Nitrous oxide is one of the most common methods of providing additional power to racing applications.  Nitrous systems can be cost-effective, and when the extra ponies aren’t needed, they afford the flexibility to be left turned off.  However, for many combinations and racing applications, the two, three, or even four stage systems out there don’t offer the gradual release of horsepower that racers desire.  Spaghetti Menders, a company that has specialized in wiring solutions for hardcore racers for more than a decade, has just released a new, eight stage nitrous system that will fit the bill for many of these high horsepower applications.

Based on the four-stage unit that Spaghetti Menders has been manufacturing for several years, an additional second timer has been added, thus making two outputs for every single stage.  With the two sets of timers for each stage, essentially, eight stages is a duplication of the four stage setup. “We call it banking…instead of firing all eight cylinders with two fuel and two nitrous, you’re now firing one fuel and one nitrous on four cylinders, and one fuel and one nitrous on another set of four cylinders.  You’re taking one bank of four and firing it and then another bank of four and firing it, and that’s basically where we got the banking,” explained Bob Lapp, owner of Spaghetti Menders.

The banking systems have the option of one stage with one line purge, two stage with two line purge, three stage with two line purge, and the four stage with no line purge.  All systems come with a carburetor switch interrupt motor purge and one to three have a line purge.  The system can be utilized as a standard four stage with time in the first half and operates like a standard system, or time delay can be added to the second half, which will bring the system on with one half and then the second.

The system includes Spaghetti Menders’ Quick Set System, with the capability to program the computer to analog and operate the computer timers without the need for a laptop or additional software.  Quick Set banking systems have the controller output cable test switch allowing the controller to test the output for open fuses and poor grounds on the solenoids.

The eight stage unit has all the normal features of a four-stage unit, with the ability to interrupt.  So if you’re on the transbrake, it can’t come on, and the ability to alternate stages which means you can come out on stage two, then three, and then four.  The Quick Set timing systems also have a “pause” feature, which if you were to go down the track and lift, it would remember where you were at and then reapply the nitrous at the exact same time that you lifted.  In addition, there is a “hold” feature, which offers the ability to have specific stages of nitrous come back on instantly when you lift off the throttle, rather than three times.  If the holds are turned off, you can to re-time with the activation of the throttle switch. A new feature that is built into this system provides the capability of looking over and testing all of your fuses and the solenoids for each cylinder and check to make that certain that everything is connected correctly through the use of test LED’s with the simple flip of a switch.

Lapp explained that while a new unit itself is based on technology that the company has incorporated into its all of its nitrous systems over the last ten years, reliability-wise. “We just kind of amped it up a little bit.” He continued that while this new system is an eight stage unit, it is fully capable of being implemented as a one to four stage system as well, offering racers plenty of options for tuneability.  “All of our units are capable of operating like a normal, fogger-type system but if the track can’t handle the horsepower, then you can alternate and go in there and turn on four cylinders and then the other four cylinders.  It’s mostly dependent upon what the track can handle.”

Credit: AutoImagery.com/Drag Race Central

John Garner, who recently won the Top Dragster title at the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, has been one of the early adopters of the new eight stage unit. “I’ve got a dragster and the motor makes about 1,200 horsepower just on motor. Then I run an additional 300 horsepower through three systems – one on a plate on top of the motor and then when I let go of the transbrake and bring that in 100-percent, I bring in the other two fogger systems on the eight stage controller. That makes it basically a five stage. Applying the 100 horsepower for each stage on the two foggers it comes in at 50 horsepower a shot, and it’s turbine smooth.  It doesn’t shock the chassis, which in a dragster is very good.  On a marginal track or an afternoon when the sun is beating down with 140-degree track temperature, you don’t want to do anything to upset your times,” John explained.

The new eight stage nitrous controller unit from Spaghetti Menders is packaged with many great features, some new and others taken from the popular units that have made the company and its customers successful for many years.  If an extra level of tune-ability, reliability, and organization is what your hardcore racing application needs, this unit may be exactly what you’re looking for.