Nitrous History

The use of nitrous oxide (N20) as a performance enhancement has been traced back to World War II, where it was employed to give Allied aircraft “emergency” boosts in both airspeed and altitude capabilities. However, with the advent of jet propulsion at the end of WWII, the government’s interest in piston-powered aircraft waned, and for the most part, nitrous R&D was shelved.
There were sporadic attempts at using nitrous oxide in race cars over the next few decades, but since for the most part it was a clandestine, closely-guarded secret, and not too many people were aware of its existence.
Finally, in the 1970s, nitrous “came out of the closet”. It was the hot topic of conversation. Especially since a number of entrepreneurs brought systems to market that were highly erratic, at best. It was at this point in time when a couple of successful automotive technicians and racers, Mike Thermos and Dale Vaznaian, saw there was a potential for nitrous done right.
In 1978 Mike and Dale formed Nitrous Oxide Systems, Inc., and the rest is history. They didn’t invent nitrous oxide they simply perfected its use and elevated it to a position of prominence in the automotive performance community.
The company’s early years were largely spent demonstrating that nitrous oxide was an efficient, safe and reliable form of performance enhancement. NOS has always been known for thoroughly engineering each application (unlike our competition), using only the best quality materials, and producing kits that were easy to install and built for long service. And with enthusiast publications like Hot Rod, Car Craft and Popular Hot Rodding, Super Street, Sport Compact Car among many, informing their readerships with in-depth tech features on NOS systems for various applications, the word began to spread.
Perhaps the greatest boost to the popularity of nitrous oxide was the advent of drag racing’s Pro Mod class. Early pioneers like Charles Carpenter, Bill Kuhlmann and Robby Vandergriff captured the imagination of race fans with their impressive performances with stock-bodied cars. And NOS was there for every performance milestone the first 200 mph run by a “doorslammer,” the first 6-second run, etc. In fact, every single key performance milestone with nitrous has been set by racers using NOS systems.
Today, with over twenty-five years experience building nitrous systems for racing and street applications, NOS remains THE dominant force in the industry. A great deal of the company’s success can be attributed to its ongoing pursuit of perfection and extensive R&D efforts. Another key factor is the relationships that NOS has forged with leading racers and professional engine builders. Their input has served to keep the company on the leading edge of technology.
In 2002 NOS introduced the patented NOSzle systems for Eli cars. This design has revolutionized the nitrous industry.
As we enter the next millennium, NOS also defines a lifestyle… a lifestyle characterized by the movie, “The Fast and the Furious”. This movie was a blockbuster hit during the summer of 2001, and established NOS as a household name.
NOS stands ready to serve its customers with the industry’s most complete selection of nitrous oxide systems and a technical support team that’s often rated as the best in the business. NOS is committed to building upon it’s success by remaining the absolute leader in nitrous technology, period.

History in the making...

Mike Thermos, Founder of NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems, Inc.) is once again breaking ground with the introduction of Nitrous Supply.

Nitrous Supply will be providing services from tech support, to custom plumbing to stocking nitrous kits as well as most of the hard to get specialized nitrous hardware. Boasting excellent customer service and prompt shipping, Thermos is basing this new company on the reliable NOS product line, backed by professional customer service and a top notch technical support staff, one of the major contributing factors of the success of the original NOS.

NOS, originally founded in 1978, was created to bring cutting edge performance to racers across the country via the use of Nitrous Oxide injection.

In 1999, the original NOS Company was sold to Holley Performance Products, who operates it today. Now, Mike Thermos, one of the original founders and owners of NOS, is back in action as both a distributor of NOS products, and a technical support hub for NOS and custom nitrous applications.

Over his 21-year period as President of NOS, Thermos was instrumental in advancing many forms of racing with nitrous, including helping to actually create the now famous IHRA “Pro Mod” class. During Mike’s tenure as President, NOS was the undisputed leader in its field, winning more races, setting more records, and creating more milestones.

Whether you are just considering Nitrous, need some in depth help on hard to get components, or dealer pricing on kits, Nitrous Supply will be the best call you can make.