Alcohol versus Gas

[krettler]

I know there are some positives to running alcohol and that the engine stays cooler and that it usually runs more consistent. However, when you switch from Gas to Alcohol will the car run faster, slower or about the same?

Thanks

[sunsation540]

on my engine it made 38 more hp on alch than on gas.. dosent sound like much.. the car runs a tenth and a half faster on alch than gas. runs cooler and the fuel is $2.00 a gallon.. it requries better ign , better fuel pumps and can rust steel, eat aluminum and dilutes oil like all get out.. not so bad with proper ring seal and a vac pump! hard to start in the cooler months, in the end if you a willing to do the extra maintance it's all good.

[vegaracer]

I picked up 6 tenths switching to alcohol, and never do any maintenance. Oil stays in for 40 runs and still looks brown when it comes out. And, I don't run a vacuum pump. Just keep it leaned out when you're idling around and don't run it fatter than you have to.

[clutchdude]

i picked up 5 tenths gained 5 mph...other than that, i have the same maintenance that Vegaracer has. If you run it fat the oil will be a mess.

Besides that the motor gets warmer the leaner the idle is and the more heat i get in the motor on the starting line the faster it is on alcohol.

[Hitchcock]

Are these advantages realized the same with a low comoression motor, or are all you guys running big compression numbers? And are you burning methanol, or ethanol?

[vegaracer]

I'm running methanol and about 13.5:1 on the compression. I don't know how well it works with lower compression.

[Ls7camaro]

How much compression can you run with the E85? since it has gas do you have to run any different oil? I run all aluminum lines, so no problem there, I know that you have to change the metering blocks/jets(do you use alcohol jets?) Is the E85 worth the extra power over race gas? I know there is a big cost savings?

[moeraces]

ran alky previously in sb vega 360" motor a and last in my truck carbed , 477,and loved it and i , had a bt the same results as vegaacer,,,i do pump it off so to speak with a gasoline /oil mix,at shut down,,,, to keep the alcohol from corroding everthing and lube everything while its sitting .
getting ready to do alky again in my new car 500" bbc enderle injected ,,astre,
we will see how it does, with injection,,,wanted originally to do blown ,,,but wound up building too much compression ,,,for blower, 14;1 ,,,,, the alky does like the good compression,,,,,,

[2 Wild Racing]

How much compression can you run with the E85? since it has gas do you have to run any different oil? I run all aluminum lines, so no problem there, I know that you have to change the metering blocks/jets(do you use alcohol jets?) Is the E85 worth the extra power over race gas? I know there is a big cost savings?

it's not that big of a saving you will burn two gal. of alky to one gal. of gas the good thing is alky equal more power.

[Moparious Maximus]

When I made the switch I picked up a half second and 3 mph. I will never run Gas again.

That was on a 12-1 CR 440 Mopar.

[julven]

I think I am going to be running my sbc on alcohol this season and was wondering what the smallist size radiator you guys have run safely?

[wikd69]

Are these advantages realized the same with a low comoression motor, or are all you guys running big compression numbers? And are you burning methanol, or ethanol?

Hey Hitch, simple rule of thumb: You burn methanol and drink ethanol.

Get those two mixed up and you'll go just as fast in your hotrod, you'll just go blind doing it...

[Moparious Maximus]

I think I am going to be running my sbc on alcohol this season and was wondering what the smallist size radiator you guys have run safely?

We run our small block dry, no water.

The big blower motor is a dry block but I circulate water through the heads to help spread the heat out, no radiator.


I dont know about the rest of you, but I have to work pretty hard to keep my motor up to temp.

[vegaracer]

I'm running water in my car and it is hard to keep heat in it. The motor actually cools as I go down the track. When we had the front engnie dragster, we ran a heater core out of a school bus for a rad. It was nice and small, something like 6x12x2".

[julven]

I'm running water in my car and it is hard to keep heat in it. The motor actually cools as I go down the track. When we had the front engnie dragster, we ran a heater core out of a school bus for a rad. It was nice and small, something like 6x12x2".

That is kind of what I had in mind I just wanted to circulate some coolant through the heads and I didn't know what to expect on real hot days. I was going to have something built about the size you had in aluminum.