Multiply that by the 9,500 btus per lb of alcohol and our motor would be making 35,055btus at 7000rpms. Results of a special nitromethane fuels testing program in a roots blown methanol drag racing v8 how to set up numerical control of air to fuel ratio for accurate tuning nitro introduction to lambda tuning of nitro air density corrections horsepower corrections power analysis for various percentages roots blower analysis. Most non supercharged engines dont make enough cylinder temp to color the plugs so most tuning is done by observation and the time card. Nitromethane is a highly combustible substance that is generally only used in very specifically designed engines found in top fuel drag racing and miniature internal combustion engines in radio control, control line and free flight model. The writer is don nix, president of gbg industries, inc. Tune your engine with realtime density altitude from. The engine was toast, but eventually they learned to add lots more fuel, colder spark plugs, and stronger internals to stand up to both the higher output as well as nitromethane s corrosive effects. In this context, nitromethane is commonly referred to as nitro, and is the principal ingredient for fuel used in the top fuel category of drag racing. Nitromethane is a little like gasoline that has been premixed with nitrous oxide. Nitromethane efi tuning questions and engine management. Oct 17, 2017 two stroke cylinder porting tips watch this before you start cutting.
The is an introduction to tuning with a programmable electronic fuel injection ecu. Methanol, nitromethane, dry lakes racers australia. These goals may be mutually exclusive, and an engine may be detuned with respect to output work in exchange for better. Nitromethane is used to make industrial antimicrobials and pharmaceuticals, and is also used as a soil fumigant and as a fuel in race car engines. Discussed are the details of the following components in the fuel system. I do find myself consulting the book on a regular basis as i am tuning a couple airplanes. That is why weather stations have always worked with ratios.
This book explains how the efi system determines engine operation and how the calibrator can change the controlling parameters to optimize actual engine performance. Atmospherics and performance engine combustion guide. Nitro engine news newspapers books scholar jstor december 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message. The first thing you see before and during that start up is a crew member squeezing a bottle into the blower hat, the part where you see the butterfly valves that open on the top of the engine. Compression ratios when we were first considering changing over to methanol it was stated a small power gain would be obtained right away with just the change of fuel, but to obtain the full benefit the engine would have to be modified to do so. The jetarea software does all this for you and handles supercharged methanol, nitromethane and gasoline fueled engines, and drag racecars of all types. Preliminary facts regarding methanol methanol fuel is generally harder to set up for than gasoline, therefore ct recommend its use for experienced tuners only. Welcome to the home for all the motorsports computer software, books and racecar engineering consulting services provided by patrick hale. Competing in nhras mello yello series in top fuel and nitro funny car takes millions of dollars. The basics of engine tuning involve finding the right ratio of fuel mixed with air to get the right amount of power out of your engine. Dec 22, 2017 use uncorrected barometer in engine tuning. Nitromethane nitromethane is a fuel that is used mostly in specialized drag racing classes such as top fuel funny cars. As more nitromethane is added to a mixture, the fuel weight per gallon increases. Covering everything from stock turbocharger cars, seriously fast drag racers, boats, motorcycles, and daily driver modified turbo cars and trucks.
Mar 21, 2020 airfuel ratio air density online airdensityonline air scoop articles autorama blower boost blower overdrive blower size blown engine bracket drag racing bracket racing carburetor checklist drag racing e85 engine tuning ethanol ford fuel fuel injection fuel injection calculator fuel pressure high altitude horsepower jetting mechanical fuel. Elevation changes and how they affect engine tuning. The stromberg 81 carbs had to be nickelplated, as did the fuel containers hidden from prying eyes inside cardboard boxes. Two stroke cylinder porting tips watch this before you. It seems feasible to be able to mix in 5%, 10%, more. A nitro engine generally refers to an engine powered with a fuel that contains some portion usually between 10% and 40% of nitromethane mixed with methanol. Posted in nitromethane tagged calculator, newsletter, nitro, tuning. Knowing what the airfuel ratio is for your specific engine combination requires knowing both the air flow rate and the fuel flow rate. On engines with enough compression and the correct heat range plug you. It is a musthave for tuners and calibrators and a valuable resource for anyone who wants to. Kendall 1043073 gt1 high performance nitro 70 motor oil for nitromethane and alcoholfueled competition engines 1 quart bottle case of 12 5. The weather math and dragstrip physics are all laid out in the motorsports standard atmosphere and weather correction methods book. Nitromethane is used as a fuel in motor racing, particularly drag racing, as well as for radiocontrolled models such as cars, planes and helicopters. The nitro mix is between 5% and up to 30%, castor oil is from 15 up to 20%.
The following is the third in a series of articles exploring all facets of model engine fuel. I tuned it with blend of 10% nitromethane, 5% castor oil, 3% acetone, 2% water, 80% methanole, lambda 0. In particular, i discuss airfuel ratios, correction factors for dyno testing, and the effects of altitude on engine performance. The following is a list of tips that every methanol fuel user should be aware of. Fi book introduction mechanical fuel injection constant flow. Nitromethaneeverybody knows its there, but few, it seems, really know much about it.
