Fuel starvation on track

[ChipG]

Hey all,

My home track is Nashville Superspeedway, which is a counterclockwise roval. I've found that I consistently run into fuel starvation issues due to the extended left-hand Gs pulled. Coming from the pit road onto the main banking I barely make it to the start/finish line before suffering fuel starvation if I start a session below 3/4 tank. This seems an excessive amount to have to have in the tank to avoid fuel starvation, has anyone else encountered this on long left-handers?

To try and avoid this, is there anything different about the pump and baffling setup in the GT500 that I may be able to adapt for the GT350 that would help or am I stuck looking for aftermarket help (or running with a heavy fuel load)?

I'm linking a non-starvation fast lap so you can see the long left in question (it's at the beginning and end of the video).

Sponsored

 

[honeybadger]

I get fuel starve below half tank at COTA when running E85. I've heard of similar issues to what you describe

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

Same as Kevin, I need to go out with at least 1/2 tank or the car gets the ”gurgles” before the end of the session. I haven’t been on any long turns like you describe though. It is a pain to fill up that frequently, but you know…1st-world problems here. I haven’t yet researched tank options to alleviate the issue.

 

[taylor.crandall1]

I get fuel starve below half tank at COTA when running E85. I've heard of similar issues to what you describe

Hey all,

My home track is Nashville Superspeedway, which is a counterclockwise roval. I've found that I consistently run into fuel starvation issues due to the extended left-hand Gs pulled. Coming from the pit road onto the main banking I barely make it to the start/finish line before suffering fuel starvation if I start a session below 3/4 tank. This seems an excessive amount to have to have in the tank to avoid fuel starvation, has anyone else encountered this on long left-handers?

To try and avoid this, is there anything different about the pump and baffling setup in the GT500 that I may be able to adapt for the GT350 that would help or am I stuck looking for aftermarket help (or running with a heavy fuel load)?

I'm linking a non-starvation fast lap so you can see the long left in question (it's at the beginning and end of the video).

You need to get a surge tank. Aftermarket Industries makes a nice kit for the S550: https://aftermarketindustries.com.au/ford/ford-mustang-2011-fuel-system-fs1000-mgt/

 

[Tomster]

Yes, normal. Start with a full tank each time.

 

[Biggsy]

I think the fix has been the Radium surge tank. @Flyhalf has one I believe but I know others have gone with the Radium unit as well.

Vorshlag has also used it https://www.vorshlag.com/forums/for...ang-fuel-starve-fixes-surge-tank-or-fuel-cell

 

[Tomster]

Or you can just fill your tank between sessions, lol.

If you are just a guy doing weekend sessions, I wouldn't bother with the mod, that's a lot of work if all you have to do is just fill your tank.

I used to run into the same problem at Daytona with my R. I started filling the tank to full and never had issue again.

 

[Jet One]

I have the same issue at Charlotte Roval. I just make sure Im at 3/4 or more before each session. Bringing fuel jugs and adding after each session makes it a little easier to deal with in my opinion and is a must if there is no on site fuel available.

 

[Flyhalf]

I think the fix has been the Radium surge tank. @Flyhalf has one I believe but I know others have gone with the Radium unit as well.

Vorshlag has also used it https://www.vorshlag.com/forums/for...ang-fuel-starve-fixes-surge-tank-or-fuel-cell

Unfortunately no matter how cool they are ,our car are not design for track usage.
The pick up is on the left only. So. When high G left corner happens.. no more fuel with less than half tank. And you need even more fuel with e85.
I mounted a fuel surge tank.
It is not an easy thing to do but it is doable.
I can take a video of it. Later today if you guys want to show you how it looks.

The surge tank fixed the issue.
The gt500 fixed it with a dual pump and dual pick up so you can run till last drop. Wonder if we could adapt it.to a GT

 

[GTIIIL]

I guess I've been lucky with my '20 GT350. During my first HPDE event, I lost track of my fuel level, and while going down the back straightaway of Willow Springs the low fuel light went on and showed I had 0 miles- yes, 0 miles- to empty. Luckily, I made it back to the pits. My second HPDE I was more mindful of my fuel level and I had a 1/4 tank of gas left for the next session, which I thought would be enough. But this time, the engine stalled after the long right hand turn two and as I started to climb the hill to the top of the track. I was able to get it restarted and back to the pits for a fill up. Point is, I have run the car pretty hard on low fuel levels and haven't had the type of starvation the previous posters have experienced. YMMV

 

[Tomster]

I guess I've been lucky with my '20 GT350. During my first HPDE event, I lost track of my fuel level, and while going down the back straightaway of Willow Springs the low fuel light went on and showed I had 0 miles- yes, 0 miles- to empty. Luckily, I made it back to the pits. My second HPDE I was more mindful of my fuel level and I had a 1/4 tank of gas left for the next session, which I thought would be enough. But this time, the engine stalled after the long right hand turn two and as I started to climb the hill to the top of the track. I was able to get it restarted and back to the pits for a fill up. Point is, I have run the car pretty hard on low fuel levels and haven't had the type of starvation the previous posters have experienced. YMMV

I see that all the time. That's based upon your average fuel consumption. I commonly have near a full tank of gas and get the low fuel warning in my 500

 

[Tomster]

Unfortunately no matter how cool they are ,our car are not design for track usage.
The pick up is on the left only. So. When high G left corner happens.. no more fuel with less than half tank. And you need even more fuel with e85.
I mounted a fuel surge tank.
It is not an easy thing to do but it is doable.
I can take a video of it. Later today if you guys want to show you how it looks.

The surge tank fixed the issue.
The gt500 fixed it with a dual pump and dual pick up so you can run till last drop. Wonder if we could adapt it.to a GT

Wha wha what? The car is fine for most applications. Fill the tank and forget about it. Let's not look for problems

 

[Flyhalf]

I see that all the time. That's based upon your average fuel consumption. I commonly have near a full tank of gas and get the low fuel warning in my 500

The 350 has a better system. But also willow springs long turns are going right.
At autoclubspeedway you would have issue.

 

[Flyhalf]

Wha wha what? The car is fine for most applications. Fill the tank and forget about it. Let's not look for problems

Not sure what you mean. But for hpde beginner a prius is fine too..
The more you raise the bar of your performance the more you will need to address issues brought by faster speeds.
So it is important to share the solutions.
And then of course
You dont need a fuel surge tank if you do 1 event per year with street tires.
But if you do 8-12 events and Especially if your home track has long left sweepers.. then you need a solution. And a surge tank is the one.
Unless you want to have always the tank full. And running not more than 15min.
And last...Keep in mind that fuel starving at 7500rpm is never good.

 

[Cobra Jet]

This may be an off the wall question and would really only apply to a full fledged track car - but here goes...

Has anyone ditched the factory camel hump fuel tank, removed the spare tire well (put flat trunk pan in) and installed a fuel tank under the trunk pan like the Fuel Safe (or similar) that is not a divided tank?

Example for those not familiar with a Fuel Safe style of tank (which was first used in the 1995 Cobra R):
https://fuelsafe.com/motorsports/racing-fuel-cells/

Sponsored