racing fuel with high specific gravity and an octane rating of 110 or more. For more specific information about your application, please contact us and we would be happy to further assist you.
Yes. The key is to choose the correct kit for a given application; i.e., 4 cyl. engines normally allow an extra 40- 60 HP, 6 cyl. engines usually work great between 75-100 extra HP, small block V8's (302/350/400cid) can typically accept up to 140 extra HP, and big block V8's (427-454) might accept from 125-200 extra HP. These suggested ranges provide maximum reliability from most stock engines using cast pistons and cast crank with few or no engine modifications.