[Ron Finney]

Actually Methanol is oxygen bearing and that is the reason the A/F ratio is 6.4:1 compared to Gasoline at 14.7:1. Higher compression ratios can be used due to the higher octane of alcohol, but they are also needed to ensure enough heat to burn the fuel since alcohol burns cooler than gasoline. Due to the lower BTU/lb of fuel, you have to burn more alcohol to get the equivalent BTU of gasoline. But given the A/F ratio, this is possible. The real key is in the released heat energy as that is what pushes the piston down. Because of the high air requirement to combust gasoline, you can only burn .066 lb. fuel/lb. air, giving you 1359 BTU/lb. air. With Methanol, you can burn .156lb. fuel/lb. air, giving you 1524 BTU/lb. air. Couple this with the higher octane allowing higher compression and more ignition lead it sounds like you will have a monster Tom. Good Luck!