Fuel - What's the big deal

[Super Dave]

The HDE parameters will not allow oxygenated fuels, period.  Or for that matter gas you buy for your car at the pump.

I told Kevin this at the end of 2001.  Basically, few understand the rules.  I deal with fuel rules quite regularly with the teams and shops I work with in cars, drag racing, hill climb, etc.

The HDE test is pretty tight, as it is set.  That's it.

But, bottom line, you do not see CCS of FUSA enforcing it.  That's where you are at.

As for using methanol...  Good methanol has about 9500BTU's  compared to about 19500BTU's to gasoline.  You'd have to really rework the carbs, or FI a whole lot...like remanufacture it, to get enough fuel through to make methanol work.  In a carb, you could use huge jets,  but ultimately, you jetting would be limited by the in-let needle and seat.  I used some really oxygenated fuel that gave us a problem like that.

As per oxygenation, gasoline has about 10 to 15% oxygenate in it by volume to give it about 2% oxygen or so (varities by the type and, after all, you're blending huge quantities).  

Anyway, almost any amount of oxygenate would make a fuel illegal.

A conventional (non-oxygenated) unleaded fuel would still be illegal.  It's just the hydro carbons that are measured under a dielectric reading.  

Oxygenates should be allowed.  No nitrogen bearing additives like nitro methane or proplyene oxide.  That is reasonably easy to make a dielectric test for.