[robb373]

Hello,
I am selling one of my BRAND NEW 68 Liter (18 gallon) fuel cells. It has June 2009 documentation and is ready to bolt in your elise or exige.

Comes with a 5 year warranty against damage from Jim Harmon Racing Cells.

This model cell has been heavily tested and proven in the Lotus Challenge Series not to starve until fuel levels are in the single digit percentages.

Saves about 25lbs over the stock tank, is much safer and holds twice the fuel....all while keeping your engine safe from that disastrous left hand turn fuel starvation all lotus's get with the stock tanks.

Now is the time to stop running a full tank on the track, lose some weight and get safe!!

I purchased this cell in to build into my SPEC LOTUS for the new LCS class in 2010, but looks like I may just keep my CUP class car for the time being.

I am listing at $3500 but will entertain all offers.

If you are in the Las Vegas area I can recommend an installer that will do first rate work and save you big money over a dealer as well.

Robb

 

[dstevens]

Stock tank weighs 27 lbs.

 

[FIL]

Cool. wish I could afford it!
free bump for a cool product.

 

[robb373]

Stock tank weighs 27 lbs.

thanks, my 25 lb weight savings was implied without stock tank, charcoal canister, misc hardware and running about 3 gallons less fuel.

 

[stinkyonion]

im interested but not smart enuf to know what all is involved, tradeoffs.

 

[Iman]

I have the same tank. Worth every penny.

 

[...m...]

...i wish some materials science expert would develop a fuel cell without the limited lifespan of current designs - that's a significant hassle and expense to have to swap out every four or five years...

 

[stinkyonion]

so after removing the charcoal canister, how do you get rid of the MIL--Charlie delete from ECU? How much is installation ? Is it safe for street use ? Can it be used during the Chicago winter? I always thought the bladder went inside the tank, so how can it be larger than the tank? How do you know how much gas you have left?


-Clueless in Chicago

 

[robb373]

so after removing the charcoal canister, how do you get rid of the MIL--Charlie delete from ECU? How much is installation ? Is it safe for street use ? Can it be used during the Chicago winter? I always thought the bladder went inside the tank, so how can it be larger than the tank? How do you know how much gas you have left?


-Clueless in Chicago

hope this helps...

1. Some people use the stock charcoal canister with it. Your Choice. It weighs quite a few lbs, in the worst part of the car, so I removed it since it is a race only car.
2. Installation is usually 10 hours or less by a skilled technician.
3. Not sure about temp requirements, but many race cars run track days in cold weather or at least get stored in cold environments. Do you drive your lotus in the snow? I guess it would go anywhere a lotus would. I would contact a fuel cell company on that question if you are interested to hear it for yourself.
4. Cell is installed in place of the removed tank. The cell has more dimension so it can fill out the compartment. I is not a SAC as many think, but more or less a FLEXIBLE tank.
5. Your stock fuel gauge will work BETTER than with the stock tank since you will have accurate readings. Since it adds capacity, you may not see the level drop till it is at stock capacity and it will read full until this point.

hope this helps,
Robb

 

[robb373]

...i wish some materials science expert would develop a fuel cell without the limited lifespan of current designs - that's a significant hassle and expense to have to swap out every four or five years...

That's about 4 years longer than a STOCK Lotus tank seems to last. Most stock tanks start falling apart in a year or so especially when used on track.

 

[...m...]

That's about 4 years longer than a STOCK Lotus tank seems to last. Most stock tanks start falling apart in a year or so especially when used on track.

...true, but the stock tank remains perfectly usable for street driving, albeit with the starvation issue slightly worse than when brand-new...my understanding of bladder cell systems, however, is that they fail catastrophically, and preventative replacement is essential to keep the car in operating condition - am i mistaken?..

 

[robb373]

...true, but the stock tank remains perfectly usable for street driving, albeit with the starvation issue slightly worse than when brand-new...my understanding of bladder cell systems, however, is that they fail catastrophically, and preventative replacement is essential to keep the car in operating condition - am i mistaken?..

I AM referring to the stock tanks track ability once fading.

not sure about the catostrophic failure..I know many and have had a few outdated fuel cells that are going on 8 years or more.

I think the date is just for an FIA safety rating but if maintained they will last longer.

Who is going to own the same Lotus in 8 years? I have had 3 in 1.5 years!

 

[mopho]

...true, but the stock tank remains perfectly usable for street driving, albeit with the starvation issue slightly worse than when brand-new...my understanding of bladder cell systems, however, is that they fail catastrophically, and preventative replacement is essential to keep the car in operating condition - am i mistaken?..

What happens is that the gasoline eats away at the foam inside the fuel cell, this is accelerated by the ethanol in pump gas. The catastrophic failure comes when your fuel filter gets clogged up with foam bits and causes your fuel pump to eat itself, sending shards of aluminum into your fuel system, clogging your injectors and making your car run like crap, which then takes a buttload of time and effort to chase down all the bits, install secondary filters, and finally get your car almost running like it did before all this happened. Ask me how I know :wallbang:

On a race car, where you are have much more extensive maintenance habits, take things apart more often and are likely to have more accessible fuel filters, this is not a big deal, but on a road car it's a bit of a different story.
That said, installing a tank such as this, one would likely make it so the maintenance is easier to handle (the PO of my car did not take this into consideration). Changing the foam in the take can be a do-it-yourself operation.

Who is going to own the same Lotus in 8 years? I have had 3 in 1.5 years!

I've had one of my Lotus for over 10 years :shrug:


Sorry to discuss this in your for sale thread

 

[robb373]

Sorry to discuss this in your for sale thread

No worries! Knowledge is good!

So what your saying is that if you plan on keeping for longer, add a secondary fuel filter and possibly even replace the foam in 5 years?

That is pretty easy and reasonable.

 

[mopho]

No worries! Knowledge is good!

So what your saying is that if you plan on keeping for longer, add a secondary fuel filter and possibly even replace the foam in 5 years?

That is pretty easy and reasonable.

The foam in my car was about 4 years old when I needed to replace it, which is around the manufacturers recommendations. I did the job myself (my car is a Caterham YMMV).
The people who installed the tank for the PO of my car stupidly put the fuel filter inside the cell (what were they thinking?!), which made it impossible to check or to replace without pulling the tank out of the car. I since installed a cleanable fuel filter inline before the fuel pump and a secondary filter before the fuel rail (post pump).
I don't think there is much you can do to extend the life of the cell (other than luck) but make sure you engineer in an accessible fuel filter so you can keep it clean and not have fueling and pump issues as the foam starts to break down. Also helps to put in a valve before the filter so you can shut off the fuel when you go to clean the filter.

I didn't know all this stuff when I bought my car (which was 4 years old) with the cell already in it, so it caused me all kinds of headaches

 

[robb373]

BTW,
Also wanted to add that this fuel cell has a 5 year warranty against damage not resulting from a crash directly from Jim Harmon Racing Cells.

Robb

 

[robb373]

did i mention i would consider all offers?

 

[robb373]

bump for a brand new fuel cell...thousands less than at lotus

 

[robb373]

PRICE DROP

$3000 OBO....

 

[robb373]

bumpin