LNF upgrade and Snow Performance cooler
06-13-2010, 08:26 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-09-2009
Location: AUSTIN TEXAS
Posts: 33
LNF upgrade and Snow Performance cooler
Has anyone here run the LNF upgrade and Snow Performance cooler together? I wonder if running the Snow cooler would allow the use of regular fuel. I have been contemplating the the LNF upgrade, but the extra cost of premium at every fill up is the main reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet...
06-13-2010, 08:40 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-03-2008
Location: LaMarque,Tx
Posts: 769
Has anyone here run the LNF upgrade and Snow Performance cooler together? I wonder if running the Snow cooler would allow the use of regular fuel. I have been contemplating the the LNF upgrade, but the extra cost of premium at every fill up is the main reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet...
06-13-2010, 11:40 AM
#3
New Member
Join Date: 08-22-2009
Location: McHenry IL.
Posts: 21
Has anyone here run the LNF upgrade and Snow Performance cooler together? I wonder if running the Snow cooler would allow the use of regular fuel. I have been contemplating the the LNF upgrade, but the extra cost of premium at every fill up is the main reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet...
06-13-2010, 02:27 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-16-2008
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 662
I have a certain amount experience with alcohol / water injection on my GTO. Spraying methanol is a poor substitute for proper octane or sufficient fuel delivery. You are introducing several additional points of failure, and in a forced induction system where detonation can destroy a piston in a split second, there are no re-do's.
Water and alcohol injection was pretty much fleshed out during WWII in supercharged aircraft engines. Alcohol evaporates easier and faster than water and has fuel value. Water is more difficult to evaporate, but has a substantially higher specific heat, which is a measure of the ability to cool something, in this case the combustion chamber. People will engage in lengthy internet flame wars as to which is better, but there are no simple answers. The overwhelming body of research indicates an approximate 50/50 mix of water and methanol is most effective at suppressing detonation.
Of the commercially available systems, I find the Devilsown to be superior to the Snow Brothers, as the proportional controller is more sophisticated and reliable. Also, it is more cost effective, eschewing the use of unnecessarily expensive braided hose. Their personalized customer service is excellent. A proportional controller is mandatory with a turbo or naturally aspirated system due to the wide variation in manifold pressure. People with positive displacement superchargers can get by with a simpler on/off setup operating from a Hobbs switch, but a well tuned proportional system can still yield better results if time is taken to tweak it.
Water and alcohol injection was pretty much fleshed out during WWII in supercharged aircraft engines. Alcohol evaporates easier and faster than water and has fuel value. Water is more difficult to evaporate, but has a substantially higher specific heat, which is a measure of the ability to cool something, in this case the combustion chamber. People will engage in lengthy internet flame wars as to which is better, but there are no simple answers. The overwhelming body of research indicates an approximate 50/50 mix of water and methanol is most effective at suppressing detonation.
Of the commercially available systems, I find the Devilsown to be superior to the Snow Brothers, as the proportional controller is more sophisticated and reliable. Also, it is more cost effective, eschewing the use of unnecessarily expensive braided hose. Their personalized customer service is excellent. A proportional controller is mandatory with a turbo or naturally aspirated system due to the wide variation in manifold pressure. People with positive displacement superchargers can get by with a simpler on/off setup operating from a Hobbs switch, but a well tuned proportional system can still yield better results if time is taken to tweak it.
06-13-2010, 07:35 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 05-12-2010
Location: Marion, Illinois
Posts: 229
Should do fine in the snow with TC. If ya do the math on cost of fuel its very inexpensive the differnce in Premium vs. regular. We never have run reg in our silverado, at least 89 for it too. Plus most places mod grade is cheaper anyway, at least here. Add up 16 GL and the cost difference. Theres no issue there at all..
06-13-2010, 07:49 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: 11-15-2008
Location: Newburgh, NY
Posts: 1,599
Maybe you pulled the trigger too soon when you bought an SS? The SS is bought at a premium price. I'm sure most here can attest.
If premi fuel's too much to buy, maybe you should have considered a 2.2L LS model?
If premi fuel's too much to buy, maybe you should have considered a 2.2L LS model?
06-14-2010, 12:34 AM
#8
Member
Join Date: 06-29-2008
Location: SoCal
Posts: 65
I agree if your pinching every penny why buy the SS. I'm not baggin just saying it is only about .15 cents more for premium here in So Cal. So .15 cents x 14 gal= $2.01 more per fillup. The car runs better I feel better I'm doing what I can to give it the very best. Maybe it will last longer who knows.
06-14-2010, 07:54 AM
#9
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Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-09-2009
Location: AUSTIN TEXAS
Posts: 33
Thank you to everyone who actually took the time to answer the question I asked in a mature, adult like manner. To everyone else, your replies are a perfect answer to why I hardly ever come on this forum. If I wanted to be talked AT like I was a 15 yo kid, I would go back to my old job. Did it ever occur to any of you that I had reasons to ask what I did? I don't feel like I need to explain myself. You all might take into consideration that some people have better things to do than to pour tons of money into a brand new car. You might try doing a frame off restoration on a real musclecar sometime. I have. MY HHR SS is daily transportation. I put around 400 miles a week on mine.
06-14-2010, 08:09 AM
#10
Member
Join Date: 05-06-2010
Location: MD
Posts: 77
Thank you to everyone who actually took the time to answer the question I asked in a mature, adult like manner. To everyone else, your replies are a perfect answer to why I hardly ever come on this forum. If I wanted to be talked AT like I was a 15 yo kid, I would go back to my old job. Did it ever occur to any of you that I had reasons to ask what I did? I don't feel like I need to explain myself. You all might take into consideration that some people have better things to do than to pour tons of money into a brand new car. You might try doing a frame off restoration on a real musclecar sometime. I have. MY HHR SS is daily transportation. I put around 400 miles a week on mine.
Honestly, If gas is $2.60 a gallon for reg for example a fill up on a 16 gal tank is $41.60, Your talking $48.00 for premium. Only $6.40 more.
Everyones answers are typical for the topic at hand. If your worried about gas mileage or extra fuel cost, DO NOT BUY a boosted car or a v8. Simple as that. If people cared so much about gas mileage and fuel cost they wouldn't mod their cars.