Anatomy Of The Relentless Fuel Altered

What is a Fuel Altered?

Fuel Altereds are low 6 second, 200mph+ machines, running on nitromethane or methanol. They are the wildest class in the sport of drag racing, known for their sideways action on the track.

Fuel altereds are purpose-built race cars cloaked in replica fibreglass bodies from the 1930s.

Chassis

Relentless Fuel Altered chassis, which has a wheelbase of 125 inches and is fabricated from roughly 180 feet of 4130 chromoly tubing and costs approximately £12,000. Our chassis was built in the USA by Steve Plueger and ran as an NHRA funny car until we imported it.

Engine

The engine is a 511 cubic inch supercharged methanol engine. The block is a solid aluminium item made by Donovan, based on the big block Chevy. The heads are billet aluminium and use 2.375” inlet and 1.88” exhaust valves. We use a Kobelco K9 hi helix supercharger and our own designed and built injector. This engine produces upwards of 2500 horsepower.

Supercharger

Mounted on top of the engine, this belt-driven mechanical device rams air into the engine at an amazing rate. We use a Kobelco K9 supercharger, spinning at approximately 10,500 rpm this will displace roughly 100,000 cubic inches of air per minute.

Gearbox

We use a 3-speed Lenco transmission, it is a planetary style design and each case is intended to provide two forward speeds and multiple speed transmissions are created by multiple case attachment. A three speed, for example, requires two cases. In all circumstances a separate reverse unit is required for reverse movement of the vehicle.

Lenco transmissions employ a central sun gear with three planet gears that revolve around it. The planet gears are engaged to an outer ring gear. It uses a multiple clutch/disc pack. When the transmission is shifted from first to second gear the clutch pack is compressed against the sun gear assembly. At this point the entire rotating assembly is shifted to a locked 1:1 ratio. All shifting is done without engine and clutch disengagement, so there is no lost time and lurching shock from clutch action.

Wheels & Tyres

The Goodyear slicks on the back are 17.5 inches wide and nearly 10 feet in circumference (118 inches). Air pressure can be as low as four pounds. The wheels themselves are Weld Racing bead locks. For the front we use a 23x5x15-inch front tyre with a Weld Racing wheel.

Brakes

The rear-brake discs measure 11 1/2 inches in diameter and are made from steel, the front brakes have a disc size of 10 1/2 inches and are made from steel. The brakes, activated via a hand lever in the cockpit, are utilized on all four tyres, but the car's primary braking system is a pair of parachutes that can produce up to five negative G forces of stopping power, enough to throw even a well-belted driver forward a few inches.

Body

Our body is a highly modified replica of a Fiat Topolino built from fibreglass. The body has been changed a great deal from the original or otherwise modified to give better aerodynamics and accommodate the huge rear tyres. A rear wing and front canards are fitted to give down-force and stability at the top end of the track.

Fuel

The car uses methanol. The fuel system is capable of flowing over 16 gallons per minute, methanol costs around £1.70 per litre and each run we will use between 5-7 gallons depending on the tune up in the car.

Safety Equipment

A fire-resistant suit including gloves, boots, helmet and a Hans device must be worn, we also use a 7- point, 3"-wide driver harness. The car is also equipped with a shatterproof bell-housing and a transmission blanket to protect the driver in the event of a clutch or transmission failure and an engine 'diaper' to contain any spilled oil.

All details are Copyright to Bennett Racing