6 Once the pumps are in place,...
6 Once the pumps are in place, the fuel lines are secured to the end of each pump. DivisionX hats feature big bore feed and return path for optimal flow.
On the tuning side, Dez fired up the SCT software and changed the stoichometric number from gasoline's 14.7:1 to the E85 rating of 9.76:1. There is a pull down menu to adjust this ratio. Another change was to increase base fuel pressure (a total of 28 percent) from 40 psi with gasoline to 55 psi with the E85. An easy check-out pass on the dyno showed the fuel injectors were already near 100-percent duty cycle with the fuel pressure at 40 psi, so the combo really needed larger injectors. Since we didn't have them, we increased pressure for the purpose of the test. Leaving timing the same we saw the baseline of 616 rwhp increase to 635 rwhp—a gain of 19 rwhp with no other changes except the extra fuel. "The reason for the increase in power is the greater oxygen content of the E85 compared to pump gasoline," says Dezotell.
One of the reasons for running your car on E85 is the benefit of the increased octane rating, thus allowing more boost, more compression, and more timing over pump-gas applications. Increasing the compression ratio was out of the question since the engine was in the car already. Dezotell shied away from adding more boost because the P1SC-2 was at maximum impeller speed (60,000 rpm) thanks to a 3.20-inch blower pulley and a 6.60-inch crank pulley (impeller speed = crank pulley size/blower pulley size x step-up ratio x max engine rpm).
The boost gauge on the DynoJet chassis dyno shows a peak of 16 psi at the 7,100-rpm redline. It left Dezotell with only one option and that was increasing the ignition timing, and he did so conservatively with an extra 3 degrees throughout the entire curve. That put total timing at 22 degrees at the peak of 7,100 rpm.
The Two-Valve screamed with the extra 3 degrees as it worked its way up to redline, and when the pull was complete, the results were outstanding—669 rwhp and 519 lb-ft of torque. The E85 fuel allowed timing to be increased by 3 degrees, which resulted in gains of 53 rwhp and 34 lb-ft of torque. "I think there is more power in there," Dezotell comments, "but for now we're happy."
E85 is a power enabler allowing more cylinder pressure and/or more timing as if the engine was running on race fuel, but it cost us $3.69 per galloon as compared to $12-$17 per gallon for a quality high-octane race fuel. Make the switch to more power for less money—being greener is an added bonus.
7 The fuel pump socks are...
7 The fuel pump socks are important! We've seen people forget to put these on or crush them when installing the fuel pump assembly. The socks are there to protect the fuel pump from ingesting particles that can ruin the fuel pump and/or clog it. Don't risk fuel pump failure because you think the pump will flow more volume without 'em. The difference is hardly seen and not worth the risk.
8 Brian Machie of Dez Racing...
8 Brian Machie of Dez Racing lowers the DivisionX hat into the fuel tank. All DivisionX hats are designed to bolt into stock tanks without any modifications.
9 The car was setup with...
9 The car was setup with a dual FPDM driver in order to power up both fuel pumps. Machie simply soldered the fuel pump wires to the plug that is connected to the driver module.
10 Machie added the black...
10 Machie added the black fittings to the fuel lines quickly as the fittings press into the line for secure and tight fit.
11 The feed and return lines...
11 The feed and return lines were bolted on to the fuel hat before the tank was reinstalled in the vehicle.
12 DivisionX and Lethal Performance...
12 DivisionX and Lethal Performance offer fuel filter setups, but the '01 Mustang GT was recently upgraded to a brand-new Aeromotive filter, so we reused it.
13 One drawback to E85 is...
13 One drawback to E85 is that you should take a sample of the fuel before filling up your car. Quick Fuel sells this tester for a mere $15 or so and it is quick and easy to check the ethanol content of the fuel load.
13a First you fill the test...
13a First you fill the test tube with water up to a certain line marked on the body of the tester. Then you pour in E85 until it reaches the max fill line. A few easy shakes to properly mix the two fluids and you get a percentage reading. Our fuel was over 85 percent but less than 90 percent. E85 stations advertise a minimum rating of 68 percent ethanol so be careful, as your tune-up will be effected by this percentage. The station we use has a consistent 85-90 percent reading.
14 Once we knew the E85 fuel...
14 Once we knew the E85 fuel was suitable Machie (right) and Dezotell (left) filled up the tank with 10 gallons. We picked it up from the station with two five gallon jugs and then emptied the gas tank when we removed it for the fuel pump swap.
15 There were three major...
15 There were three major changes in the tuning—a change in fuel pressure (55 psi), a stoich adjustment in the tune (9.76:1), and an increase in ignition timing (22 degrees).
On 93-octane gasoline our...
On 93-octane gasoline our test Mustang pounded out 616 rwhp and 485 lb-ft of torque.
Changing to E85 and increasing...
Changing to E85 and increasing the ignition timing resulted in a gain of 53 rwhp as output increased to 669 rwhp and 519 lb-ft of torque.