Does the temperature of Alky affect the engine performance? I run a terminator. I pulled my fuel cap off my fuel cell in my dragster to fill it up and had hot vapors coming out. My fuel lines were near radiator and came up the front of the motor so there is a good possibility that my alky was getting really hot. Since then i have moved my return lines and put insulation around any fuel line that is near a radiator line or the block.
So my question is- Will performance go down if Alky is HOT????

If i’m not mistaken, it does. The TA/D guys i believe were cooling fuel a few years back before hra made a rule about it. They still use insulated/reflective covers over fuel cell area on the cars in the pits and staging lanes. Might be worth testing, maybe chill some alky and pour it in right before run in the lanes.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Hughes:
If i’m not mistaken, it does. The TA/D guys i believe were cooling fuel a few years back before hra made a rule about it. They still use insulated/reflective covers over fuel cell area on the cars in the pits and staging lanes. Might be worth testing, maybe chill some alky and pour it in right before run in the lanes.

I know for sure the injected nitro guys were doing that but don’t know if the alcohol guys did.

Alky not so much. We had cooler setup in trailer and would run alky thru aluminum worm with ice packed around it. Can not say ever saw any gains.

The a fuel guys where getting the nitro as cold as they could be fore NHRA made rule as to temp of fuel. They still get it to limit and most figure how much temp will rise based on temp outside and how long it will take to make run and get to fuel check. Most have pretty good system too. I know Arthur Gallant had one guy keeping check on temp the whole time the car was in pits during elimination at Charlotte.

Temp had lot more effect on nitro than it does alky.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wideopen231,

Methanol boils at 148 degrees, it certainly was doing you no good. As fuel heats up it has fewer BTU's ( energy) per volume. Keeping it cooler is better than heating it up.

Mine will have vapors coming out of tank on really muggy days, well kinda like the last month has been. Never seen an issue with it.

quote:

Originally posted by 329L:
Mine will have vapors coming out of tank on really muggy days, well kinda like the last month has been. Never seen an issue with it.

. That's because you tune for it without realizing it. If you were racing in a maximum performance class you would be more aware of it. In bracket race we get away with a lot...

If it is of any help, there is a chart for alky temperature to specific gravity on this page.
https://www.koehlerinjection.com/tech-articles.html

Good question, Brian.
I was thinking the same thing recently.
I keep my jugs in the shade/trailer, and normally fill my cell just before heading to the lanes. (My aluminum fuel cell is in the trunk, dark colored car). During a lengthy oil cleanup on the track, sitting in the lanes under a blistering hot sun, ambient temp near 100*, I was bored and popped my trunk to double check fuel level, and the heat in there was ridiculous. I have it sealed very tightly, and I am thinking now maybe I should vent that space. I could hardly keep my hand on the outside of the cell, it felt like maybe 130 degrees or more. But like Ron C said, we aren't tuned for maximum ET. I dialed up an extra hun, thinking that heated fuel would make less power, but it really didn't seem to run much different, if any. Alky carb, jetted almost stupid fat.

quote:

Originally posted by Ron C.:

quote:

Originally posted by 329L:
Mine will have vapors coming out of tank on really muggy days, well kinda like the last month has been. Never seen an issue with it.

. That's because you tune for it without realizing it. If you were racing in a maximum performance class you would be more aware of it. In bracket race we get away with a lot...

Please explain because I want to learn something here. I like to tinker a touch....

quote:

Originally posted by 329L:

quote:

Originally posted by Ron C.:

quote:

Originally posted by 329L:
Mine will have vapors coming out of tank on really muggy days, well kinda like the last month has been. Never seen an issue with it.

. That's because you tune for it without realizing it. If you were racing in a maximum performance class you would be more aware of it. In bracket race we get away with a lot...

Please explain because I want to learn something here. I like to tinker a touch....

. Methanol absorbs 10 times it's weight in water from ambient air plus condensation problems add to it.
Moisture absorption in the fuel is a major problem in alcohol race cars in high humidity environments.
To keep the fuel from getting wet (absorbsion)put a shut off valve on the tank vent or some means to seal tank. Anywhere air touches your fuel so does moisture. Sorta like the old fronter slogan " keep your powder dry"