Meth injection the only option?

**stonebreaker** · 02-16-2006, 10:30 AM

I was just wondering if methanol injection is the only solution for chemical intercooling? Wouldn't propane work just as well? The reason I was asking is because some of the nitrous suppliers (NX, Zex) have progressive controllers for their solenoids. Seems like it would be a lot easier to adapt this setup to propane injection instead of methanol. You wouldn't need a pump for the propane, either, and you'd get more even fuel distribution since it would enter the engine as a gas, not a vapor.

Anyone know where I can get data for the specific heats/heats of vaporization of propane and methanol?

**Sand-Maverick** · 02-16-2006, 11:08 AM

I have never heard of a Propane injection kit, at least not for a car atleast. I dont think that you could adapt a diesl, but I could be wrong. I think that methanol would alot easyer, with propane you have to haul around that big O' Propane tank, and regulator, plus high presure lines ext.! I know that one of the reasons that they use methanol is because it is so cold burning. My dad has a racecar and when it ran on gasolien it had a radiator in it and would get to 260 degrees by the end of the traps, now by running it on methanol we don't run a radiator at all and have trouble keeping it warm!

**stonebreaker** · 02-16-2006, 11:11 AM

Well, granted an alcohol burning car runs cold, but what percentage of methanol do you inject into a turbo car? 10%? 20%?

**618Hawk** · 02-16-2006, 03:08 PM

Cant tell you how propane would react in a gas engine. But I can tell you it dose wonders in my turbocharged 6.5L diesel. Motor runs much cleaner and cooler with a great increase in pwr and tq.

**Sand-Maverick** · 02-16-2006, 04:40 PM

At my company sandmaverick.com we are probably going to run into the same problome. We have a Turbo-Charged LS2, and once we turn the boost to it, and in Arizona heat, we will probably have trouble controling the car's temp. Alchahol injection is somthing we are looking in to.

**Qwk94Z28** · 02-22-2006, 08:46 PM

alky/water injection can cool combustion temps alot, some people run just traight water but a mix is prolly your best bet. you could make your own kit too for around 150.

whatever your setup is, your running a intercooler right? spray some co2 on it as well for good cooling effects

**stonebreaker** · 02-23-2006, 06:20 AM

I don't have any setup at the moment - I'm still in the planning stages.

**Qwk94Z28** · 02-23-2006, 09:17 AM

well from what i read alky injection can reduce temps by 30* so definitly something i am going to do....just another fact

quicky06 · 02-26-2006, 05:19 PM

propane is not used for cooling in diesels, it is used as a substitute for nitrous

**Qwk94Z28** · 02-26-2006, 05:35 PM

propane can be used for a cooling effect as well on a gasoline engine

**618Hawk** · 02-26-2006, 06:55 PM

Propane when used in a diesel dose help with cooling, with correct injection it will lower EGT. I have seen this 1st hand on my 6.5 with a Bullydog Injection along with the Banks turbo.
Gives a much cooler clean burn.

quicky06 · 02-27-2006, 03:30 PM

yes it does give some cooling on diesels. but i would NOT use it on a gasoline engine. it is too explosive. propane is something like 10x more explosive than gasoline. this cant be good for your engine. and its flamable so you can spray it on a intercooler.

**Qwk94Z28** · 02-27-2006, 04:35 PM

hey people are stupid, and will use anything. haha just saying its something you can use but theres safer ways

**QKRDTA3** · 02-28-2006, 04:34 PM

meth injection is garbage spend the $$$ on an intercooler

**Qwk94Z28** · 02-28-2006, 05:05 PM

haha its the poor mans intercooler

but running it with a intercooler is what i do

Ls2Bird · 03-02-2006, 07:57 PM

from a pure cooling standpoint based upon thermodynamics I would think that the methanol injection would be the best.

propane is a gas a standard atmosphere. In order to cool the combustion it must absorb the heat. How much it would hold would just be the specific at that pressure.

on the other hand methanol is a liquid. It can absorb a tremendous amount of heat by changing phases...going from a liquid to a gas. Look up the laten heat of vaporization for methanol. You will find that it is much much greater than the specific heat of gasous propane.