Don Stauffer wrote:
> >
> > In the late 1970s and early 1980s the USAC cars were putting out
1000+
> > bhp out of the 166 CID Turbo Offy. On gasoline it is doubtful much
more
> > than 200-250 hp would have been possible.
>
> Because the engines were DESIGNED to use alcohol, and running 12 - 14 to
> 1 compression ratio.
No the CR was probably 7 or 8 to 1. They were running in excess of
100" Hg MAP with a turbo sized for a linehaul truck engine. Normally
aspirated 255 and 270 Offies were usually between 11 and 13:1.
>
> > Alcohols allow radically more power to be produced in certain cases
> > because of alcohols' higher octane rating, and also the alcohol
fuelled
> > engines can be run very rich which allows the alcohol to act as a
> > cooling medium.
> >
>
> As the previous poster said, CERTAIN cases- not the case with unmodified
> engine or one designed with variable compression (only a handful of such
> designs throughout history).
>
> > The 1952 GM LeSabre show car used a clean-sheet-of-paper engine which
> > was dual-fuel, but not in the sense of the current FFVs. It had a
> > gasoline carburetor used for starting and cruising and a methanol one
> > which opened progressively at high power.
> >
>
> But what was compression ratio, and did it generate more power on
> alcohol? It is not that hard to make dual fuel engines- current E-85
> engines are such dual fuel engines.
It was relatively low compression but it had a large Roots mechanical
blower. It required gasoline all the time, for starting and low power
operation. Methanol was for high power operation. If the methanol ran
out it could be driven but only at limited power.
