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Advice for fellow TR owners from Tom Shea Racing
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"TSR" Switch Fuel System, save money, drive on pump gas!
Component Matching #3
Sequence of Upgrades
In the previous 2 articles with this title, and subtitled, #1 and #2 we addressed the beginning of the modification process with special attention to the basics that every TR should have. Assuming that your TR is in good running condition these basics are the foundation of any performance modifications.
1, Knock Detector. 2, Scan tool. 3, Adequate fuel supply, 4, Fuel Pressure Gauge with extension line for windshield view. 5, Adjustable fuel pressure regulator. 6, Hot wire to supply full voltage to fuel pump. 7, 30 psi boost gauge and a pillar mount pod. 8, adjustable boost control.
Now that the foundation of modification has been addressed we can look at some further performance enhancements. There is never a shortage performance upgrades so we must be diligent in how we choose and the order in which we apply our resources. Getting the most bang for the buck means doing the smartest thing in the smartest order.
Performance improvement is the idea but limiting the increased risk that comes with it is the real trick. This is something that should be considered with every decision. With this in mind here are some thoughts on how to proceed from this point.
Detonation is the enemy. Avoiding detonation is essential to increasing performance safely. Operating at higher performance levels increases the risk of detonation. The reason I choose this next step in the process as the logical choice is that it allows us to increase performance while at the same time addresses the detonation issue.
Alcohol injection is a logical choice when keeping these two most important factors in mind. I can’t stress enough how important avoiding detonation is.
Alcohol injection will allow us to operate our engines in a higher boost range than could be achieved while running on pump premium gasoline. The alternative would be to use racing fuel. Racing fuel is a much more costly alternative, even though it allows us to make even more power than alcohol injection. The use of racing fuel is not only a cost prohibitive option but it is not readily available.
We could find ourselves out of racing fuel just when we wanted to use it the most, unless we had the Tom Shea Racing “Switch Fuel System” installed in our cars. This system is very expensive and should not be considered lightly. That having been said, I should add that there is a place for both and if used properly they are complimentary.
Alcohol injection is an on demand system and therefore only used when needed. This on demand function conserves the consumption of alcohol. Limiting it use to boost levels that exceed the ability of the fuel we drive normally on.
Alcohol injection systems can be purchased from aftermarket suppliers or fabricated. I have done both. I am a proponent of saving the time and energy required in custom fabricating anything that can be obtained through aftermarket sources. Depending on the quality of the kit, the amount of custom fitting is minimized.
There are 2 well known suppliers of kits for our cars. I am a distributor for one. I am not writing this article to advertise so I won’t take this opportunity to mention names. I will say that I have my reasons for choosing the vendor that I did.
There are options for the kits that include electronic controls. When choosing make sure you consider this, since it may be assumed incorrectly that there is a big price difference, when there isn’t. The difference is in the quality of the components and the design. The price for the electronically controlled kit is the same from both vendors
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