  Before you go spending your hard-earned money of fuel system components you need to know how to properly setup your fuel system. This page will describe a few common setups and provide a list of considerations to be aware of.
Choosing the correct fuel pump and regulator can be complicated at times, so we have written various articles to help you make the best product decisions. Setting up your fuel system correctly, and making the correct purchases will ensure optimum engine performance, consistency, and longevity. The wrong selection can be traumatic and expensive. No one likes to damage an engine or lose a race.
In case you overlooked some of the other information we have posted in our website, here are a few links that will be of interest:
Pre-Purchase Thoughts
- How much power is my engine making?
- Is my engine running on gasoline or alcohol?
- Is my engine carbureted or fuel injected?
- What type of regulator do I need?
- Is my engine supercharged or running a nitrous system?
- What are the rules in my race class regarding fuel systems?
Each of the questions above is important to fuel component selection. You want to make sure you supply your engine with an adequate volume of fuel and get it there at the correct pressure. Fuel pump and regulator selection is important, but so is fuel line size, fitting design, and proper installation of each component.
If you happen to run alcohol you will need to make certain that each component is compatible with the corrosive nature of the fuel. This usually means that aluminum components are hard anodized to prevent corrosion, and seals are alcohol compatible. Recent technologies in seal materials have made "most" compatible with both alcohol and gasoline, but be sure you know the compatibility before you make a purchase.
If you are running nitrous you should make sure you are supplying adequate fuel volume as well as pressure. Hitting the nitrous button causes a drop in pressure and volume, and the recovery time of fuel delivery pressure and volume must be within the demends of the engine. If you do not compensate for this, engine damage is almost a certainty. On high output nitrous systems this will typically require two independent fuel systems on the vehicle. One system for the engine, and one for the nitrous.
On a supercharged application you are going to want a pump with enough output pressure to compensate for boost. This also means you need a regulator with a boost port to allow the additional pressure to pass to the engine. Without this you will have a pretty crappy running engine.
If you are racing your vehicle there are going to be rules put in affect that are both for safety (#1 concern), and possibly specific component requirements. As an example, most circle track classes require a mechanical fuel pump and do not allow electric. There are also rules regarding line materials and mounting locations. Pay attention to these in your rulebook before spending or installing anything.
Fuel System Setups:
Basic Dead Head Regulator System
Basic Return Style Regulator System
Nitrous Fuel System Designs
BEST CHOICE Fuel System for Nitrous Engines
Most Common Fuel System for Nitrous Pro Mod Style Applications
Wrong Way to Setup Fuel System for Nitrous Applications (2 regulators in series)
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