The Driver

I need to prepare a fuel system that is capable of handling a big hp evo The first thing I want to buy is a fuel cell i like atl fuel cells that i have seen on other evos i am interested but my knowledge in this area is very poor and finding information was difficult to find is there anyone out there that knows anything about fuel cells any replies will be appreciated

Jim in Tucson

iTrader: (3)

State side most of us simply use the OEM gas tank. Works great. Comes with the EVO. Price is right. I've never felt the need to stop using it.

What exactly is the gas tank problem that you are expecting the fuel cell to solve? Is this for some type of specialized auto racing that requires a fuel cell?

The Driver

thanks for the reply jim I am building a full race car that I am gonna race in as many events as possible when its finished I dont want to be told by officials my car cant enter because certain things are not approved by the FIA. you are right about the original tank yes it does work well but what I would like to know is if there are any benefits that can justify putting in a fuel cell as I doubt that companies like ATL make these cells and people buy them for no reason

The Driver

I found this somewhere

[edit] Racing fuel cells
A racing fuel cell is a fuel container that differs from an ordinary fuel tank in the following ways: It has a flexible inner liner to minimize the potential for punctures in the event of a collision or other mishap resulting in serious damage to the vehicle. It is filled with an open-cell foam core to prevent explosion of vapor in the empty portion of the tank and to minimize sloshing of fuel during competition that may unbalance the vehicle or cause inadequate fuel (fuel starvation) delivery to the motor.

M3EvoBR

be careful with the foam, as it tend to solve on ethanol.

The Driver

Thanks for the advice I will take this into consideration

logic

iTrader: (2)

ATL actually talks about this in their FAQ: http://www.atlinc.com/faqs_racing.html

I've dropped them an email asking if there's anything specific one should watch out for with their equipment; my 2g DSM has a 15-gallon aluminum ATL cell with foam and bladder with an annodized aluminum fill plate, and I'm considering running it on E-85, so this is something I'm curious about myself.

Now, as to whether switching over to a cell is a good idea, that's something you'll need to decide, but the "people wouldn't buy them for no reason" argument doesn't fly with me. The reason I switched was because the saddlebag tank design on the 2g didn't lend itself well to a high-volume fuel system, and I could foresee starvation issues that I'd need to engineer around that disappeared when I went to a cell. I haven't spent a whole lot of time looking at the Evo tank configuration, so I can't say whether it will suffer from the same problem, but you need to be pumping a lot of fuel for this to be an issue.

As for crash considerations, in an accident, I'd much rather have the stock tank. First, it's actually been crash-tested in the car it came in; ATL and Fuel-Safe impact-test their cells (it's an FIA requirement, actually), but under rather contrived conditions, and certainly not in the mounting arrangement I currently have my cell in. Second, if you're like most people, you'll either mount a small cell in the engine bay (drag) or a larger cell in the trunk/spare-tire area (drag/track). Either location means it's less protected from fore- or rear-impact (think rear contact from another vehicle, or head-on contact with a barrier) than the stock location under the back seat.

Can you clearly identify the problem you're solving by switching? Have you read over your racing series regulations to see if there's a requirement for a cell?

logic

iTrader: (2)

I just heard back from ATL; I originally asked them about my level sender, the cell itself, and the bladder and foam. Here's what they said: So, if you're uncommitted to a configuration right now, the foam they sell for alcohol use is probably more appropriate. This also highlights the usefulness of pre-filtering your fuel pumps, and inspecting the filters regularly. I'm not sure what I'm going to do regarding the level sender; I'll have to look around for something that's not made of thin-gauge aluminum.

The Driver

Thanks for the replies logic this is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to get

logic

iTrader: (2)

One last note: ATL just let me know that they have been experimenting with ethanol/alcohol-safe level senders, but have not yet finalized a part. So, something is obviously coming there, but today the best they offer is the annodized dipstick option.

Does anyone reading this know of an alcohol-safe level sender? Every one I've seen so far is made of aluminum, which is presumably the problem.

skiracer

iTrader: (1)

You might want to investigate what the GM FlexFuel cars are using....

skiracer

iTrader: (1)

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog...TOKEN=84515279

Do a search for 2007 GMC Yukon ---> Fuel System ---> Fuel system components --> Level Sensor ---> W/Flex Fuel

You can choose W/Flex fuel or W/O FlexFuel. Pick one that is appropriate

Collision Catalog - 2007 - GMC - Yukon
Fuel system, Fuel system components, Level sensor, W/flex fuel, W/flex fuel