ethanol......is it bad?

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by elvis3006

ok so lead was bad,but it helped lubricate the engine. we no longer use lead,so what can we do or use to protect and lubricate engines when using ethanol fuel, besides a lead additive? a mixture of stabil and automatic transmission fluid?

If you really want to see some of the differences,study up on Formula 1 racing(Europe) and IRL(Indy Racing League)..United States and study the performance of both cars and fuels..
The IRL runs on Methanol...the Formula 1 cars run on Petrol,with some ethanol..
Here are some of the HP developed by methanol fuel on IRL cars..

http://members.fortunecity.com/1acci...eld_guide.html

An interesting fact is that the teams can not open up the engines or repair or tinker with them at all..strange as it seems but the engine manufacturer is the only one that can play with the engines..I ,as an old school mechanic ,asked my son in law about tinkering with the engines and he said that they are factory sealed and you would only break the seal if you had a death wish..they can pull them out and change the engine complete but not open them at all..(He is a a Racing car engineer in Indianapolis,who is on a team there and lives there and is starting to teach a course to other mechanical engineers at the University there ,on a part time basis)so knows his stuff..
I was surprised to learn that they actually have university courses to teach mechanical engineers how to be Racing car engineers in Indianapolis...


Specifications:
Engine: 3.5 L V8 Normally Aspirated
Horsepower: 650+
Wheelbase: 122in. / 309.9cm
Overall Length: 193.74in. / 492.1cm
Overall Width: 79.55in. / 202.1cm
Overall Height: 37.3in. / 94.7cm
Minimum Weight: 1585lb / 719kg
Habitat: Seen only on Oval courses in the United States. Their main roosting place is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Feeding: Methanol