Tech Articles

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You may be thinking to yourself, what is platinum catalyzed silicone? Why do I need platinum catalyzed silicone? I thought silicone was just silicone? Are there more types of silicone? The short answer is that platinum cured silicone is "the best silicone money can buy". However, instead of just using that old cliché, let us delve a little deeper.

Silicone hose is very easy to clean using hot soapy water or rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth. Simply dampen the cloth and wipe down the hose to restore its appearance.

1. What is the difference between Aramid and Polyester Fabric?

Your turbo blanketselection should be based on the outer diameter (OD) of the casing on your turbocharger's "hot side" (which houses the exhaust-fed impeller). Therefore, you should either look up or manually measure the diameter of your turbocharger's hot side, as described in the figure below, and purchase the appropriately-sized turbo blanket. PTP Universal Turbo Blankets are tailored to fit turbochargers with external wastegates without any modification. If your turbocharger has an internal wastegate, however, you may need to make a simple modification to allow it to fit appropriately (e.g., cut away a portion of the turbo blanket).

Exhaust manifolds on turbocharged cars channel potential energy to the turbocharger. Any energy that is lost to either the manifold or ambient air will not reach the turbo. This energy, therefore, cannot be used to spin the turbine wheel and turbo performance will be reduced. This means it will take the turbo longer to reach target boost.

We have wrapped many headers and other exhaust components in the shop and wanted to share with you what we feel are some of the best practices and techniques we have gained through experience.

We pride ourselves on the ability to fuel anything from a Jr. Dragster or snowmobile to a 3000 hp Pro Mod. This ability comes from a greater breadth of products than any other fuel system manufacturer in the industry. That is apparent when you search through our products looking for the right fuel pump. What isn't always so apparent is that this ability also comes from a systems based approach to fuel delivery. Understanding that fueling you engine is much more than just a fuel pump. Its the right line sizes, proper filters for the fuel pump and ultimately choosing the right pump for your engine.

1. Where can I find out if there is a 340 Stealth Pump for my year/make/model vehicle?

1. After installing a larger (or secondary) fuel pump for my EFI engine, the fuel rail pressure went up and my regulator won't adjust it back down, what's wrong?

1. I'm looking at an Aeromotive EFI fuel pump for my new engine but I need 60 PSI and your website says it only puts out 43 PSI. Do you have one with more pressure?

1. I want to convert my EFI engine to a carburetor, how can I "knock the pressure down" coming out of my EFI pump? What Aeromotive regulator should I use for this?

1. I'm looking at an Aeromotive EFI fuel pump for my new carbureted engine, but I need 7 PSI and your catalog (or your website) says it puts out 43 PSI. Won't this flood the engine?

A crucial part of owning a performance engine is knowing the requirement for proper fuel flow and pressure, then researching to find a fuel system able to meet those requirements. Engine performance and reliability depend on this. After having invested in and installed a quality fuel system, to then find that the gauge is making fuel pressure appear out of control, unstable and unpredictable, is surprisingly common, not to mention alarming and frustrating.

Changing the fuel pressure on an EFI System is an effective method of affecting engine performance and making more power. However, there are many do's and don'ts, and rules of thumb that can be frustrating to learn the hard way. Below are many small but key points, tips and insights all "tuners" should know and understand before cranking on that Adjustable Regulator.

Today, the combination of EFI and modern engine technology have allowed us the freedom to create the ultimate street driven race car. Ordinary combinations produce 300-500 HP and the stock EFI fuel system has proven flexible enough to cover that, but hardcore engine combinations now exceed this easily, with 600-800 FWHP possible with bolt on parts and serious combinations between 800-1,400 FWHP. Go above 500-600 FWHP and we exceed the limits of a modified stock fuel system, requiring a complete fuel system makeover. The biggest obstacle to major upgrades is often the fuel tank itself. In the past, the debate often centered around whether to modify the stock tank or install a racing fuel cell. Today, many more options exist, thanks to a series of extraordinary product developments from Aeromotive.

CARBURETORS STILL RULE in many forms of racing and on many street machines and watercraft. Converting to EFI has obvious benefits but brings high cost, complexity and in many forms of racing isn't legal. Those who choose or are forced to run a carburetor are turning to expensive, custom-built models for better performance. Often the custom shop will advise a fuel pump upgrade, suggesting a fuel pump rated to support as much as 4-6 times engine horsepower. The reason given is the effect acceleration has on filling the float bowl, driving the standing fuel back against the pump, raising head pressure, killing volume and preventing flow. Seldom questioned is the static, stop-and-go nature of the system itself.

The first step in choosing the correct fuel pump for any engine is to establish how much horsepower will be made and the amount of fuel required to support it. To be safe, start by estimating HP on the high side and efficiency or BSFC for the fuel of choice on the low side. A typical gasoline engine will use less than 1lb of fuel to make 1 HP for 1 hour, so expect the BSFC number to be less than 1. Different engine combinations, power adders, opting for ethanol or methanol fuel, even fuel octane ratings and different tuning approaches, will have a profound impact on BSFC. Consider these factors carefully.