Fuel Check What's the point???

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by Andys dad

Just maybe - the fuel check test should work 100% of the time

After all - they are accusing you of cheating when you do not pass

How many have had good fuel fail when you know it is good fuel

Its time to fix the test - so good fuel does not fail


Hey NHRA - FIX THE TEST

We can not afford a test which is not accurate


Ron

All this makes you wonder how often they have their equipment certified.

[Lew Silverman]

Exactly! What's the standard that they use to calibrate the equipment?


Lew

[JOE ZOOM]

Originally Posted by Ron Ortiz

My fuel experience from 1988 to present has been a roller coaster of unbelievable events. in no particular order

I have had Sunoco or VP in my stock fuel tank which sat for 10 months, it passed.
I have had Sunoco or VP in my fuel cell for over 8 months, it passed.
Purchased VP from trailer, 1 month later, flunked.
Purchased fuel from in ground tanks at Gainesville and Bradenton, flunked
Got fuel from Immokalee above ground tank, passed IHRA, flunked NHRA the following week.
VP out of drum from trailer, passed, next week flunked
VP or Sunoco in fuel jug for 3 months, passed
VP or Sunoco in fuel jug for 1 month, flunked

Have tried Sunoco purple, green, VP sportsman, VP C-11, C-12, all with above mixed results.
FUEL CHECK SUCKS
What a joke to spend money needlessly

I put up with it, why, I don't know

Ron Ortiz
U/SA in need of a brain transplant

Nice post Ron

You know im not a guy who shows up on tuesday for a event that starts friday.. Most races im showing up saturday morning get one hit and im good to go.So i take off work on saturday tow 4hrs too race and the one and only run i make im dq for fuel...this is just stupid.....no fuel should ever fail unless it has been determined it has giving a racer some sort of an unfair advantage...........

joe mocci
m/sa 1424

[Mike Croley]

It's hard to define what might give a competitive edge with race gas. Some race gasolines have up to 200 chemicals and compounds.
The race gas manufacturers submit samples of each fuel they would like accepted. Those samples are analyzed and recorded as to color and dilectric constant. There is a tolerance allowed, but the fuel you say you have has to be consistent with the known samples.
It's one more way to try to keep the competition level.

[Mike Croley]

NHRA and IHRA both post an accepted fuels list. It isn't easy to get on those lists, but a number of companies have. And there are also a number of companies that have been rejected. Some of the companies on the lists have only a few legal gasolines listed. Some like Renegade have an entire line of race fuels that are legal. There's no reason at all to pay crazy money for one brand of race fuel when another will perform just as well or better.

[Mike Croley]

There are reasons why race gas fails fuel checks. And one of the rarest reasons is test equipment or calibration. Handling of race gas by the racer and the supplier is the single most important reason for problems in fuel check. I've posted these before, but here they are again for reference.

Don't store race gas anywhere that it sees direct sunlight or where it receives large swings in temperature, inside a race trailer for example.
Don't ever allow containers of race gas to sit on the ground, concrete,asphalt,or metal. Always place containers on wood planks or wood pallets.
Cap race gas containers as soon as possible and keep them sealed tightly. The vapors you see escaping when the lid is off, or when pouring from one container into another are called light ends and you want them in the container, not floating away.
Never mix old race gas and fresh race gas if you want to be sure to pass fuel check.
Purchasing race fuel in sealed containers is the best way to make sure your fuel is fresh. Purchasing from a tank is fine as long as the tank is properly maintained.

Some racers don't do any of these things and still pass fuel check, but better safe than sorry.

[JOE ZOOM]

[QUOTE=Mike Croley;347047]It's hard to define what might give a competitive edge with race gas. Some race gasolines have up to 200 chemicals and compounds.
The race gas manufacturers submit samples of each fuel they would like accepted. Those samples are analyzed and recorded as to color and dilectric constant. There is a tolerance allowed, but the fuel you say you have has to be consistent with the known samples.
It's one more way to try to keep the competition level.[/QUOT


Mike your post is well taken......but keeping the competition level really only applies in a heads up race....why should you be bounced from a race when we are using shoe polish....the fuel had no bearing on the outcome of the race!!!

joe

[Mike Croley]

I'm not sure of all the reasons for the sanctioning bodies checking fuel in shoe polish racing, but i can think of a couple more possibilities that don't include performance. First might be keeping costs under control. There are some wildly expensive chemicals you can add that will up the performance. Another possibility is safety. Many of the compounds and chemicals that can be added to race gas are very toxic, not only for the racer through skin contact but for the spectators inhaling the fumes.

[Andys dad]

You can give all of the excuses to defend the feloneous testing you want but when you buy it at the track and use it and it does not pass - it is the test which fails not your fuel

Everybody on here knows how to try to keep their fuel from failing but it still fails sometimes for no explainable reason - except the test is flawed - has been that way for many years

"all kinds of ways to CHEAT" - That is exactly what NHRA is saying you are cheating by trying to use "doctored" fuel even when you know you are NOT

FIX THE TEST

What do you think they are looking for - they do not know - they just have a job to do - stick in the meter - accuse you of cheating - have you waste your money and dump the fuel

This thread would not exist if the test was accurate and only true cheaters were tossed and I mean not just their fuel - the reason they don't toss the person is because they no the test is bogus

I have not and will not ever cheat but NHRA has accused us on a couple of occassions of having ILLEGAL fuel

Enough said

Sorry but this is a sore point for me

Ron

[Dave Casey]

I have raced stock elim every year since 1974, never failed fuel check, I am not the best storer or handler of fuel. I buy fuel at my local vp dealer, the track, a friend who sells it etc.

The only time I remember being close was with some c11 that was 1 1/2 years old

I currently use c12 in both my cars

I really don't think this is as bad a situation as it is being made out to be.

The problems that have happened are rare and correctable, someday it will probably happen to me and I will deal with it. Keep fuel check the way it is That's my preferance