Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Why alcohol? Was it because it was once the stepping stone to Gold Crown cars? I never did ask this question in the many years I've been attending races. Thanks to all for the answer.

ever try to get any horsepower out of soda pop? lol lol lol

now back to the regularly scheduled debate.

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my story is that you can run higher compression, it makes more power, it lets the motor run cooler and it is considered a bit safer because it can be put out with water and it will not explode like gas. i do not know what other folks think but that is my story and i'm stick'in to it.

Methanol is used because it is cooler burning than gasoline. In the early days, the cooling systems weren't near as efficient as those in use today and many times the radiators would get clogged up to compound the problem.

The reason for the increased compression is due to the less efficiency (lower BTU's per gallon) of alcohol. That's why it takes MUCH more alcohol to make the same amount of power than gasoline.

A good example are the engines that F1 uses. 2.5 liter V8, naturally aspirated, 800HP. Each team is allowed to blend their own fuel (petrol aka gasoline).

Dumb question here...but, didn't sprint cars and even the old super-mods run on methanol prior to '64?

If so, when did methanol come into play for fueling sprint cars?

They have been running methanol since the late 1920's or the early 1930's. The reason was that it had a higher octane than any other fuel out there at the time.

Also, methanol IS alcohol. There are actually several different types of alcohol used in racing engines.

Most "Supers" back in the day ran gasoline. The cars were carbureted and were extreemly dangerous from a fire standpoint. Many times a car would get upside down and the gasoline would run out of the carburetor bowl vent and catch fire. The 1974 NCRA Hutchinson, KS Nationals fire is a grim reminder of how dangerous these cars were.

hey team wright-one first of all your correct methanol doesnt explode like gas but are you retarded??? i really want to see you try to put out methanol with water. in fact go buy a gallon of it and set it on fire and dump a 5 gallon bucket of water on it and see what happens. oh and if you dont beliveve me i will let you know that i am a fire fighter for one of the biggest sprint car tracks in the country.

GASOLINE WAS A FORD MANDATE! They were trying to market the Ford name with their DOHC engines. There were only a handful of cars that were forced to run gasoline since they were the only ones who could get a DOHC.

Watson and Ward DID NOT WANT to run gasoline, thus they switched to alky sunday morning.

Actually, methanol can and WILL explode, just not as easy as gasoline. And though water is not the preffered method of fighting a methanol fire, it is very effective when used in large quantities. There is a reason that behind the pit wall of the most famous race track in the world, you'll find many, many 5 gallon buckets of water. Go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYudhbfpfoA to see a perfect example. 

Easy tiger don't get so worked up.

I was at an ESS race at Utica-Rome Speedway a couple of years ago when a whole bunch of fuel came out of a car after a flip. To clean it off the track they set it afire and let it burn itself out. Took more than a half-hour to burn. I highly doubt it could be put out with water. But to call Team Wright-One a retard is disrespectful to a fellow sprint car fan. Simply tell him he is wrong. Don't be a dick about it.

if one is retarded, methanol might "explode" too late, now, if one is advanced, well than, it will "explode" earlie, next week, we cover which direction the wheels on a bus go ?

one thing that is different from methanol than gas is methanol contains more oxygen per volume than gas. that is the main reason you end up running less parts air to fuel as compared to gas. gas is something like 14 to 1 air to fuel. methanol is something like 7 to 1 air to fuel. that is 14 parts air to one part gas vs. 7 parts air to one part methanol. now, water mixes with methanol far better than it does with gas. if you dilute methanol by pouring water on it,(i'm not sure but something like 10-20%) it will not catch fire since you are displacing oxegen with water. and also cause water does not burn! the same goes if you have a methanol fire. if you can dilute the methanol it will not burn cause you are smothering it. as far as being a fire fighter at a sprint car track, please don't take it wrong that i am not impressed. i have seen too many "fire fighters" rush to try to put out the fire on the down hill side of a crashed car by trying to fight their way up the hill against the fire instead of going around to the uphill side and just trying to put out the driver and get him out. most track fire crews i have seen try to fight a race car fire the way they would fight a normal fire. it doesn't really work that way. if you pour enough water on a methanol fire it will put it out quicker and easier than pouring water on a gas fire, which we all know is a no-no. did you see all the water being thrown on AJ Foyt IV at indy this year when he caught fire in the pits? you could see it from his in car camera when the flames started and then the water came.

you can't fool me. the wheels on a bus go the same direction the bus is going!

i agree - 44x that was a lil harsh as this aint even a thread that is all that argumentative. if someone didn't know - well shit dude its not like we're all trying to be firefighters. btw tho - if wright is retard i dont know what that makes me. because half the stuff he just explained i did not know. sounds to me like at least as an amatuer wright one knows his shit. and btw wright one - that was a pretty interesting read.

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wouldchuck could chuck would

Knows HER shit.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Plus on a hot day in the pits you can just wet a rag with it and cool off a little.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

wet rag? hell how about methanol daiquiris! or daiquiri de ethanol for all you greenies lol. hey guys i am not trying to be the end all authority on the subject. like my first post stated, i have my story and i'm stick'in to it. as far as exploding, i should have used the term "less volatile than gas" as methanol has a lower flash point. i am always open to being shown i am mistaken, it just takes a hell of a lot more than that for me to admit it. lmao.