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Whether you already have an existing system or you're still in the "thinking stage" this section intends to make available "real world" questions and solutions. Additional, pertinent info will be added as it becomes available. |
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1)
What is alcohol
injection? The
premise of alcohol injection stems from the use of water injection, which
has been used as a detonation control method since applications in WWII
fighter plane engines. Injection reduces intake air temp charges
tremendously, has a de-carbonizing effect on pistons and valves, will
minimize plug fouling and will not harm the O2 sensor. Alcohol has a
tremendous effect on reducing deposit buildup within the intake manifold.
The fewer oil, grime and carbon deposits, the cleaner the engine will
run…and with less detonation. 2)
Will alcohol/water damage my engine?
The answer to this question is no “IF” a properly designed system is in
place. Water/alcohol will cause no damage to engine components assuming
proper amounts are administered. Now, if the engine is not in a condition to
handle the extra horsepower afforded by increased cylinder pressure (boost),
then yes damage is quite possible. The state of tune and mechanical
condition should be in ‘correct order’ before increasing cylinder
pressure on any engine. One example relates to the fuel system. If your fuel
pump, injectors and regulator are incapable of supporting the newly found
horsepower and the engine leans out, damage will likely occur. Another
example relates to bearings. If the engine is ‘tired’ or worn, addition
of greater pressure to the lower end will lead to a shorter life span.
Lastly, increased power levels will decrease life expectancy of drive train
components such as transmissions and rear ends. There is always a price to
be paid by elevating horsepower. An injection system will produce tremendous
power gains on simple pump gasoline. 3)
Can I run my current race fuel boost setting when
using alcohol injection? Yes, though the
timing used may be less. Some vehicles (like my own), will tolerate more
boost with alcohol injection than with race fuel, though I run more timing
on race gas than alcohol. Example: I can run 24 PSI on race gas, but any
higher will produce detonation (KR) due to high incoming air temps and a
moderately efficient intercooler. With alcohol injection and my own
combination of components, I have seen in excess of 30PSI boost with no
significant KR…and gone faster than I ever have using race fuel. 4)
Will alcohol corrode my engine?
No. While alcohol is corrosive to ‘submerged’ parts, once misted into a
pressurized intake tract, it flashes and is subsequently consumed by the
engine. Potentially, the reservoir, pump, lines and nozzle are the only
parts where corrosion may be an issue since they will be in constant contact
with the chemical. 5)
Explain temperature drop?
In laymen’s terms, go to a sporting event. You may see fans with little
mist nozzles. If you walk in front of a fan while it’s misting water, you
will be cooled down, but not soaked. Evaporative air conditioners operate on
a similar principle. 6)
Why reduce intake air temperature?
To make more power. The cooler (more dense) the air entering the engine, the
more power produced (without ‘knock’). The hotter the air, the more
likely detonation will occur, particularly under pressurization. 7)
Do I need a bigger intercooler with alcohol/water
injection? One of the primary advantages
to an injection system is reduction of air temps. If you run a small IC and
wish to extend its capabilities, a properly designed alcohol injection
system will allow higher boost levels and greater air temp reductions than
even the largest liquid cooled intercoolers. Now, it should be noted that
large intercoolers do provide benefits. Rather than reducing temperatures
from lets say 300 to 100, we can now go from 200 to 50 degrees. The lower
the temperatures exiting the IC, the more effective our alcohol injection
system. 8)
How much timing can I run with alcohol?
This will depend on boost, intake air temps, engine’s state of tune and
how much is being sprayed. Regarding
horsepower increases, most turbocharged and supercharged engines generally
respond better to low timing and higher boost rather than high timing and
lower boost. Once the limit has been found on boost, then timing can be
added while watching for the inevitable detonation. 9)
How does one tune an injection system?
The typical fashion of tuning an water/alcohol injection system is to
monitor knock retard a.k.a. KR. On vehicles that have knock sensors it is a
breeze, since the idea is to ‘spray’ the intake air tract, watch for KR
while increasing boost pressure levels and monitor engine performance levels
so they are not compromised by an excessive amount of spray. 10)
How much is too much?
