Safe use of performance fuels in a 60*?

[wyomingste]

Is there any safe percentace of nitromethane that can be run in a 60* or is the burning temperature to hot for the aluminum heads? Also what modifications would have to be done to allow the use of nitromethane either straight or diluted.

Would it be safe to use E-85 in a 60*? I've checked the website for it and our cars aren't listed but what type of damage would be done by running this? again what modifications must be done to run E-85?

 

What other types of fuels out there that can run our motors? I know of the different grades of gasoline added with octane booster, but are others possible (if so the car will only be used at the track, unless i run E-85.)

[Cam'ron]

i seriously doubt our engines would withstand anything nitro could throw at them... they are just not built the way they should be... there is a reason nitro fuelers rebuild the engine after every run...

i would be tempted to try maybe c-16 but def not nitro

[DaveFromColorado]

actually, the nitro guys don't rebuild the engines after every run, they (like all those other type cars) just replace the rod bearings, and main bearings, and spark plugs.

 

C16 is just leaded fuel, and if you run that, you can kiss both your catalytic converter and your stock O2 sensor goodbye.

 

as for E85 ... well the computers aren't programmed to run it, so your enigne will run way too lean for what the fuel requires, and the timing will be way too far out, so you'll get hotspots in your cylinders, and I've seen some non E85 fuel pumps and injectors get tortured because of the effects of the alcohol on non stainless parts.

 

--Dave.

[Cam'ron]

actually, the nitro guys don't rebuild the engines after every run, they (like all those other type cars) just replace the rod bearings, and main bearings, and spark plugs.

 

 

--Dave.

 

i know thats what most of them do but the tend to refer to is as rebuilding the engine...

[DaveFromColorado]

some of the coolest things about those motors are the things that are unseen... like the camshafts - they're phased a few degrees off from front to back, because those engines are making so much power they will actually twist the crankshaft outta phase towards the back

 

in the end, those engines are designed for nitro, and I'd hate to see a 60*v6 get that kinda abuse.

 

--Dave.

[GutlessSupreme]

grab an old iron-headed RWD 2.8 and see what happens.

[wyomingste]

Would it hurt our motors to run a mixture of nitro? I bought about a gallon of it from a friend a few months ago, I used it to boost the octane of the gas I was running (I used 14gallons of 87 and a gallon of nitro), not the smartest move on my part but the car ran like a champ with the mixture. I could punch it and my tires would instantly turn to a larger cloud of smoke from a stop, i notices a slight decrease in the times under WOT to get to speeds. Usually I can hit about 85-90 mph by the end of a highway onramp, I was sitting at about 100 at the same on ramp with all the same parts just the different gas.

 

I guess my question would have to be though, our motors might not be stable for a high amount of Nitromethane, but would it be safe in smaller usages such as under a 15% mixture with an unleaded gasoline (with 10% ethonal in the original gasoline)? Or would this be just as harsh on our motors, I know it will run with this mixture but how safe is it to run (chances of fuel pump failure, fuel injector, pistons and rings, and head, failure). I know that nitromethane burns about 4-5 times longer then regular unleaded burns at.

[wyomingste]

What is C-16 Davefromcolorado? Where would you be able to purchase this fuel at?

[z284pwr]

C-16 is a type of racing gas. Its also nice and expensive as well, obviously....

 

C16

Used in turbocharged engines, blown engines and nitrous applications with CRs up to 17:1. Recommended by the top nitrous oxide companies. Spec Fuel for NHRA Comp Eliminator.

 

• Color: Blue

• Motor Octane: 117

• Specific gravity: .735 at 60° F

[DaveFromColorado]

C16 is just 110 leaded gasoline - it's also used for airplanes, and can be found at many high performance shops, small airports, and some gas stations.

 

where C16 is a Motor Octane (MON) of 117, it's got a Research Octane (RON) of 103 and using the standard R+M/2 you get 110 octane.

 

If you have a vehicle that says "unleaded fuel only" and you have leaded fuel in it, you can be subject to some heavy fines, usually fines of about $50.00 per gallon - this is also true for running any fuels other then standard gas station mix unleaded blends.

 

Before running Nitro, perhaps you should understand what it is. Nitromethane is not a HIGHER octane fuel, in fact, it's a much lower octane fuel, as its flash point is much lower, and it's burn speed/time is much higher then normal gasoline, it also expands more then gasoline when burned so it will create more power.

 

Running Nitro in your car even in a small mix is a bad idea, the nitro itself will create some extremely hot spots (usually on the exhaust valves) and it also creates some extremely high cylinder pressures (which is lots more power) but the higher pressures of the nitro isn't as even in the cyliner as the pressures of turbocharging or supercharging an engine, this is because it's being mixed with regular fuel, over time the nitro will split from the gasoline, meaning it's not totally saulable in that mixture creating uneven mixtures at any given time ... what will that do to your engine? it will cause piston deflection resulting in bores that are out of round, blown head gaskets, cracked valve seats, warn exhaust valve guides and many other issues that can come along with it.

 

Can you run it? well, sure you can run it, hell, you can run just 'bout any fuel in these engines, but how long will it last? who knows, it depends on how the engine has been treated in the past, but I'll bet you've already mushroomed your bearings some, so you've got a bit of extra clearance. I'd get a gauage to watch your oil temps, as I'm sure they're going up, and your oil pressure will start to drop. Running even one tank can cause these problems that will turn up again in the future, even if you never run the Nitromethane in the engine again.

 

would I run it? never, not even at a 1% mix. not unless I was going to blow the motor up on purpose.

 

--Dave.

[Cam'ron]

yeah our cars have enuf problems with gaskets and such... leave nitro for the big boys