Alky+Nitromethane?????

[Superskwrl]

I walked into a Radio Controled car store and noticed they run on Alky with 20% nitromethane, any1 ever use it this or have any info????

 

[Alky V6]

I'm thinking about it. But only 5%.

 

[HossV6]

Be careful, almost all R/C fuels that contain nitromethane use Methanol as the base fuel- be sure your pump can take it. Do a search on this site and you'll find my old post about it. I was about to try it before I got bogged down in work and school; causeing me to put the GN to rest until summer .

I'll let you become the new guinea pig . Later

 

[Alky V6]

I'm already running 100% Methanol. I'm just thinking of adding a little extra punch.

 

[AnArKey]

Stuff is WAY too expensive. $30/gallon or more. Only expect at max a HP increase of 3-4% at a 5% Nitromethane mix.

Is it worth it?

 

[Steve Y]

About 8 years ago we were getting that nitro from the hobby shop and mixing it at 50% or so with methanol.
Couldn't see a gain but we really did not know what we were doing with it at the time. Was not sure which way to go on the timing among other things. The car would spit it out the exhaust during a hard run as if we were running rich. You could smell it when you stopped.

It destroyed the pump and the lines in no time. The pump was not actually a methanol pump, but rather a stock fuel pump we put in the tank. No problem with methanol for a while but eventually it would fail. Pumps would not live for hardly any amount of time on the nitro mix it seems. They looked like a white corroded battery terminal when we pulled them out and the hoses we used that stood methanol, melted.
That cured us from using nitro
Steve

 

[Alky V6]

I would never suggest using an exotic fuel without designing the fuel system to handle it first. Also, maintenance of the fuel system (cleaning and lubing) after every meet becomes a priority with even just methanol.

 

[HossV6]

Nitromethane is "Top Fuel" in NHRA. The fuel itself burns relatively slow, hence the reason you see the 4-5 foot flames from the pipes. The top fuel dragsters are limited to 502 cubic inch displacement- so, they run around a 6:1 compression ratio and stuff the sucker with 50+ #s of boost and 90% N-M fuel mix to make power. BTW, dragster motors have no water passages b/c they weaken the blocks ability to handle 6000+ hp. I still believe it could make a huge difference in our lil' turbo 6s if used right.

I wonder if Duttweiler was running a N-M mix when he clicked off that low 7- high 6 sec time slip in the Stage II Olds body. Anyone know?

 

[Steve Hill]

I'm wondering if the real problem would be from the castor bean oil found in the HObby Store stuff?

 

[Steve Y]

Steve
I wouldn't think castor bean oil would be a problem, I used it for years at 50/1 when I ran straight methanol with no problem.
Steve Y

 

[Steve Wood]

In RC Car engines...the oil content may be up around 25-30% by volume. Mixture of synthetic and castor.

Model Airplane engine fuel normally runs 16-20% and comes in a variety of nitro percents.

Some of the larger engines are down around 10-12% but those usually run more like 10% nitro .....

Remainder of all is methanol with some other trace anti rust chemicals in some.

Castor can leave a heck of a residue behind after combustion once it cools down...

Methanol can be awfully interesting once detonation starts as well.

I think I need to go into the head gasket business cause it looks like the customer base is growing.

 

[Steve Wood]

A drive thru head gasket business with liquor on the left and head gaskets on the right....you guys are an inspiration to me!

 

[Steve Hill]

hahahah you guys are just waaay too cerebral for me LOL

 

[Steve Wood]

Originally posted by Steve Hill
hahahah you guys are just waaay too cerebral for me LOL

Maybe we should get Jerry Lewis to do a telathon for you? Go stand over there with Cairns....You all make me nervous when you separate.

 

[Kid with a toy]

Too much chemistry under that hood, and you guys will be participating in the Special Olympics.

With Steve and I in the stands, cheering you on.

 

[Alky V6]

On a serious note. The compression ratio becomes important when you start adding Nitro to an alcohol engine. Blown alcohol engines like a compression ratio of 10 - 12 to one. Nitro engines run as low a 6 to 1. When you add just a small percentage of nitro, 10-20 percent, you need to drop the CR a bunch. An example would be if your running 11 to one, you would drop to 8 to one with a 10 percent mix. Since I'm setting the engine up with 11.5+ to one, I think I'll stay away from the stuff.

 

[WFO]

nitro burns slow,so i would think you'd need to advance the timing...

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by Steve Wood
A drive thru head gasket business with liquor on the left and head gaskets on the right....you guys are an inspiration to me!

I'll take the day shift...
LOL

 

[Steve Wood]

Yeah, leave me the nite shift to deal with the gun toters that pull in and say, "Give me all your headgaskets including those O-Ringed ones you keep under the counter!"

 

[Kid with a toy]

LMAO

Erik