Ok, lets clear some things up, after searching the 'net it looks like some people are comparing propane to nitrous oxide. Totally different concepts. Nitrous oxide, and to a small effect alcohol, are oxidizers, (really want something wild, try propylene oxide) they increase the oxygen content ingested by the engine, chemical supercharging if you will. Propane and alcohol are fuels, high octane fuels, meant to quell detonation. Methanol has an octane rating of about 120, pure propane 125 (some propane is actually a mix with other gaseous hydrocarbons such as butane, so the octane may be as low as 105). Alcohols also carry an oxygen molecule, so they are in effect an oxidizer too. All of them, nitrous oxide, propane, and alcohol will have a cooling effect on the intake charge. Nitrous and propane are held under pressure in a liquid state, their change of state from liquid to gas absorbs heat. Alcohol also has this effect, as it readliy vaporizes, for example many circle track guys run methanol, if jetted too rich the engine wont build temperature. We had one car way rich initially, and the intake was cold to the touch. How about Nitro methane, the model r/c engines (2-stroke designs) use a certain percent (sometimes a large percent!) of it. Because nitrogen generally forms unstable molecular bonds, almost all explosives use nitrogen. NHRA dragsters have been known to blow spark plugs out of the head and still run decent, the model r/c engines use a glow plug to get started then run without spark. Why has propane become such a topic recently? The Diesel guys are using it, it works as a catalyst with diesel fuel, makes it burn more efficiently. :roll:
Thx Brad
