FAQ

Is Water/Methanol Dangerous?

Yes, there is a lot of factors to keep in mind when you are running any sort of water/meth system :

- Methanol is flammable
- Can hydro lock your engine if the application/installation isn’t correct.
- Water methanol injection voids all engine warranty’s
- Tuning your car for water/meth raises concern, as it could cause damage if the system isn’t spraying/functioning.

What water/meth mix should I run on my vehicle?

It is important to understand the application of Water and Methanol and as well as the implications of utilizing more of one than the other in the wrong environment at the wrong applied time.

Water is an extremely good coolant which depending on the temperature of the applied environment, could evaporate quickly or slowly. Within the cylinders due to the high temperatures caused by combustion, water evaporates instantaneously and reduces the flame front burn speed which reduces the onset of detonation caused by an expansion occurring too early within the combustion stroke. Water also occupies more room once state changed from a liquid to a gas state, which effectively raises the engine compression ratio. Water does not burn so it is important to not spray too much into the cylinders at the incorrect heating point or the engine will reduce its power output due to the suppression effect it creates to the expanding flame front.

Methanol being an alcohol evaporates rapidly in ambient conditions and therefore can outperform the cooling ability of water in its uses for induction cooling. The reduction of temperatures in the boost/ charge system leads to air density which allows for an increased volumetrically efficient engine and the reduction of induction temperatures reduces the onset of detonation due to the fuel being exposed to less heat. It must be noted that Methanol does burn and can change the final AFR mixtures should it not fully evaporate which can lead to bore washing, backfires and a reduction of power especially if too much is injected and excess amounts of the methanol alcohol reaches the combustion chambers.

Therefore the two fluids are blended in different ratios to give the best of both fluid attributes, where the one fluid (methanol) evaporates quickly and the other (water) causes a reduction of combustion temperatures and a change in the effective combustion chamber compression ratio. It is important to remember that both fluids perform cooling, but it must be known that the cooling effect can be shifted from the charge system to the combustion chambers by utilizing more or less of one fluid. Factually Water is the most effective fluid for addressing temperatures in the combustion chambers and Methanol is the most effective fluid for addressing temperatures in the induction/ charge system.

What nozzle size should I use on my vehicle?

The location of the nozzle/s is dependent on the purpose of the application as to whether it is intended to address heat caused by combustion, forced induction compression heat or if its function is to resolve under fueling in boost.

Typically, the initial approach is resolve compression heat caused by Forced Induction which from there extends to additional injection points to improve turbo spool time, addressing intercooler heat soaking over continuous use and finally under-fueling or combustion chamber cooling through Intake Manifold Port injection.

At first while the setup is being decided on, we recommend installing a single nozzle on the outlet of the intercooler (or closest to the intercooler outlet as possible) as this provides the maximum possible duration of charge air contact for heat absorption before reaching the engine combustion chambers.

The nozzle size is linked to many factors and there is no specific nozzle for all applications as the boost heat generation, air flow linked to engine capacity and injected fluid mixtures, alter the evaporation rate from vehicle to vehicle.

Direct injection motors are also more tolerant of larger nozzles due to the dry intake ports and the lack of spilt fuel caused by cam overlaps, stagnant air fuel on waiting within intake ports found on Port Injection Motors.

Use the below table as a guide in selecting the initial nozzle to suit your application