| Fuel & Oil |
| Maybe I'm dead wrong
but, of all the things affecting dwarf car performance, fuel appears to
get the least attention. There seems to be a lot of misinformation about
specialty fuel products and cost-benefit considerations. Some experienced racers suggest that racing fuel brings only minor gain at much higher cost and they recommend the use of pump gas over racing gas: Money saved could be better spent on tires and driving skill improvement could far outweigh racing fuel benefits. Others suggest that if you're not vying for top 5 in a race, save your money. On this topic, I'm adding a few links and a few graphics for your reference. My hope is that you'll suggest other interesting links and offer your comments on the new DISCUSSION BOARD. First, a couple of general information articles... http://www.eric-gorr.com/techarticles/Fuel_Basics.htm http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/rt-fuel1.html A clip from another website (source?)... click to download document 'fuel comments' (doc. file) Several articles about gasoline, the 'chemical soup'... http://www.foxvalleykart.com/print/prt_fuel1.html (mixtures, blends and additives) http://www.foxvalleykart.com/print/prt_fuel4.html (oxygenators) A VP tech bulletin on racing fuels; includes physical properties chart... click to download document 'tech bulletin' (doc. file) Another VP publication; applications and recommendations... http://www.vpracingfuels.com/vp_01_fuels.html?mgiToken=0C15 also, http://www.vpracingfuels.com/vp_spreadsheet.gif Finally, a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for VP Racing fuel = U4... click to download document 'msdsU4fuel' (doc. file) This fuel seems to be in common use for dwarf cars. Please take time to read this document. You'll find a list of 11 hazardous ingredients in the complex mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons. Not only do some of them have an unpleasant odor (as you well know), others are skin, eye, respiratory and gastrointestinal irritants. Repeated or prolonged exposure should be minimized to protect your health. NOTE: VP Racing claims that U4 makes up to 6% more power than pump gas. Here's a dyno chart/fuel map (source?) comparing pump gas and U4 (with jetting and 4 deg timing advance). What do you think? NOTE: There appears to be a problem with VP U4 fuel. Lighter fractions in the mixture evaporate quickly, resulting in gummy residue if fuel is allowed to stand more than a few days in the system. The residue can cause jet clogging and carburetor malfunction. It's recommended that unused fuel be drained after each race and especially after an idle period. Some drivers also run some pump gas through the system to flush out the carburetors. |