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Fuel For Pro Ride Sleds

AndrettiDog

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
I know this has been discussed in one form or another in other threads. But not with the new Pro Ride.

What do we do for fuel? Seems like in Colorado it is getting just about impossible to find non-oxygenated fuel (fuel with ethanol blend). The new Pro Ride has a plug that can be swapped out to make the sled safer - that is, make sure it doesn't detonate too much with "bad" fuel. But at what cost? It will bring down the HP that we all want so bad.

So what can we do? Use a couple gallons of race fuel? How about octane booster? Which ones work which ones don't work?

I've also thought about loading up my 6 gallon fuel cans with non oxygenated fuel when I do find it. But how long will that fuel be good? A week, what about two or three weeks?
 
i have the same questions, but i think i'll run the non-ethynol plug and buy premium and call it good. the safe plug will stay in the bag on the sled just in case. i hope someone dynos the two plugs at the same session and we might be able to see the differences.
 

Yeah, I saw this thread. But really everyone is just talking about the difference between non-ethanol and oxygenated fuels.

What I'm driving at here is how to deal with them. There is only one fuel station left in the county where I live. I'll continue to buy fuel there while it is still non-ethanol. But what can we do to deal with oxygenated fuel if we have no choice? That's why I brought up octane booster.
 
Yeah, I saw this thread. But really everyone is just talking about the difference between non-ethanol and oxygenated fuels.

What I'm driving at here is how to deal with them. There is only one fuel station left in the county where I live. I'll continue to buy fuel there while it is still non-ethanol. But what can we do to deal with oxygenated fuel if we have no choice? That's why I brought up octane booster.

TORCO ACCELERATOR - used it for years, best product that I have found. Google it and see for yourself what you think. I have used it in place of race fuel on boosted sleds and never a problem, just know the correct mix!
 
Here's my take on Ethanol and the jumper/plug on the Pro. If you run Ethanol then you need to use the right plug...it's about adding more fuel when you run Ethanol. It takes about 4% more volumn of Ethanol to make the same energy as non ethanol. Adding Octane Boost or race fuel raises Octane not the specific gravity (weight) of the fuel. In theory you can make the same power with Ethanol as non Ethanol it just takes more fuel. But then you have the other issue that complicates things....they can blend with a lower quality gas to get Premium Ethanol since the alcohol has a higher octane rating than gasoline.
 
Yeah, I saw this thread. But really everyone is just talking about the difference between non-ethanol and oxygenated fuels.

What I'm driving at here is how to deal with them. There is only one fuel station left in the county where I live. I'll continue to buy fuel there while it is still non-ethanol. But what can we do to deal with oxygenated fuel if we have no choice? That's why I brought up octane booster.


Its not a matter of octane. Ethanol is very high octane. It is the other properties of ethanol that make it challenging to run in sleds.
 
Hey Bug...

Seems to me these are the real issues with ethanol fuel. I think this is what your saying your worried about.
It's a longish read, but addresses some issues beside just what's gonna make this sled stronger than that sled.
Hope it helps. Bag
(by the way, those pictures kept me up all night drooling!!


(copied from the amsoil site)

Degraded fuel presents a major maintenance issue in small engines and powersports equipment. It can form varnish, gum and insoluble debris that clog carburetors, fuel injectors and fuel filters. Carbon buildup can form on the tops of pistons that leads to pre-ignition, rough idling and poor throttle response. Fuel-related problems are only expected to intensify in the coming years as the ethanol content in pump gasoline continues to increase.

AMSOIL Quickshot SE (AQS) is a premium fuel additive formulated to thoroughly clean and restore peak performance in small engine and powersports equipment fuel systems. It also stabilizes fuel between uses and during short-term storage periods. Its revolutionary technology focuses on three major fuel-related issues plaguing small engines and powersports equipment: ethanol, water and dirty pump gas.

Ethanol
Ethanol in fuel has a tendency to absorb water and separate from the gasoline, sinking to the bottom of the gas tank, where it quickly degrades and creates gum, varnish and other insoluble debris that can plug fuel flow passages and negatively affect engine performance. When this ethanol/water mixture is pulled
into the engine, it creates a lean burn situation that increases combustion chamber temperatures and can lead to engine damage. AMSOIL Quickshot SE is designed to keep water dispersed throughout the tank, moving it out as a normal part of operation and decreasing the chance of ethanol separating from the gasoline.

