Racing To The Pumps For High Octane Racing Fuel
If you are a weekend drag racer, you know that racing fuels can be very hard to find. Wait, what is a racing fuel? It is a high-octane fuel that is used because burns hotter, making more power in a high horsepower engine. It is not readily available at the gas station but in some locations you get one grade for street cars that run the track but for the most part, real race gases have to be mixed for you.
100+ Octane Pump Gas
In some stations near race tracks, you can buy 100+ octane gas that you can run at the track. It is expensive and hard to get and if you put it in your tank, you are not supposed to drive the car on the street but it is pretty commonly done. Keep in mind, this fuel burns very hot so the engine may run hotter as a result. If you do not have a cooling system that is up to the task, you may blow up the engine. These high horsepower engines need oversized radiators and larger fans to be able to run fuels like this. Don't try to fill you daily driver up with it because the engine will not handle it properly.
Stock Car Fuel
While it might be a surprise, the fuel burned in the 800 hp monsters that run around the stock car tracks is a racing blend made specifically for them but it only 98 octane fuel. It is 15% ethanol so it is still too hot for your street car but in comparison to the high-end fuels used in other motorsports, it is relatively mild.
Alcohol For Fuel
Some pure race cars burn a full alcohol mix in their engines but they have hardened valve seats, chrome moly rings, and are typically supercharged. These sought motors can handle the power gains and the heat generated from the alcohol. The fuel burns extremely hot and produces a nearly invisible flame so if an accident occurs, it is hard to see if the car or driver is on fire. You cannot just buy alcohol fuel at the gas station so you will most often see race teams running it but there are some high-level street racers that have put their hands on the stuff and running it in their cars.
Nitromethane Fuel
Nitromethane is a highly volatile cleaning agent and solvent used in many industrial processes and as such, it is readily available. When racer started using it, they started blending it into ethanol and alcohol bases and the power gains were so high that they continued to play with it until it reached the place it is today. Most nitromethane blends hover around 40 percent nitro and 60 percent base fuels. The nitro burns so hot that engines running it are literally running on the edge of exploding. The fuel is very dangerous but when handled properly, in an engine built for it, it can make 5000 horsepower achievable.
Contact a company like Yearwood Performance Center for more information and assistance.
Share