Mike Thermos believes the process of injecting nitrous oxide into automotive applications can be both a safe and efficient way to gain cheap horsepower. However, lately, Thermos, the founder of Nitrous Oxide Systems and renowned nitrous expert, admits he’s seen good intentions turn dangerous from those taking unsafe liberties with nitrous oxide.

Thermos is afraid those unsafe practices can quickly change what has been a relatively safe practice into a game of Russian roulette if some practices aren’t stopped.

“There have been a lot of issues lately with a lack of knowledge when working with nitrous oxide,” Thermos claims. “My goal and objective is to educate racers of what nitrous oxide can do if not handled properly. We just want to educate racers how to stay within the envelope of what nitrous oxide is supposed to do.”

Thermos says his mission is to let racers know that nitrous bottles, while helpful to elapsed time and speed, can in a split second become a thrust rocket or create a deadly explosion.

Mike Thermos believes the process of injecting nitrous oxide into automotive applications can be both a safe and efficient way to gain cheap horsepower. However, lately, Thermos, the founder of Nitrous Oxide Systems and renowned nitrous expert, admits he’s seen good intentions turn dangerous from those taking unsafe liberties with nitrous oxide.

Thermos is afraid those unsafe practices can quickly change what has been a relatively safe practice into a game of Russian roulette if they aren’t stopped.

“There have been a lot of issues lately with a lack of knowledge when working with nitrous oxide,” Thermos claims. “My goal and objective is to educate racers of what nitrous oxide can do if not handled properly. We just want to educate racers how to stay within the envelope of what nitrous oxide is supposed to do.”

Thermos says his mission is to let racers know that nitrous bottles, while helpful to elapsed time and speed, can in a split second become a thrust rocket or create a deadly explosion.

From the time Thermos became involved with the automotive application of nitrous oxide he’s been an advocate for safe usage. However, a series of accidents. including last season's accidental death of ADRL Pro Nitrous team owner Mike Walker, has caused him to ramp up his efforts.

Walker was fatally injured when a nitrous bottle was accidentally dropped, breaking part of the valve during a race at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. The pressure of the damaged bottle made it a literal rocket which struck Walker.

“I just felt we had to get more aggressive with safety education,” Thermos said. “The issue with this incident was more of a thrust issue than a bottle blowing up.”

While Walker’s incident wasn’t necessarily a matter of executing improper nitrous safety, it does go a long way towards proving Thermos’ point about the potential volatility of the product.

Witnesses have confirmed the deadly bottle, after bouncing around the pit area, still had enough thrust to launch an estimated 600 feet in the air and fly over the pits before landing in the nearby oval track facility, nearly an eighth-mile away.

Following the accident, Thermos immediately went to work, developing a special valve with a safety pin to help prevent a repeat of the Walker accident. NITROUS SUPPLY'S SAFETY VALVE

“We had to develop something where even if you took a hammer and knocked the valve off, you’d hardly have enough thrust to really hurt someone,” Thermos confirmed.

Thermos admits he’s heard more than his fair share of nitrous bottle horrors including one instance where an exploding bottle actually lifted the roof off of a house. In another instance, an exploding bottle nearly blew off the back-half of a car.

“There’s tremendous energy in those bottles,” said Thermos. “What can one minute look like your race car can in a split-second look like a (bomb damaged hulk) out of the Iraq War.”

After the point has been made as to how dangerous nitrous can be, Thermos is adamant that certain practices have to stop - namely heating nitrous bottles with a torch. The practice was generally believed to help racers get better pressure and performance.

Thermos says this is not the case and often the lesson learned can be deadly.

Thermos warns that you can either heed his advice or the government will become involved. According to Thermos, threats have already been made.

“The cryogenics industry is really watching us,” Thermos warned, speaking of at least two government agencies. “You can anneal a bottle after a number of times by putting a torch on the bottle. At 350 degrees, that bottle will start to soften. I don’t know how many times it will take, but the bottle will actually explode on you.”

What actually got the government involved?

An episode of Pinks featured one of the contestants heating the bottle with a propane torch and it wasn’t long before Thermos, being a name long associated with automotive nitrous applications, received a phone call with a warning.

“They’ve said they will step in and police it if we don’t,” Thermos recounted. “I will say this; their exact quote was ‘you won’t like what we will do.’ They watch television just like you do.”

Government intervention, Thermos believes, could push the price of a nitrous system upwards into the $6000 range for a simple kit.

“Every hose would have to be certified and sent to a lab,” Thermos provided as possible examples. “The same would hold true for every fitting. Just like aircraft, it would take you right out of the market. Nitrous racing would pretty much be done at that point.”

And that point, Thermos adds, ought to make every nitrous racer as apprehensive about the ramifications as he is.

 

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