alky-mixture?

[shark]

hey guys,
i have been reading alot of threads as to what people are using in their alky systems. some are running 100% methanol, some, a combination of meth. i have the smc sys., and they suggest a 50/50 mix of distilled water and denatured alcohol. some suggest that water is not good because it displaces the fuel?? while others say its good because it cleans. i will be running ~20 psi boost with the stock turbo, injectors, and intercooler. i have a chip set up for my alky sys. from turbo tweak. i have the adjustable fuel pressure regulator, along with a performance fuel pump and hot wire. what mix would be optimum for occasional track use? would that mix be different than for the street? i cant get a good feel on this. as always, thanks for any insight.
mike

[kenmosher]

I wouldn't over think it ... if you are running on the ragged edge, then pure alcohol is probably the safest. However, the main benefits when using it as basically an octane enhancer on a street car (without trying to squeeze as much boost as possible out of it) is the cooling effect the alky/water has as it vaporizes in the intake.

The old NACA papers (when they studied it on piston fighters pre/during WWII) suggest the water droplets vaporizing in the combustion chamber not only provides "quench" of hot spots but also the "micro explosions" as it flashes to steam actually impart energy to the process. Pure alcohol provides a lot of the same benefits, but will also act as a fuel (with a lot less energy than gasoline).

In the end, I think you will be just fine either way.