Traxxas Top Fuel or Bluethunder
08-10-2006, 11:27 AM
#29
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RE: Traxxas Top Fuel or Bluethunder
yes you can change brands but keep your nitro content the same unless you truly understand compression ratio's versus nitro content, or have a compression gauge and know exactly how much to shim your head. breaking in a motor on 20% then switching to 30% dramatically decreases the life of your motor. if you break it in on 30% with the proper shims for your motor then you should always run 30% to get maximum performance and life. all companies get their alcohol from the same plants but not all companies get the premium grade alcohol. i work in the oil refinery industry and happen to know quite a bit on the subject of fuel and oil. all the alcohol and oil comes from the same plants and is sold on the open market depending on the price per barrel before refining. synthetic oil is still a byproduct of crude it just has additives to keep it stable at higher temps. castor oil is a synthetic oil. the main differences between fuels is the cleanliness of bottling facilities, the grade of the base alcohol which depends on whether or not it contains esters, and the quality of the oil. the most important factor being the first, because it does matter how much water is saturated with the alcohol in shipping and bottling of the fuel. all fuel will have some water in it but some companies have a better quality control programm than others. i hope that helped
08-10-2006, 12:24 PM
#30
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RE: Traxxas Top Fuel or Bluethunder
Not all alcohol is made from the same plants. There are several plants that you can get alcohol from. Grass, corn, peanuts's and thats the ones of the top of my heads. But there are different grades of alcohol. The more pure the better. Most racing fuels use 99.99% pure alcohol. But some companies use lesser grade alcohol thats just doesnt have the power of the better grades. Yes you can change fuel types but you have to set your needles back to the factory setting. This should be done any time you are switching fuel. Because some fuels do not use the same oil contents and such. I have seen people not put the factory needle setting back after switching fuels and ruin a good engine.
But you do not have to have your nitro content the same. You can switch from 20% to 10% or vice versa. You once again have to set the needles back to the factory setting. Running 30% thought you will have to shim the head up and run a cold plug. There are several things you have to consider when switching fuels and nirto percentage's.
But you do not have to have your nitro content the same. You can switch from 20% to 10% or vice versa. You once again have to set the needles back to the factory setting. Running 30% thought you will have to shim the head up and run a cold plug. There are several things you have to consider when switching fuels and nirto percentage's.
08-11-2006, 06:10 PM
#34
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RE: Traxxas Top Fuel or Bluethunder
apperantly i didnt make my self very clear before when i said all companies get their alcohol from the same plants. what i meant was the same refineries, not the same plants as in corn, beets, etc. the alcohol in nitro fuel is not ethanol it is methanol which doesnt even come in great quantity as ethanol in traditional crops so your basic ethanol plant will not produce very much methanol, since it is not their primary commodity. there are only a handfull of METHANOL plants in the usa so yes ALL nitro fuel companies get their alcohol from the same refineries. methanol IS also a byproduct of refining crude oil, which is where most companies get it. that is why a lot of cheaper fuels arent as good. the lower grade methanol which contains esters is usually the stuff that comes from oil refineries. i do have a degree in process engineering of oil. that includes alternative energies such as ethanol, methanol, solar, and steam to name a few. when you get fuel for your car at the gas pump you are not getting fuel from one company, you are getting fuel from which ever refinery happens to be the closest with the right price. all gasoline companies trade and buy fuel from each other to cut down on the cost of shipping fuel across the country so what would make you think nitro companies dont do the same. have you not seen identical items at different prices just because the name is different.