Chevrolet performance solstice performance build book loading. It is written specifically for megasquirt or megasquirtii efi users who are new to tuning engine with a programmable controller, and tries to make very few assumptions about what you already know. Every engine tuner measures the fuel flow rate in gallons per minute with the data recorder. Note how with 40 per cent nitromethane mixture the jet size has increased by 1. Engine tuning and diagnostics for sale on racingjunk. From what i have seen its easy to understand how exhaust tuning would be. Ct racing have tested methanol fuel extensively over the last five years and have learned how to set up engines and carburetors for most atv applications. Engine tuning is an adjustment, modification of the internal combustion engine, or modification to its control unit, otherwise known as its ecu engine control unit. Engine tuning and diagnostics, other for sale on racingjunk. If you want to build an engine such as in shop class or on your own equipment this is a good starting point.
Enginetuningtechtips wegetdozensoftuningquestionsfromaroundthe. What you need to know about mechanical fuel injection. Early drag and land speed racers found that nitro methane provided more horsepower and torque than gasoline in the early 1950s. Torco racing fuel nitro methane is 100% chinese white used in top fuel drag racing and other forms of motorsports such as land speed racing that allows the use of this product in certain classes. We have just finished up a new computer package to help tune and predict drag racing et for all types alcohol, nitro, gas of supercharged engines and racecars jetarea.
Fuel pump barrel valve main jet nozzles poppets high speed jets pump savers pump sizers pinch valves stage valves. When you have a familiar engine setup and always race with methanol, that task can become tried and true. The lowe fuel systems instruction book covers the basic operation of the constant flow fuel injection in all race applications. This book goes through just about all there is about glow fuel airplane engines. Here is the guide on fine tuning your nitro rc car. Jan 24, 2015 in addition to the nutsandbolts math of engine design and assembly, it is useful to know a few things about combustion and the effects of atmospheric pressure on engine tuning and performance. The carburetors usually feature 2 needles used to tune the mixture. What is top fuel and how is it different from gasoline. This tutorial covers how to tune the high speed and low speed needles of your nitro engine. Nitromethane is a colorless, oily, highly flammable liquid with a strong, disagreeable odor that emits toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides upon decomposition. Advanced tuning takes engine tuning techniques to the next level. Instruments, chips, devices and software for sale to diagnose issues within an engine, and maximize its tuning for optimal performance.
Nitromethane nm is a versatile chemical with a wide variety of industrial applications. Still shipping fuel injection, methanol, nitro racing tech books. With the cost of racing on the rise each year, this season racers are also paying the price for the sanctioning bodys determination to stick with a single distributor of the lifeblood of professional drag racing, nitromethane. It is adjusted to yield optimal performance, to increase an engine s power output, economy, or durability. All different formulas for the particular glow plug engine being ran. While correcting the barometer value to sea level is useful in meteorology and weather reporting, it is not useful in engine tuning. How to set up numerical control of air to fuel ratio for accurate tuning nitro. He built an engine with a colder spark plug and components that could take the nitromethanes corrosiveness. Once the system is primed, fuel is delivered directly to the engine for fast startup. Tuning engines can be a mysterious art, all engines need a precise balance of fuel, air, and timing in order to reach their true performance potential. Additionally, although nitromethane has the potential to remain in the environment for a long time, it is not expected to accumulate in organisms.
The net effect of this is that the engine will rev higher on methanol than. Home forums specific tech sections efi tuning questions and engine management the turbo forums the discussion board for both hard core and beginner turbocharged vehicle enthusiasts. Engine tuning and diagnostics other general category for devices and components connected to engine tuning and performance that dont fit into the traditional software and hardware buckets for tuning. Nitro engine tuning my guide based purely only on my experiences. The actual engine air flow rate going down the race track is much more difficult to determine. Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, and the common chemical formula for gasoline is c 8 h 18. A nitroburning engine and a top fuel engine are the same thing engines designed to burn nitromethane rather than gasoline. Some of the information im finding would point to actually advancing the timing because of the low burn rate of the nitro. Does anyone have any experience tuning with this type of setup. Engine tuning is the adjustment or modification of the internal combustion engine or engine control unit ecu to yield optimal performance and increase the engine s power output, economy, or durability. Could you please, advise me the right and the safe way. Feb 04, 2017 my basic understanding is that nitromethane is able to release high power 230% compared to normal petroleum fuels, especially when ignited in a confined space. Tuning book up to 5000 hp on methanol a must for blown e. Jetarea also includes an option for tuning nonsupercharged.
It is very important for you to understand at this point i accept no responsibility for your engine and its performance or lack of performance if you choose to follow this guide. After combustion, the exhaust gases contain byproducts including nitric acid in vapor form, making the use of a proper gas mask mandatory for the driver and for those close to the car in the starting area. A nitro engine generally refers to an engine powered with a fuel that contains some portion. Corrected local barometric pressure readings are not useful for finding the actual weight of air going into the engine. Edelbrock, bobby meeks, and fran hernandez added 10 percent nitro to the methanol in their 6ci v860 midget car engine. Once fired and the engine is running on the gasoline, the member will then turn the valve from the fuel pump to start feeding the nitromethane mixture. These can be used to tune a drag race, circle track, oval track or sports car engine for speed and power, but are equally applicable to street cars, hot rods, trucks and muscle cars to improve their fuel.