ORIGINAL: PeeBeMe
will it be 20% nitro still or 30% nitro after this ?
I want to make up maybe a gallon of my own fuel: help if can
with your fuel do you think it runs better on performance or just on tuning & do you think your fuel is better then traxxas 20 % fuel ?
I make 20% nitro and 12% oil for car engines.
.20 x 128 = 25.6 ounces of nitro
12% oil = .12 x 128 = 15.36 ounces of oil
68% methanol = .68 x 128 = 87.04 ounces methanol
25.6 + 15.36 + 87.04 = 128oz
If you wanted to make 30% nitro 12% oil it would be:
.30 x 128 = 38.4oz nitro
.12 x 128 = 15.36oz oil
Since I added 10% nitro, I have to subtract 10% from the methanol so
.58 x 128 - 74.24oz methanol
38.4+15.36+74.24 = 128.
You will probably not be able to source methanol in a quantity less than 5 gallons. If you do, it will cost more most likely.
I have found my engines to perform better on my homemade fuel than off the shelf fuel. I have an LST2 with .26 engine that would wheelie on occasion with 20% shelf fuel, and more often with 25% nitro shelf fuel. I get as good of performance from my homebrew 20% nitro blend that I got with 25% nitro shelf fuel (byrons Gen2 to be exact) and it costs $15 less a gallon to make myself. (its $36 a gallon or so at the LHS, plus tax.)
ANY fuel is better than Traxxas top fuel IMO. The stuff is junk. Hard to tune with, Hotter temps, and so on. My engines run cooler, and get the same run-time vs. 20% shelf fuel. Castor based fuels are messier, so there's more cleaning involved but you can lean the ever loving snot out of an engine and it will not burn up compared to using most synthetics at optimum mixture settings.. You would not get the overlean protection with synthetics that you get with castor, Bar none. Its a matter of Science, that is when compared to whats commercially available here in the US. Europe has much better synthetics but I have never used any of them.
edit: Added link to info on oils
http://www.georgiacombat.com/CASTOR_OIL.htm