I would think that if an fuel/gas expert(supplier) is at a race meet it
might be prudent to use the gas they recommend. I find that free advice at
the salt is the best. A phone call during the off season could be like a
lawyer's billing - same advice = $300.
Dan Warner
-----Original Message-----
From: dahlgren <dahlgren@uconect.net>
To: Land-speed@autox.team.net <Land-speed@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:28 AM
Subject: Re: Methanol Solves Mysteries
>I had understood it to be closer to 120-122 which is still much better
>than gasoline Have worked on sprinters for a very long time and alky
>drag cars am not disputing the benefits but is not a fuel that is
>appropriate for the gas class. It also does not work well with nitrous
>and by itself does not add enough power for a N/A engine compared to the
>simplest of nitrous. For a very high rpm engine nitro is not all that
>much worth the effort as it burns slow but is very suitable for those
>tractor engines that turn 6500 rpm.. Oh well never mind this has
>digressed too far..The original thought was the quality of the gasoline
>available at Bonneville and at least 2 people that have a real good clue
>on the tune-up loosing an engine due to a fuel related problem at the
>same meet with the same fuel...
>Dahlgren
>
>dferguso@ebmail.gdeb.com wrote:
>>
>> well, maybe some of the veteran land speed racing gurus can help out
here,
>> but i think methanol has an equivalent octane of near 140 , and while a
>> gasoline internal combustion engine utilizes an air / fuel ratio ( by
>> weight ) of 14+ to 1, methanol is at around 6 or 7 to 1, and nitro is
near
>> 1 to 1, so jetting, still critical, becomes less sensitive with the
latter
>> fuels. but likewise fuel flow demands increase dramatically, especially
>> when nitro is introduced. another quality of methanol is that for a given
>> expansive force on the piston during combustion, the net thermal
component,
>> or heat output , of the methanol is a little less, so the engine tends to
>> run cooler yet still makes alot of power. other factors are involved-
>> unfortunately there is no direct correlation between gasoline and
methanol
>> since they are very different compounds, but the fact that top alky drag
>> racers can run static compression ratios of 12 or 14 to 1 with big 14-71
hi
>> helix blowers and such with viscious overdrives and go through the lights
>> at very high rpm sheds light on why methanol stands as an important fuel
to
>> racing. dont forget that methanol is somewhat corrosive, so this is a
>> disadvantage which must be weighed against some of the superior qualities
>> if your not into draining and flushing your fuel system on a regular
basis
>> . - doug @ black radon
>
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