Meth Injection while running E85
- Thread starter damascius
- Start date
Meth injection can be a real game changer, especially if you are trying to squeeze more power out of a given turbo setup on 93 octane. I do know of more than a few people that run methanol injection and E85, but it's not super common. There is a power increase, but its not quite as advantageous as is it on 93. I'm not sure that it lowers AITs technically, due to the placement of the nozzle and the temperature sensor, but it does have a cooling effect on the intake charge inside the manifold. Splitting hairs, I know. :roll: One thing that a meth system (especially when running water in the mix) DOES lower is Exhaust Gas Temperatures. This helps extend the operating life of your turbocharger.
Anyway, Snow Performance makes those premixed (49% meth, 51% distilled water) jugs of "boost juice" which is great since you don't have to mix your water and meth at home which can be a little tricky. That is an ideal mix for 93 octane. With an E85 tune, you might need to go with a higher methanol content in order to see appropriate gains per $. That introduces a couple issues. Methanol is corrosive, especially to aluminum. The further past that 49/51 mix you go, the harder it is on your pumping system and sensors. I can tell you about it firsthand since I have been running 100% methanol and no water. :lol: (Long story, it was a decision by a tuner I had in Florida. Amazing tune, but I digress...) Despite what people think, high methanol content doesn't seem to have much effect on aluminum engine components though, since they are so damn hot during operation that the methanol is immediately evaporated from all surfaces. But where it sits in the pump and fittings, it will eat them up faster. You can expect to get about 3-4 years of usage out of those components with 100% instead of the usual 6-8 you might otherwise with a proper mix.
Another issue with methanol contents higher than 49% is fire. A 49% mix will not burn. Me on the other hand, if I got rear-ended in a bad way, I could be running around like Ricky Bobby on fire. Except the invisible flames covering me would be real. :lol:
Lastly, methanol systems are great, but they introduce another variable with a moderate rate of failure. Eventually, just about every methanol system starts to fail. It may be 10 years from now and you might catch it beforehand. If not, should your system fail under WOT and you don't have a fail-safe unit installed (these are of questionable effectiveness) say goodbye to your pistons. Kaaableeewy! :lol: Essentially, what you are doing with methanol is increasing the effective octane of your intake charge to where you can run a very aggressive tune with lean AFRs. When you suddenly lose that high octane quality during a system failure, you are suuuper likely to have knock events which of course, destroys things. Conversely, a properly operating system can actually help reduce knock in many cases by steam-cleaning your valves, removing any carbon deposits. It's not super common, but carbon deposits on the valves can sometimes get hot enough to act like a glow-plug, causing pre-detonation. So in that case, water+meth is advantageous.
I don't want to scare you too much or anything. Just making you aware of the potential pitfalls. I have been running a methanol system since 2010 with great results. But mine has started to fail (probably due to 100% meth) and I am deleting it from my on-going build. I should have more than enough turbo and cam to hit my power goals on 93 without it and I could possibly run E85 as well. I want to make damn sure that after spending this many thousands of dollars on this build, that I don't blow it up. :lol:
I've always been of the opinion that a methanol system is best suited to a driver that wants to continue to run a small turbo with quick response, but desires the power of a larger turbo without the lag. Maybe not the best example, but... if you wanted to run a 16-18g for the early spool, but wanted the power of a 20g, methanol was a great choice. That thinking was very popular about 10 years ago, and has died out a bit due to the increased availability of flex fuel kits and E85.
I should probably stop rambling now. Let me know if there is anything else I can answer about this.
Anyway, Snow Performance makes those premixed (49% meth, 51% distilled water) jugs of "boost juice" which is great since you don't have to mix your water and meth at home which can be a little tricky. That is an ideal mix for 93 octane. With an E85 tune, you might need to go with a higher methanol content in order to see appropriate gains per $. That introduces a couple issues. Methanol is corrosive, especially to aluminum. The further past that 49/51 mix you go, the harder it is on your pumping system and sensors. I can tell you about it firsthand since I have been running 100% methanol and no water. :lol: (Long story, it was a decision by a tuner I had in Florida. Amazing tune, but I digress...) Despite what people think, high methanol content doesn't seem to have much effect on aluminum engine components though, since they are so damn hot during operation that the methanol is immediately evaporated from all surfaces. But where it sits in the pump and fittings, it will eat them up faster. You can expect to get about 3-4 years of usage out of those components with 100% instead of the usual 6-8 you might otherwise with a proper mix.
Another issue with methanol contents higher than 49% is fire. A 49% mix will not burn. Me on the other hand, if I got rear-ended in a bad way, I could be running around like Ricky Bobby on fire. Except the invisible flames covering me would be real. :lol:
Lastly, methanol systems are great, but they introduce another variable with a moderate rate of failure. Eventually, just about every methanol system starts to fail. It may be 10 years from now and you might catch it beforehand. If not, should your system fail under WOT and you don't have a fail-safe unit installed (these are of questionable effectiveness) say goodbye to your pistons. Kaaableeewy! :lol: Essentially, what you are doing with methanol is increasing the effective octane of your intake charge to where you can run a very aggressive tune with lean AFRs. When you suddenly lose that high octane quality during a system failure, you are suuuper likely to have knock events which of course, destroys things. Conversely, a properly operating system can actually help reduce knock in many cases by steam-cleaning your valves, removing any carbon deposits. It's not super common, but carbon deposits on the valves can sometimes get hot enough to act like a glow-plug, causing pre-detonation. So in that case, water+meth is advantageous.
I don't want to scare you too much or anything. Just making you aware of the potential pitfalls. I have been running a methanol system since 2010 with great results. But mine has started to fail (probably due to 100% meth) and I am deleting it from my on-going build. I should have more than enough turbo and cam to hit my power goals on 93 without it and I could possibly run E85 as well. I want to make damn sure that after spending this many thousands of dollars on this build, that I don't blow it up. :lol:
I've always been of the opinion that a methanol system is best suited to a driver that wants to continue to run a small turbo with quick response, but desires the power of a larger turbo without the lag. Maybe not the best example, but... if you wanted to run a 16-18g for the early spool, but wanted the power of a 20g, methanol was a great choice. That thinking was very popular about 10 years ago, and has died out a bit due to the increased availability of flex fuel kits and E85.
I should probably stop rambling now. Let me know if there is anything else I can answer about this.
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Thank you so much for the input! I did a lot of google searching and was trying to get specifics on using both at the same time. I figured it wouldn't do harm to run both. I thought it would lower my AIT though. 
I'll get it and give it a try.
I'll get it and give it a try.Similar threads
