tmister

iTrader: (1)

Intercooler or Methanol system, which one gives you more rwhp/torque

jv_Z28

iTrader: (1)

Well your going to get the most with both obviously. (I would definately do both if you could) But the Meth acts as an octane boost and cools the air charge and parts some what, and a front mount would just cool your air charge more. The colder your air the more power your going to get. But then that fluxuates depending on if its hot out or cold out, but an IC will always make the air charge cooler than the outside air. So I'm not sure if there is a for sure answer for one or the other. The front mount air to air kit from Synergy Motorsports works great. When we were dynoing my car the room temp. was 89 and the cars inlet temps were 83 sometimes. I definately noticed a gain in power with just an air to air front mount especially on colder nights. Hope this helps.

GTOLarry

Technically an Intercooler can't give you power, by condensing the air it does allow for more fuel because there is more air. Methanol is fuel and it can provide power. Colder is always better in my book so I would use both. Methanol provides the super added benefit of suppressing detonation. Which means you can run more boost, which means you can add more fuel.

WicketMike

iTrader: (13)

but which one is going to give you more power if you could only go with one or the other

98turbls1

iTrader: (17)

Well are you going to drive it mostly on the street?? Reason I ask is because it's basically the same question of should i use FI or nitrous...If you drive it on the street it's going to cool the air which means less detonation from the denser air...You don't have to replenish anything because it's always there...The meth is going to raise the flash point of the fuel so that it doesn't detonate...The do pretty much the same thing in essense but you don't have to make sure that you always have it if you use the IC...If you're going track I would obviously do both...But a good intercooler will cost you probably twice as much as a meth kit...So it really matters how you're going to drive it and where...

98Ztwentyeight

iTrader: (2)

An intercooler will not give you power but will give the tuner
the ability to use more timing etc because of the lower intake
air temps. I dont think I would run a sts system in the summer
without one or any turbo system without one.

If yah live up north.. chicago/north dakota and dont get on it
in heat of the summer day too much then just get alky kit by
itself is fine.

if yah live out by me texas oklahoma where people have been
seeing intake air temps of 120 all the way up to 150 on the dyno
without a intercooler. sp then yah need one.

I bought a used intercooler obx 3" in and out 3" thick and redid some
of the piping and wound up with 90 intake air temps on 79-82 deg day

V8_DSM_V8again

If you live in the heartland/Midwest etc get a basic intercooler and run E85. 85% ethanol.... NOTICE IT DID NOT START WITH A M.... METHanol is a very aggressive solvent and toxic...

I can go to a pump and buy E85. Save money, polute less, run more boost, make more hp and it cost less than a methanol injection add on...

Taking into acount the cost of fuel system upgrades needed for gas VS the same power in a ETHanol capable fuel system.

I love running the stuff... Its soo much cheaper than race gas and makes more power in forced induction applications..

98turbls1

iTrader: (17)

Oh, I forgot about that...good point but I have been doing some serious reading on that and you already know V8_DSM but he may not know that you have to have a Stainless Tank, anodized aluminum fittings and the whole nine but it's sooo much better...I'm thinking of upgrading my setup to run this or to be able to run this as an option because there aren't too many of these stations out there yet...

V8_DSM_V8again

Actually I have a plastic tank...

A plastic tank is just fine with the stuff.. Since you have steel fuel rails they would need to be jet hot coated inside.

You can do that to a aluminum rail but a anodizing tends to be cheaper with more local availability..

Its NOT because of ethanol being corrosive its to prevent a electrolytic process known as galvanic corosion (galvanizing) caused by the presence of dissimilar metals..
Use an aluminum washer on a steel truck frame rail and you will have issues there too.

The difference in capacitance and resistance of the fuel can be positive.. Its what makes the sensor in a FFV fuel line posible.. It can tell what % is flowing thru the line at that moment and trim the duty cycle to match.

Its alot less corrosive than Methanol and not as corrosive as gas to some chemicals but more to others.. Same with gas there are some substances it will eat that ethanol wont..

Your right in that it is a specific market area thing.. I have it everywhere around here. The price, availability and turbo engine performance are why I dont run anything else.

98turbls1

iTrader: (17)

So will it eat through steel braided lines?? My fuel rails are anodized and all of the fittings are too but the lines are the only concern that I have...Also, I'm going to be running a stock 98 tank sumped but I'll probably have to have the insides lined since it's a steel tank right?? I have a pretty good idea of what to upgrade to but just needed to make sure...I have a couple of places to get it from but not enough to run it exclusively...

V8_DSM_V8again

No it wont.. It probably wont even eat thru a dixie cup.. Its corn alcohol....

If you go as fast as you are probably shooting for and want to be track legal that tank might have to go anyway or atleast get a bladder... Look at the rule book... It will have no effect on either..

98Ztwentyeight

iTrader: (2)

I think ethanol is like 104 -105 octane . they sell it here in oklahoma

but no where close by where I live.

and my sts car is my everyday driver.

otherwise that would rule!

98turbls1

iTrader: (17)

Yeah man...I'm from Oklahoma too but I live in Cali not but I intend to move back there soon...I was looking on line and I found a distributor in Seminole...Yikes!! That's kinda far to drive just for gas...Even if it is 104 octane...That's why I would like to run a system that I could run both or maybe have a second tank or something...Hopefully the E85 market starts picking up and we can soon get it at regular gas stations or something

V8_DSM_V8again

Thats the 85% ethanol...

The 98% is even more fun but not as easy to run since due to cold start issues.

Keep an eye out.. The whole FFV market is doing good right now.. More new FFV models every year will increase demand and help expand into new markets.

maddboost

iTrader: (11)

I had heard that E85 is actually a less eficient fuel to burn than say 87 octane so while E85 is cheaper your vehicle would actually get worse gas mileage than on 87 octane.

V8_DSM_V8again

It has a lower BTU per unit value..

Guess what.. Methanol is even lower but will make more power than ethanol...

Yes you get less MPG.. But how much are you paying per gallon?

Most of the time it comes out to costing the same amount per mile... You just trade having to fill up more often with gaining performance beyond 93 octane. However still at the 87 octane cost per mile.

tkimrey

iTrader: (16)

E85 would be the way to go, it's just a big cost up front to convert everything over to run but in the long run would be awesome.

If you're trying to build a high performance car you might not want to be to concerned with mpg's...the faster you go the more gas you use, sucks I know, I don't even pay attention to how many mpg's my car gets now because it doesn't even matter anymore. All I know is it gulps it down..lol