Ever Wondered, What are those hyperarcs using as fuel? Is it a magical Fuel or What?
Well it is known as Racing Fuel!
Unleaded racing fuel is also referred to as “dry gas” or simply “gas.”
Racing or “high-performance” octane fuel has more than just an octane rating that distinguishes it from regular pump gas. Racing fuel can be described as a premium unleaded gasoline, with octane levels of 102-106 (usually 98-100 in the U.S.), and other properties that make for a good racing fuel.
Race cars use high-octane racing fuel because it is stable and consistent in its properties, unlike regular octane pump gas that varies greatly from one region to the next, not to mention other problems associated with low quality gasoline.
Racing fuel also contains detergents and other additives that keep the engine clean and running smoothly. The additives help prevent carbon build up for more consistent performance.
The most common properties of racing fuel are:
- Usually has an octane rating of 102-106 (octane is the measure of how much compression it can take before detonating)
- Contains high detergents and anti-oxidants to keep the engine clean.
- Contains more specific compounds that increase the fuel’s lubricity, ability to run cooler, and decrease carbon build up.
- Octane is usually measured with research or motor octane number (MON) on an “R+M/2” scale. The MON of racing fuel is generally between 110 and 130.
Racing Fuel Properties:
Racing fuels properties make it a superior choice for cars with higher compression ratios, turbocharging, or superchargers. It is also a good choice for older cars where the compression ratio and engine timing has been increased. Modern day flow benches can test a car’s specific needs and design a racing fuel to those specifications.
Can Normal Cars Use Racing Fuel
Yes! On the contrary, many modern cars are designed to run better on higher octane fuels. “Racing” fuel is just an advertising term. It doesn’t mean that the gas was made for racing, only that higher octane allows you to increase your compression ratio and/or timing advance, which makes more power.
Is It Safe to Use Racing Gas
Using racing fuel on a daily driven car is not safe, but it is possible to make the car run with it. The problem with running regular gas (87 octane) in your car is that your engine computer will adjust for the high-octane racing fuel and give you more timing advance which increases cylinder pressures and detonation problems on some cars. If you run racing gas in a car that can’t take it, you will probably blow your engine up.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that 87 octane is somehow not as good as 91 or 93 octane, because all grades of fuel to be rated by what’s called an R+M/2 rating which takes into account octane and energy content. So 87 octane is rated by the same standard as all other octanes. That’s why there’s no such thing as “You can run 91 or higher in a car that takes 87”, because it doesn’t matter what grade you use, it has to be rated for an R+M/2 rating.
What Type of Fuel is Used in Formula One Cars?
Unlike normal road fuel, Formula One cars use gasoline for fuel. While F1 teams can change the formula, they must meet the FIA standards. The fuel must have a minimum octane rating of 87 which contain 5.75% bio-fuel (ethanol). The octane rating of the fuel must be 98 RON or higher. The difference between the two is the amount of carbon in the F1 car’s engine.
Although the regulation allows for a higher octane rating than that of the Formula 1 cars, the octane number is not the only consideration. There are several nuances to F1 fuel. For example, the regulations for Formula 1 fuel don’t allow fuel suppliers to add power-enhancing chemicals. This means that F1 fuel is the most accurate, because the octane number is constant.
The octane number of Formula 1 fuel is a complex formula. The formulas are complicated, so teams don’t just use any fuel. The weight of the cars and the fuel are calculated in the weight of the car. The maximum allowed weight is 110kg, which is an increase from the 105kg of the 2018 regulations. Therefore, the cars can push to the limit without affecting their performance.
Octane Rating
A common misconception is that the octane rating of gasoline determines how much compression your engine can handle. Often people will say that you should only run premium because it has a higher octane, but this isn’t how it works. The compression ratio in an engine is determined by the head design and the shape of the chamber, not just the fuel.
If you switch to premium but your engine was designed for 87 octane, it won’t handle any more compression. You might make the engine run hotter and detonate (knock), which will damage the pistons and valves. Since 91 octane gasoline is common, many people think that they can only get high-compression engines if they use this.
But it’s not true, you can get high compression with any octane rating, the 91 just gives the option to run a little bit hotter timing which makes more power due to higher burn efficiency at higher cylinder pressures. You may have seen advertisements for “high performance” 87 octane gasoline, these are simply 87 octane with more detergents in them to clean the engine better.
Conclusion
Pistons are one of the most important factors when it comes to compression ratio, so if you want a high performance engine, don’t scrimp out on the pistons. As long as your car is designed for 93 octane or higher, then there no reason why you shouldn’t use it.
The only exception is if you’re like most people who care about gas mileage, probably you’ll want to run the cheapest gas (even 87 octane) that your car can handle. But don’t think of using racing fuel as being able to get more performance by simply switching fuels.
Too many people are under the impression that all you have to do is dump in high octane racing fuel and it will improve your engine’s performance.