Alfa Romeo ONLY please!
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Andrew.b
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Track & Race cars

Post by Andrew.b »

Hey Michael

How about a dedicated section for track and racing cars, where we could discuss set-up/products ect. Also review race only components?? What do you think?

Andrew
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Post by 4SFED4 »

I see your point Andrew, won't that will just attract the "I gotta race car on the street crowd" even more?

Education... a big fat sticky that lets people know a race car is a race car and a street car is a street car period. Don't care how "hot" your street car is... it aint a race car. Those who have driven a purpose built race car understand this... those who have not and want a "75% track car and 25% street car" SHOULD go drive a purpose built race car... then they wouldn't want a race car for the street anymore! "Oh, you mean a race car does not have a stereo or power windows... you mean I have to get new kidneys if I drive it on the street... well how loud is loud... will it bother the neighbors?"... lol

If you can get that point across... a dedicated section would be great... without it, it would be like spreading honey for flies!

Besides... then we would have even MORE posts from Mats! :)

Cheers a lot,

-Brian
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Post by Mats »

Andrew: Cheap advertising trick dude.. ;)

Brian: Shuddup.. :D
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Post by Scudetto »

Sound a good idea
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MD
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Race Cars Only

Post by MD »

Andrew,

I am with you on this. I would very much like to see a dedicated 116 Racing Only annexe to this forum where we could exchange and learn more about race preparing our TRACK cars. Yes Brian your point is not lost on me and keeping hot road cars separate would be a prerequisite of course.

After all, isnt the heart of Alfa about racing ? I believe that it is and plenty of us out there would love to have a go but need encouragement and nurturing to get there. At the moment these topics are all mixed up and it would be better to distill the pure racing stuff from the road use topics.

If some readers wanted to make use of whatever applicable modifications they could for road use consistent with sanity, all the better.

So Michael, could we poll such a thing for support?
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Post by MD »

How strange. Seems like zero interest here.
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Post by ALFA GTV6 GP »

I am also in favour of the proposed dedicated section for track and racing cars
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Post by Maurizio »

I'm interested but my car is still streatlegal ..... :lol:
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Post by Andrew.b »

I think it would work well, as threads won't get sidetracked with

" will my car still pass smog with these cams"
"11.5:1 cr is too much for the street"

Lets keep it track or race!

Question: So who on the board has run Tolulene in the tank?? I've tried it, and it works great - could not get the car to det even when the ignition was advanced way to far, as an experiment. (not to good to inhale thought). Have yet to test the results on a dyno..... but i will.
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Post by Mats »

wow, that is probably the most cancerogenic substance available on the market... ;)
Eats everything made of rubber too. Don't let it sit in your fuel system or there will be problems.
Would be nice to hear about results though.

But as an alternative you could try ehtanol, VERY knock resistant, misfires before knock (whick is safe). A bit on the low side energy wise and that would result in a larger tank maybe depending on the types of race you drive.

Make sure it's legal in your class though, the rescue marschals might have something to say about it.
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Post by Andrew.b »

Mats, I'll let you know results as soon as i can!

Actually, I think it's only the cheaper grade of tolulene that attacks rubber - the stuff you buy at the paint store!! The better grade does not. (not 100% on this, but i'll do a test with some fuel line and an old injector - say 3 weeks soaking)

Also tolulene is present in all pump gas already. I believe it's one of the main chemicals that go into the mix when pump gas is produced.

Will have to look at ethanol also - can it mix with tolulene???MMMMmmmm Rocket fuel!!!
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Post by Jim K »

I my gtv, back in '89 I was using toloene for many months, at about 10% mix. The max you can use is 33%. Toluene (or Toluol) has an octane rating of 118 by itself. It was the basic additive of F1 fuels years ago, but as Mats said it is highly carcinogenic and it was banned. I also used it in our team's Reynard F3 and it was faster with optimised timing. In my car, I had no evidence of deterioration anywhere, but after head removal I found over 2mm thick diamond-hard deposits on the valves, which could only be removed with a small chisel and hammer!(forget wire brushes, scrapers or drills and emery cloth). I had set my timing (2x45DCOE) at +6* over the normal (pinging) max and everything was great, performance wise. During a trip to Italy, I was maxed out on the Autostrada del Sole going south but without Toluene as I had used it all up. I could hear pinging at max revs ( :!: ) but anyway....after a few km I ended up with a seriously ventilated piston (10mm hole in the dome) outside Bologna and drove the rest of 600+km to Bari like this and used up 10lt of oil,too!! One very vivid experience from my gtv days, entirely attributed to stupidity! If I had spent 5 minutes retarding timing by 6*, nothing would have happened. End of story!(qualify for 'True Confessions'?)
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Post by Mats »

Wow, that is stupid... ;)

Pure alcohol (Ethanol) is around 112 Octane (RON) if I remember correctly, problem is that as Methanole it burns with invisible flame...
You can buy E85 from the pumps here, 85% Ethanol and ~15% gas, has at least 102 RON and burns with visible flame, needs about 35% more flow in the fuel system too produce the same amounts of Hp.
VERY bad in cold weather cold starts though, but who cares on a racecar... ;)
Needs shitloads of cold start enrichment too. :)
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-onemanracing.com-
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GTV 2000 -77 - Died in the fire.
155 V6 Sport -96 - Sold!
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Post by Andrew.b »

Now THATS a story Jim !

When I was over at Glenwood, Div used to have a few drums of 'special brew' hidden in the back of the shop - yes, special toluene mix for the race cars!

Did you fix the car?
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Post by Jim K »

Oh, yes, thats the engine that became a book after that, built from the ground up!
Therefore, I have a special sensitivity regarding ignition advance matters-by right! :lol:
Jim K.
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