Typically on cars tuned at the race track, one watches for most MPH increase
at the finish line while at the same time monitoring for KR. Typically the
greatest power will be found when the engine is on the verge of producing
KR, but does not. In other words, ‘spray’ just enough to avoid KR
without flooding the engine. 11)
What happens if I spray too much?
The engine generally responds by losing power, but without detonating. In
laymen’s terms, think of it as pouring water into your mouth versus
drinking from a cup. 12)
Why alcohol over water? This is
the big controversy on the internet injection sites. While proponents of
water can be found on various injection websites, it has been my own finding
along with others, that injecting higher concentrations of alcohol as
compared to water can produce more power. This is due to the fact alcohol
burns and water steams. They both offer detonation control, but the higher
octane afforded by alcohol, allows for far superior horsepower production.
Top alcohol dragsters are examples. They run tremendous cylinder pressures
on alcohol and if one looks at the intake manifold on an alchy burning
racecar, it will look ‘iced down’ after a run. Also, because of the
cooling properties of alcohol, these types of racecars are typically left
running in order for engine temperatures can be raised. That shows how
effective alcohol can be. 13)
How does the system work?
Typically an alcohol injection system is comprised of a reservoir, pump,
nozzle and a method to energize the pump under specific conditions. In its
simplest form, a pressure switch is used to trigger a relay that in turn
applies power to the pump. This arrangement works, but has limitations. It
is important to keep the air fuel ratio (AFR) stable while introducing a
substance into the engine. This is even more necessary with alcohol, since
it is combustible. 14)
Why use boost versus rpm? Higher
boost levels will increase cylinder pressures, not rpm’s. In other words,
KR is initiated more so by boost than by rpm…so that is the reason
injection systems are triggered by boost rather than rpm. Normally aspirated
engines are the exception. These applications normally can be designed using
a vacuum switch set at a low level (like 2 inches to trigger). At this
trigger point the system ‘fires’ the nozzle. 15)
Why progressive? With a ‘set
turn-on point’ system, typically the activation point will be earlier than
the engine will experience KR. This is done due to the lag time between pump
‘firing’, lines filling, nozzle misting, air saturation and this air
making its way into the combustion chamber. For example, if a particular
engine is known to experience detonation at 13 PSI boost, activating the
system at 13 PSI while the turbo or blower is in the process of increasing
pressure to 20 PSI, detonation will occur until the alcohol makes it way
into the chamber. Therefore, some systems are triggered a few lbs.
‘early’ in an effort to avoid the dreaded KR. Example: 9 PSI ‘turn-on
point’. The needle starts climbing on the boost gauge. At 9 PSI it fires
the system and by the time the boost is at 13 PSI the motor is seeing
alcohol. Everything’s great, right? Wrong…herein lies a problem in
making power. If an engine at 20PSI boost pressure requires 100PSI pressure
on a nozzle to offset detonation, applying that same100 PSI pressure at 9
PSI boost will REDUCE the AFR tremendously, thereby reducing performance as
the engine is attempting to build boost and thus power. The solution in
keeping AFR lean and mean throughout the boost-rising curve is to gradually
increase pressure from the pump. Low boost=low pressure. High boost=high
pressure. So here is where the magic takes place…most cars will never have
exact boost pressure readings. Variables include such things as outside air
temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wastegate control, exhaust,
boost controller, etc. A progressive system with a manifold air pressure
(MAP) capable of adjusting to the pressure will yield the best results by
lowering or raising system pressure. As boost creeps up, the system
automatically increases output. Conversely, boost goes down, the system
automatically decreases output. 16)
How will your PAC system make my car faster than what your
competitors offer? Reasonable question.
Key points…automatic and progressive. Our system automatically adjusts
injection to your engine ‘as needed’ while assuring a more stable AFR as
boost pressure increases. The important end result? A much more linear power
curve. Also, my progressive controller is the only one on the market that
allows for an adjustable ramp control, a reduced output control input on the
controller, potted electronics, regulated circuitry, voltage and surge
suppression. High impedance on all inputs makes the controller virtually
invisible to electronics within the vehicle, so it interfaces with all
aftermarket electronics. 17)
What is a “reduced output control input”?
