[holmz]

Boe recommends surge tank install in addition to their supercharger setup.
Would swap of the fuel tank itself solve the fuel starvation issue?
Forge Motorsport Fuel Tank - Lotus Elise/Exige
[FMS-FMLOTFT] $849.00
Is the foam in the tank effective in keeping the fuel going
The money is pretty much the same as surge tank and there would be much less potential for leaks or fire hazard.
Also there would be no need of wrangling out stock fuel pump and replacing it with walbro unit.
Opinions welcome

Elise Parts also one with a "built in" surge tank.
Not sure if the forge unit has baffles???
...simplicity has merit.

 

[fsparv]

Not sure which side of the pond you are on, but it's listed for s1 elise

Forge Motorsport | Alloy Fabrication

S2 should use this one:

Forge Motorsport | Alloy Fabrication

"alloy" is a very meaningless adjective. Everything's an alloy unless they used cast iron, or gold bars .

Other glaring omission is FIA approval as a fuel cell. A non OEM unit that isn't FIA approved may cause difficulty if you want to race (See 9.3.27. FUEL CELL SPECIFICATIONS in the GCR which also applies to fuel cells used in SCCA Auto-X e.g. Section 15.2.K for ASP)

I think sector111 was selling these but I haven't seen them lately. Might be good to find out why.

 

[Open top enthusiast]

What about v2 fuel tank from sector 111
It seems that could accomplish the goal of protecting the engine

 

[luxige]

...Is the foam in the tank effective in keeping the fuel going...

...Also there would be no need of wrangling out stock fuel pump and replacing it with walbro unit...

Two points:

- Not 100% sure, but I think fuel tank foam starts to break down, requiring eventual replacement. Be sure you really want to buy that headache.

- A surge tank would not require removal of the stock pump from the tank. The stock pump stays in the tank and acts as a first stage lift pump to the surge tank. The higher flowing Walbro (or whatever) is in the surge tank. The only case that would require removal of the stock pump is if you don't install a surge tank or foam filled main tank. Then you'd have to put the upgrade pump in the stock main tank.

 

[Gunpilot]

Look at the Surge Tank compared to the Fuel Cell PITA value.

Surge tank was not that hard to install. You don't even need to splice wires. Phil has it covered.

Only problems I encountered was mounting the regulator valve because I didn't have the stock parts in place. Easily overcome. Phil worked with me on it when I told him what I needed.

 

[komiko]

man... you and mrs. pilot have the coolest oil caps... so jealous...


yup - GP is right. You do not remove the stock pump, you leave it in for surge tank installation.

 

[RichardNHCooper]

I have just fitted a Proalloy 60 litre baffled fuel tank from Elise-Shop and removed my BOE surge tank.it now has an Aeromotive 300 in tank replacement fuel pump. I did this for a few reasons. I reduced weight by a total of 6.7 Kg. 4.7 for the tank ang 2 kg for the surge tank. The Walbro 255 was very noisy after a trackday and I now only have one fuel pump (simplify and add lightness). Mine is a daily so the extra capacity is welcome and it is baffled so can run down to 3 litres apparently.

 

[holmz]

Richard was that from Elise Parts? And how long did it take to arrive?

 

[fsparv]

Two points:

- Not 100% sure, but I think fuel tank foam starts to break down, requiring eventual replacement. Be sure you really want to buy that headache.

Any idea how often this happens? The simplicity/weight arguments do have some merit, (but added maintenance is equivalent to added complexity since every time you attach/detach there is a chance it will leak, something will wear out or break etc)

 

[ltsjohn]

The fuel cell foam lasts at least 5 years. That is the standard maintenance interval on a fuel cell. I have seen it last much longer-10+ years. Lack of use (no fuel) and high alcohol fuel will decrease life.

 

[RichardNHCooper]

Richard was that from Elise Parts? And how long did it take to arrive?

I am not sure as I had to wait for the Freno brakes to be made as they were all sent together. They are very quick to get stuff out here. If you want to ever do this, let me know as I will have some installation hints that may help.

 

[RichardNHCooper]

Richard was that from Elise Parts? And how long did it take to arrive?

Not from Eliseparts. From Elise-Shop.

 

[turbophil]

Most fuel cell foam is good for a few years, maybe 5, and will last longest if you drain the tank when not in use... Foam is not a substitute for an internal or external surgetank or swirl pot. The foam reduces slosh, but it doesn't accumulate fuel for the pump pick-up. Many race tanks have multiple pumps in the tank to combate starve issues. I have a big baffled tank as well, but it's for lightness and additional capacity. The surge tank is still in charge of fuel delivery. In high-grip scenarios with lower fuel levels, even the good baffled tanks WILL allow the pick-up to uncover and this is often times a death blow to the motor.

Another consideration is that you simply cannot get enough gas through the stock style sending unit to run big horsepower. If you prefer to keep the stock sending unit assembly, you HAVE to run an external surge tank to feed the motor the fuel required to run.

-Phil

 

[holmz]

Most fuel cell foam is good for a few years, maybe 5, and will last longest if you drain the tank when not in use... Foam is not a substitute for an internal or external surgetank or swirl pot. ...

Right!
Many of those tanks have surge pots built in, and trap-doors or one way valves to let fuel into the swirl pot area.
The Elise-Shop tank is not just a large tank; it is one of those with the internal pot. So it alleviates the need to add more stuff.
Most people will opt for the solution which requires not pulling the tank out, but not everyone.

 

[fsparv]

So, how hard is it to replace the tank? And how does one replace the foam when it wears out? 10 lbs sounds attactive... but not if it is going to be a huge headache.

 

[fsparv]

Also, does foam breakdown then cause clogging of the intake for the fuel? Or maybe fragment and hold trap doors open etc? Or is it just a matter of less protection in the event of a tank rupture?

I guess I'm trying to get at the meaning of "require" in "requiring eventual replacement"...

 

[holmz]

The total time is probably the same as the swirl pot.
You have to jack of up and after removing the electrical plug at the sending unit and the fuel and return... Then above the undertray there are 4 bolts that hold the tank in plus the filler and vent hoses.
The hoses took the most time for me when taking my old tank out and reinstalling the old tank

I would not worry about the foam, and i believe that the Elise shop tank uses one way valves. I would look at their before many other tanks.

 

[RichardNHCooper]

Here is a view into the tank showing how it has one way valves into a small "tank" in which the fuel pump sits.

 

[chotto]

My stock tank is out getting a new pump installed due to a REV310 upgrade. I got a call from the shop that the sealants have broken down inside the tank. Now I either need to get a V2 tank or a baffled tank. What is the recommendation? I almost only track now. Is Elise Shop still around? I can only find Eliseparts and they do have a 60 liter tank.