Nitrous is a limited-use ability available to vehicles in the Midnight Club series. It made its first appearance in Midnight Club: Street Racing and has been in every Midnight Club game since.
Description[]
Nitrous is an abbreviation form of "nitrous oxide", a compound which has the chemical formula N2O. When injected into internal combustion engines, the compound allows for more fuel to be burned, increasing power.
In the Midnight Club series of games, short bursts of nitrous allow vehicles to accelerate faster.
Midnight Club: Street Racing[]
Nitrous is only available on certain models of vehicles. The amount can range from 3 to 15 shots of nitrous depending on the car. Nitrous can be activated by pressing the left stick (L3) by default. When used the vehicle will increase in speed for a very short amount of time. The camera will briefly zoom out, then zoom back in if using 3rd person view. Nitrous is generally weaker in this iteration than most, so multiple shots may be needed to show any sort of noticeable difference.
Midnight Club II[]
Nitrous is unlocked after defeating Moses in the career mode. At that time, the player would have 1 tank of nitrous available. They are unable to add more, but, as they beat city champions, they would have access to vehicles containing more tanks of nitrous. The Veloci has the maximum amount of nitrous tanks possible, five in total. Nitrous is depicted as a large blue cone of flames emitted from the exhaust of the vehicle. It is much more violent than the first game, to the point that the vehicle can actually surpass its actual top speed briefly.
Motorcycles have no nitrous tanks available in career mode, but there is an option to add nitrous to motorcycles with race modifiers.
In circuit races, all nitrous tanks of the player's chosen vehicle are refilled upon completing a lap.
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition[]
In Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix, Class C and above cars start with at least one tank of nitrous, with higher class vehicles starting with additional tanks. In the garage, the player can add up to two tanks of nitrous on top of the base level for the vehicle. In Circuit Races, all of the tanks are refilled at the start of each lap. Nitrous in this game is depicted as a small flame from the exhaust of the vehicle. Nitrous power retains the violent nature of Midnight Club 2, propelling the vehicle with an insane, almost uncontrollable burst of speed.
Motorcycles and Class D cars do not start with a tank of nitrous, though they can have two nitrous when fully upgraded. This makes it more encouraged to use Exotics during the U.S. Championship Series.
| Vehicle Type | Nitro capacity |
|---|---|
| Class D cars/Sport Bikes/Choppers | 0 stock (2 upgraded) |
| Class C cars | 1 stock (3 upgraded) |
| Class B cars/Exotics | 2 stock (4 upgraded) |
Midnight Club Los Angeles[]
In Midnight Club: Los Angeles, most vehicles start with at least one tank of nitrous, with higher class vehicles starting with additional tanks. In the garage, the player can add up to two tanks of nitrous on top of the base level for the vehicle.
When cruising, the player can refill the nitrous tanks by stopping at any gas station or garage. Passing through a gas station without stopping will refill a single tank, a tactic which can be used during races to avoid losing time by stopping. At the start of any race, except Highway Races, all of the player's nitrous tanks are filled. In Circuit Races, all of the tanks are refilled at the start of each lap. Nitrous retains its look and function from 3.
If the player uses nitrous while the police are in pursuit, they will comment on the fact over the radio.