Fuel check question

[Jody Lang]

I have a question.

A bunch of us were having issues with fuel at a Division race in Sonoma. A few I believe were DQd a few on the edge. We were told to add some fresh, replace with fresh all that good stuff.

I bought some fresh fuel right out of a sealed barrel. Took it up and had it tested. I was told it was perfect. I asked what perfect was, and was told that it was right in the middle of the scale for the temperature.

If when a fuel goes stale or loses it's light ends from sitting in the car too long my question is this.

Why does fresh brand new fuel start out at the middle of the scale and not toward or at the top???

If going bad from sitting or you got the last 5 from the bottom of the barrel usually equates to flirting with the bottom of the scale, shouldn't fresh fuel start life at the top of the scale?

[Jim Wahl]

Great point! Can't wait for the answer. Jim


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[Bob Bender]

When I worked for NHRA in the 80`s I did fuel check. The numbers should run in the middle. Low numbers means fuel is old and losing its octane. High numbers means there is more then just racing fuel in there. I think NHRA should throw out the low numbers, if the fuel is old and bad it does not make the car go faster. They have always tested like that. Hope that helped or Im just full of *****........

[Bob Don]

Originally Posted by Bob Bender

When I worked for NHRA in the 80`s I did fuel check. The numbers should run in the middle. Low numbers means fuel is old and losing its octane. High numbers means there is more then just racing fuel in there. I think NHRA should throw out the low numbers, if the fuel is old and bad it does not make the car go faster. They have always tested like that. Hope that helped or Im just full of *****........

Whether or not that was helpful, you still might be full of *****! Ha ha!

[philip miles]

I went to the PRI show in Orlando and asked the Sunoco technical representitives how long the shelf live is on their racing fuel. They told me 1.5 to 2 years. With that said, I went to a race with fuel that was about 1 year old, it had lost it's color purple. I told the NHRA fuel check person that I was claiming Sunoco purple, well it passed the fuel check, but he told me to add some fresher fuel with color so that he can recognize it by the color. The car ran the same with the older fuel as well as with the fresher fuel.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

[Pistol Pete]

Yeah, but even when you buy " fresh" gas, how long was it sitting in their drum ???

I got a bad reading from Englishtown last year & they said, give me another sample
& the second sample passed.

If no one else believes you Bender, I believe ya.......


Pistol Pete
1374
I/SA

[Michael Beard]

I've had Sunoco sit in a vented fuel cell and in jugs over the winter, go racing and never have a problem in fuel check. It's pretty stable stuff. On the flip side, VP has a high "pop off" rate. The fuel check guy at Atlanta told me the best thing to do would be to drain the fuel cell each week and put the fuel back in a sealed container, or at least plug the fuel cell vent. Seriously?

You know it's volatile stuff when we've generated a habit of holding our hand over the cup while waiting in the fuel check line.

And for those that didn't read the Atlanta thread, beware purchasing any 112 octane blue VP at your local bracket track. It's not on the approved fuels list, and it doesn't check as anything. The southeast VP rep said it is something they formulated that's "close" to Sunoco Blue, but a little different in this spec or that, and they just sell it to the bracket tracks. Why have a readily available fuel and not have it on the list?

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Bob Bender

When I worked for NHRA in the 80`s I did fuel check. The numbers should run in the middle. Low numbers means fuel is old and losing its octane. High numbers means there is more then just racing fuel in there. I think NHRA should throw out the low numbers, if the fuel is old and bad it does not make the car go faster. They have always tested like that. Hope that helped or Im just full of *****........

Bob, What end of the scale would $3.00 pump gas read on? Av gas? That could be your answer right there...

[Mike Pearson]

The problem I have had in the past here in Div 2. When I go to check fuel and its anything besides VP the fuel check guys give me a hard time. They say the color is wrong or something like that. I either run sunoco blue or C-12. I think they just want you to run the VP fuel.

[69Cobra]

Ok... two part question here. First is there a tool that the average racer can buy to check his own fuel so that you don't get a surprise from tech? Second, what is the best/most common what to retrieve your fuel for fuel check? Are you guys just opening up the fuel cell and scooping a cup out?