The controller has an input connection that when “ground” is applied to
the wire it reduces pressure output from the pump to assist with building
boost on cars run at race tracks. This feature makes for a faster spool-up
while the system is on. Other applications are for clutches in order to
reduce output while a clutch is depressed for example. 18)
Why make the ramp variable?
This is done to tailor the pressure being produced by the pump to meet the
requirements of the engine. In other progressive controllers this is preset
and can be a major problem if too much voltage is sent to the pump at a
boost level that is too low. Our controllers allow for an “initial” ramp
speed control and a fine-tuning control of this initial ramp speed to
compensate for changes in weather and racing conditions. 19)
Why Alkycontrol over the competition?
We only use the highest quality materials in an effort to assure you have
the most reliable and durable system possible for your vehicle. The same
level of expertise is applied if we custom design a system to fit your
specific vehicle and performance requirements. 20)
Why use a filter?
The nozzles used in our kits have a small diameter orifice. To prevent the
clogging of the nozzle, our pressure hose incorporates a filter with a much
smaller micron design in order to capture any debris that may make its way
into and out of your container. The filter is back washable using alcohol
and never needs replacement. It is fully compatible with alcohol, water or
mixtures thereof. 21)
Does your system need a lube added?
Lube is dependant on the type of pump being used. On our system no lube is
required to lubricate the pump. Actually, we don’t recommend the use of
lubricants with our pump. You’ll have plenty of oil inside your intake and
in the gasoline used. If the alcohol you purchase has the lube premixed, it
has no bearing on operation. 22)
Who would not see increased power using AI?
An example would be a racecar using a huge liquid intercooler packed with
ice and using C16 race gas. Once you address the temperature and octane the
benefits are reduced to EGT control and cleaning. In an application such as
this, benefits are reduced. 23)
How does one tune a system?
This is the question where starting out mild then going to wild pays the
most benefits. Typically, for a few lbs. of boost over stock levels almost
no changes are required. For higher power levels, recalibrating (reducing)
the fueling and incorporating higher volumes of alcohol while adjusting
timing will yield the best results. This is an individual thing. There is no
one set of rules that will apply to all vehicles. There are too many
variables. 24)
Can I use windshield washer fluid?
If you check the chemical composition of the washer fluid and ascertain it
doesn’t contain soap or chemicals that would be detrimental to the
operation of the vehicle, yes. Examples are winter formulas that use 50-100%
concentrations of methanol. 25)
What kind of alcohol?
Any…as long as it doesn’t contain sugar. Some examples are methanol,
denatured and isopropyl. 26)
Where can I buy denatured?
This type of alcohol is typically found in paint stores and is used as
thinner. 27)
Where can I buy isopropyl?
This is also known as rubbing alcohol…available at most pharmacies. 28)
Where can I buy methanol?
This is also known as racing alcohol. Look in your phone book under
automobile racecars. Start calling around. Typically, with a little effort
you will find a source. I purchase mine at a local race gas supplier and my
local ¼ mile racetrack sells it for $2.50/gallon at the pump. Other uses
are chemical processing for cosmetics. So, industrial chemical suppliers may
be a possible source. One of my customers reported his company buys a
55gallon drum for $110.00. Also sprint cars, go-karts, etc. use methanol as
a fuel. 29)
What works the best?
Personally, I have observed the highest power output when racing with 100%
methanol. 30)
Can the system pose a threat to my vehicle?
Our systems are designed for off-road-use only. While we cannot encourage
filling the container with straight alcohol when the vehicle will be
operated on public roadways, mixing a ‘diluted’ 50/50 solution of
alcohol/water renders the alcohol non-flammable…and there is always the
option of using straight water. In an effort to minimize risks associated
with a flammable liquid, our systems include braided hoses, but user
discretion and safety precautions are strongly advised. We cannot assume any
liability for damages incurred by the use and/or improper installation of a
flammable liquid system in a passenger vehicle. |
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CONTACT
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PHONE: 727-526-9724 |
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