Quickshot SE was tested in fuel containing 10 percent ethanol. Controlled plugging of injectors showed a 70 percent flow improvement, while oxidation stability improved 44 percent over untreated fuel.

Water
Water finds its way into gas tanks through condensation in tanks open to the atmosphere, gas pumps and other environmental conditions, and if left untreated, will cause a myriad of starting, performance and corrosion problems. By keeping water dispersed in tiny molecules and safely moving it out of the tank through the combustion chamber, Quickshot SE helps maintain engine performance and protects against damaging corrosion.

Dirty Gasoline
Dirty gasoline causes fuel system gumming and varnish, as well as piston and combustion chamber deposits. Although all gasoline sold in the U.S. is formulated with a lowest additive concentration (LAC) level of detergent additives, these detergent levels are not enough to prevent deposits from building up on critical fuel system components. Quickshot SE contains unique chemistry that quickly detaches and carries away deposits and buildups in fuel systems, injectors and carburetors, while also cleaning hard-to-remove deposits on piston tops, spark plugs and other combustion chamber parts.

Applications
Quickshot SE is recommended for use in all two- and four-stroke gasoline-powered engines, including motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, personal watercraft, ATVs, edgers, tillers, mowers, snowblowers, chainsaws, generators and farm and construction equipment. However, AMSOIL P.i. Performance Improver is the superior choice for passenger vehicle applications.

Recommendations
Quickshot SE is designed for an initial clean-up dose of 8 oz. per 6 gallons of gasoline, followed by 8 oz. per 12 gallons thereafter.
 
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So my purpose for this post was to say that I'm more worried about how ethanol DEVELOPS it's octane rating, and how it interacts with the chemicals that make up the fuel than I am what the octane rating is.
I assume (oh boy) that is what's meant by weight?
I'm not endorsing any particular product, I'm more trying to show that there are products out there that will help overcome some of the detrimental effects of this ingredient in our fuel.
PERSONALLY, I feel that an additive that negates these ill effects is a much better defense against the pertinate issues, than just bumping up the octane rating with a booster.
I'm not sure that adding race fuel will help either if the ethanol/water mix separates..... then there is a slug of liquid in the tank that is gonna burn lean anyway.
I can't say that I understand the difference in how the two plugs effect the mapping/timing whatever on the new Pros.
If someone could speak intelligently on that subject I'd love to know more about them.
Bueller? Bueller?

Bag
'Thanks MH, I must have been in a hurry this AM!'
 
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Is it reasonably possible to wire in both plugs (ethanol and non-ethanol) to a single throw - dual pole switch, so that in one position the ethanol plug is activated, and the other position the non-ethanol plug is activated? I don't have a good way to diagram this, but in another post (IQ chassis), there have been pictures of folks switching the ethanol wire connection and then labeling it. I realize this simple approach wouldn't work on the Pro because it needs a plug regardless of fuel type, but thought with a switching set-up, you wouldn't have to worry about which plug you have (once the label comes off) and it would be easy and reliable to simply select on the switch. Again, probably mount the switch next to the oil res. so that you can select the fuel type at fill up time for both gas and oil.
 
Is it reasonably possible to wire in both plugs (ethanol and non-ethanol) to a single throw - dual pole switch, so that in one position the ethanol plug is activated, and the other position the non-ethanol plug is activated? I don't have a good way to diagram this, but in another post (IQ chassis), there have been pictures of folks switching the ethanol wire connection and then labeling it. I realize this simple approach wouldn't work on the Pro because it needs a plug regardless of fuel type, but thought with a switching set-up, you wouldn't have to worry about which plug you have (once the label comes off) and it would be easy and reliable to simply select on the switch. Again, probably mount the switch next to the oil res. so that you can select the fuel type at fill up time for both gas and oil.

As I was reading your post, I thought this would be a great idea. Then you could ride on the trail in the ethanol position and turn it to non-eth when you want ideal power. Almost like you are choking it out. I know guys are going to say if you have ethanol fuel, always use the ethanol plug. But I'm going to always shoot for non-ethanol fuel, but I can't guarantee I will always have it.
 
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