gasoline prefrence

[curtis73]

It would work if the carb or EFI were re-calibrated. Carbs are set to deliver a set ratio of liquid to air, assuming that the liquid is gasoline and the air contains 21% oxygen at STP (standard temperature and pressure) When you add 10% alcohol to gasoline you basically only have 95% of the weight you had before. The carb will still deliver the same amount of liquid and you will have a lean burn.

EFI will try to keep the mix at 14.7:1 assuming your are burning gasoline. Since methanol's stoichiometric ratio is somewhere in the 6s-to-one, it will also run lean.

My guess is that your carb on your meth racer is jetted for about 6.4:1.

Methanol doesn't have a higher octane rating. If you were to test it using r+m/2 like the gas companies use it would probably come in at around 60-65. It supports more compression because of its other combustion qualities: latent BTUs, combustion speed, and its lack of exothermic heat. Alcohol burns slow, cool, and it takes a lot more of it to get the BTUs that gasoline has. Adding methanol to gasoline effectively reduces its BTUs, Doesn't really impact Octane rating (if so, one point at most because there isn't that much in it) but causes your engine to run lean.

Using Methanol in gasoline is a cheap way to help emissions as it adds oxygen which does something else... Reduces NOX?

My opinion? It sucks for the street, hurts MPGs, washes down the cylinder walls, and I'm tired of Big Brother telling me that I (even though I have the only internal combustion engine for 3 miles) I have to run pathetic and potentially damaging fuel in my babies. To me, that's like passing a law that says baby food isn't allowed to contain vitamins, minerals, or anything healthy. They are making laws that adversely affect our personal property.

*stepping off soap box*

Curtis