It's n2o, not NOS. Sorry, pet peeve.
I just pulled out my dictionary, and looked up the word
cheat:
play or do business in a way that is not honest; practice deceit; seek to gain an advantage by underhand means.
According to that, using n2o is only cheating if you deliberately deceive someone, i.e.- lying to them about having nitrous. In my opinion, it is simply a method of making power. One person buys nitrous, the other buys cylinder heads, one person buys a supercharger. All are means to produce more power.
As for making the power naturally aspirated, I agree with MiracleMax, it's a difference in philosophies, not a matter of ethics.
Some people on this board think that using nitrous is the 'easy' way to make horsepower. I agree with you that making a lot of power naturally aspirated is very impressive, and may well earn you the most respect. That said, I run a business that centers around nitrous systems and related equipment. Trust me, nitrous is not 'easy'. If it was, it would not have a reputation for damaging engines. It is actually the most misunderstood power adder on the market, and in my experience, there is a great deal of misinformation about it floating around.
As for 'easy' power adders, I have found myself regarding turbos in the same light. Relatively stock 5.0 Mustangs running 11's just buy having a twin-turbo kit professionally installed and tuned. The Pro 5.0 turbo cars are crushing the nitrous cars. Several Pro drivers used to run nitrous. They were not at the front of the pack, and suffered mechanical problems on a regular basis. Since switching to turbos, they are leaping to the top of the running order.
In the end, it's your car, and your money. Whichever method you choose to make power it ok. If it works, and you like it, you have nothing to worry about.
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Moxie Racing
The Nitrous Oxide Information Site