Messin" with dope

tuna55 wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: I though it got a lot more difficult to purchase after OKC went up 20 years ago.

I don't think so, although I expected that. The memorial they have in OKC is really pretty touching, FWIW.

Yeah, I believe it was the fertilizer that became much more difficult to procure in large quantities.

And yes, the memorial is pretty impressive. There is also a very interesting documentary about the events that radicalized McVeigh and how they were able to pull off such an attack on Netflix.

z31maniac wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: I though it got a lot more difficult to purchase after OKC went up 20 years ago.

I don't think so, although I expected that. The memorial they have in OKC is really pretty touching, FWIW.

Yeah, I believe it was the fertilizer that became much more difficult to procure in large quantities. And yes, the memorial is pretty impressive. There is also a very interesting documentary about the events that radicalized McVeigh and how they were able to pull off such an attack on Netflix.

I watched it, but I was unimpressed with what I saw as unrelated events being called into question as part of the larger picture.

Anyway, nitro. Let's buy some and try it.

Apexcarver wrote: I would also say that if GRM staff is smart they would disallow it as the exhaust gases contain an acid with the following warning: Exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine whose fuel includes nitromethane will contain nitric acid vapour, which is corrosive, and when inhaled causes a muscular reaction making it impossible to breathe. People exposed to it should wear a gas mask. Funny fuels are a fast path down a slippery slope. Many avenues to more power exist, but many of them are dangerous. Stick to Nitrous. If you cant be dissuaded Heywood Text May have the math and solid backing you are looking for. I can dive into my copy in a few days looking. Hope you took a course in Differential Equations though... Wikipedia has a good section on it. Wiki Do basically, you need to figure out the percentage you want to run based on the properities (not so much it breaks the engine) and use the math to get the right air/fuel ratios/etc. You would still not be fully optimized, but that is unlikely to happen on a challenge budget. (edited; because Dr. Strange points out that warnings should come before how to do it...)

Since the top fuel people have been using it without gas masks for decades without dropping dead, I suspect that while there is an element of truth to your warning about being impossible to breathe it is probably under circumstances unlikely to occur in racing conditions and especially at the sort of concentrations I'm considering.. I do know that in the past pure or nearly pure Nitro was handled with an absolute minimal protection. Recently, however the refueling person has a gas mask, apron and face shield. However that is at concentrations of 90%. Kids with Model airplane sorts of concentrations (Which is where I am considering) wear no such gear or protection..

You have managed to terrify me though with your talk about differential equations except I know that there are translations of complex formulas out there.. There must be a few people who understand Nitro well enough to explain you drill out the jets by X% for every Y% of nitro..

Land speed record people for example. Once the choice is made to move from gas to fuel there is no further limitation so Nitro is a natural venue to explore in attempting to set records. Back when Allison's and Rolls Royce dominated unlimited hydro racing that knowledge was in use.. Every once in a while you smell a whiff of nitro in sprint car racing so I know there still is a little bit of that knowledge out there..

Toyman01 wrote: I ran 40%-60% nitromethane in radio controlled race boats for 10 years. It is not a good fuel for longevity of engine components. We would rebuild engines annually at a minimum because of the corrosive nature of the fuel and the ridiculous RPMs we were running. Another issue I foresee in full scale, is the sheer amount of fuel that will be needed to feed a large engine. nitromethane does release oxygen as it burns. It's a viscous circle, the more fuel you need, the more oxygen that is available. That makes chasing carburetor settings a little tricky. Also, the higher percentage you use, the more finicky jetting gets. We would start the morning with one needle setting, and by afternoon be upwards of a full turn different. To say the least, twisting a needle is a lot simpler than rejetting a carburetor because a storm dropped the temps by 20 degrees. It would be interesting to see how a modern EFI system would handle it. Maybe it would add fuel as necessary.

Thank you yes it gets extremely complex although I have long been using air density meters to set mixtures on vintage race cars I've owned or worked on.. Kinsler sells a neat dial a jet that allows the driver even with gloves on to adjust fuel mixture during the race. If I wasn't driving I'd watch the air density from the pits and signal the driver to go up or down as the race went on..

With regard to EFI, Now that street racers are messing with Turbo's and alcohol I expect there will soon be articles in the various magazines about nitro. At least I hope so..