• Mulry
  • Mulry
  • Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah
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  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 4,607

Re: Fuel cell help!

TheEngineer wrote:

FWIW, a cell can help. Our fuel stops aren't quick, mostly because it's a pain in the ass to strap people into the daytona. And on the stock tank you got barely to 2 hours of usable fuel, usually less. So we had to stop a lot. The car wasn't the fastest, though we drove the crap out of it. Putting in a cell allowed us to run 3.5 hours essentially meaning we'd stop once a day. Doing this put us within grasp of a C-class victory several times. Never got there because of other things, like crap breaking, but the cell is one of the single best things we did to get us there. Just offering a different opinion.

Every team and car is different. Just because it might have made sense to add a cell to my car, or didn't make sines to add a cell to someone else's doesn't mean those reasons apply to other teams.

It's a fair point. I guess I just don't want to recommend that anybody wade into the fuel cell miasma without a full(ish) perspective of what they're getting themselves into. I don't think that you can reasonably expect to be into that part of the project for less than $1k, and that's if everything breaks your way (finding a good used cell, getting good deals on eBay on the parts you need, additional fittings, hose, etc), and on most of our cars there are a bunch of places that $1k could be spent that gets a better return, especially on a newer build. For example, any Lemons-grade BMW probably has all of its rubber bushings rotted out or torn by that point in its life. Everybody is safer if that car has its bushings replaced, and there are many, and even stock replacements from RockAuto or Pelican are not cheap. As far as I'm concerned, that's a safety item (just like ball joints -- those are probably all shot too), but it's still cash that has to be spent. Better to make the car safe and drive predictably first, then extend your stint time. IMHO. This may not be an issue for OP, but there may be others on that car of which I'm not aware.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.
  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,299

Re: Fuel cell help!

Mulry wrote:

It's a fair point. I guess I just don't want to recommend that anybody wade into the fuel cell miasma without a full(ish) perspective of what they're getting themselves into. I don't think that you can reasonably expect to be into that part of the project for less than $1k, and that's if everything breaks your way (finding a good used cell, getting good deals on eBay on the parts you need, additional fittings, hose, etc), and on most of our cars there are a bunch of places that $1k could be spent that gets a better return, especially on a newer build. For example, any Lemons-grade BMW probably has all of its rubber bushings rotted out or torn by that point in its life. Everybody is safer if that car has its bushings replaced, and there are many, and even stock replacements from RockAuto or Pelican are not cheap. As far as I'm concerned, that's a safety item (just like ball joints -- those are probably all shot too), but it's still cash that has to be spent. Better to make the car safe and drive predictably first, then extend your stint time. IMHO. This may not be an issue for OP, but there may be others on that car of which I'm not aware.


Oh, I agree with you, and you did a better job laying it out than I could have. I was just offering that other side.

And I do agree that if you're going to add a cell it should be safe. I never once thought about buying a cheap used cell. I found the ATL that fit our car and then scoured the internet until I found the best online price. Doing that and making sure all our parts were of decent quality allowed me to get a good setup "cheap" where cheap is relative to how much it can potentially cost. It was still in the $1500 region. I'm glad we did it, and now we own the cell so as we prep our new car it's a cost we don't have to spend again. All the money can go into making the new car safe and reliable.

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  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 3,275

Re: Fuel cell help!

FWIW, Eyesore has won a lot of races with a thirsty turbo motor and without a fuel cell in their Miata.

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  • Disco
  • Disco
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  • Registered: 2014-09-28
  • Posts: 289

Re: Fuel cell help!

I'm really liking everyone's input on this subject.  Obviously it's not a subject to take lightly.  I believe that the fuel cell will just decrease the amount of time we spend with a gas jug in our hands therefore increasing the time we are actually racing.  I'll probably hold off on installing the cell till after our next race in the fall at CMP.  When I'm there I'll pick more teams brains about theirs.  It'll give me more time to save up even more money to buy the ATL.

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  • From: Shippensburg, PA
  • Registered: 2010-11-18
  • Posts: 1,963

Re: Fuel cell help!

Disco wrote:

I'm really liking everyone's input on this subject.  Obviously it's not a subject to take lightly.  I believe that the fuel cell will just decrease the amount of time we spend with a gas jug in our hands therefore increasing the time we are actually racing.  I'll probably hold off on installing the cell till after our next race in the fall at CMP.  When I'm there I'll pick more teams brains about theirs.  It'll give me more time to save up even more money to buy the ATL.

Do you run the car on practice days?  Granted, we usually are not pushing as hard during practice as during the race, but you could try to run 1:45 to 1:50 in practice to see if it can be done with the stock tank.

You stated you were worried about running lean if you ran low on fuel.  I think most cars will give you a "hiccup" or just shut-off if you get too low on fuel.

Just some thoughts to try.

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  • Disco
  • Disco
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Re: Fuel cell help!

racinrob wrote:
Disco wrote:

I'm really liking everyone's input on this subject.  Obviously it's not a subject to take lightly.  I believe that the fuel cell will just decrease the amount of time we spend with a gas jug in our hands therefore increasing the time we are actually racing.  I'll probably hold off on installing the cell till after our next race in the fall at CMP.  When I'm there I'll pick more teams brains about theirs.  It'll give me more time to save up even more money to buy the ATL.

Do you run the car on practice days?  Granted, we usually are not pushing as hard during practice as during the race, but you could try to run 1:45 to 1:50 in practice to see if it can be done with the stock tank.

You stated you were worried about running lean if you ran low on fuel.  I think most cars will give you a "hiccup" or just shut-off if you get too low on fuel.

Just some thoughts to try.


Good thoughts and no we have not tried running that long on a practice day in fact we've only raced the car once and we did practice just not for long sessions.

We will have to try running it super low and see what happens.  I'm pretty sure for our next race we will still be on the stock tank.  Probably going to spend our money on wider tires and rims.

" the only good thing hipsters have brought about is the canning of non crappy beers"
  • From: SF Bay Area
  • Registered: 2012-01-06
  • Posts: 721

Re: Fuel cell help!

Unless you are running forced induction, running a bit lean on a low tank isn't usually fatal.

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