VP Q16 eating rubber? Shelf life?

cs19 · Post by **cs19** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:10 am

Anyone having issues with the Q16 eating the rubber inside your braided lines or carburetor parts? Im pleased with the HP the stuff makes but I dont want any fuel system issues. Im told its a good idea to drain the bowls after use???

With it being oxygenated, will it have a short shelf life?

CS19

Ron C. · Post by **Ron C.** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:46 am

Q16 is oxygenated with alcohol. Alcohol is corrosive and your inside hoses are reacting to that. It's always a good idea to drain bowls.

Storage life is directly related to how well you are resealing the drum. Should be air tight. Fuel jugs should be "not clear type" and always keep out of direct sun light.

Blessings......Ron.

newbe · Post by **newbe** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:11 am

Is there enough alcohol in it to cause issues? I thought that was one of its good points, that it didnt eat up things like alcohol does, so you have less maintenance with it compaired to alcohol.

cs19 · Post by **cs19** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:58 pm

I have not ran the stuff on anything but the dyno but Im at the point where I need fuel and I was considering buying a drum but if there is a ton of maintence with the stuff I will stick to regular racing fuels.

I didnt realize alcohol affected the inside of racing type of fuel lines.

Unkl Ian · Post by **Unkl Ian** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:29 pm

newbe wrote:Is there enough alcohol in it to cause issues? I thought that was one of its good points, that it didnt eat up things like alcohol does, so you have less maintenance with it compaired to alcohol.

How much Alcohol is in it ?

MadBill · Post by **MadBill** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:37 pm

it's a matter of how much alcohol and what kind. All current American production vehicles are designed for full durability with up to 10% Ethanol (so they would likely be OK with quite a lot more), but most owner's manuals warn against any % of Methanol...

greywolf · Post by **greywolf** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:38 pm

I'm not sure of the alcohol concentration in Q16, or what form of alcohol it has, but i have been using (as well as other people I know) premium pump fuel blended with 10% ethanol (94.8 octane) for years in all different sorts of fuel systems and never had a problem. If any of the vehicles sit for a long period of time, ie 3-6 months, I always make sure to run out all the ethanol laced fuel and put pump gas in. These are in engines where premium pump gas isn't good enough, and where the expensive racing fuel is not required.

cs19 · Post by **cs19** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:30 pm

A friend of mine talked with a woman at VP today. She said they reccomended draining the fuel system if it was going to be sitting for more than a week. She said they reccomend this for all of their oxygenated fuels.

CS

newbe · Post by **newbe** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 5:02 pm

If that is the case then what advantage does it have over running Methanol then?

bigjoe1 · Post by **bigjoe1** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:32 pm

I checked the price and availability. and the price was only 35 dollars a drum more than the VP-14 I usually buy. I think I will get some the next time I buy some race gas.

JOE SHERMAN RACING ENGINES

Ron C. · Post by **Ron C.** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:06 pm

Boy I don't know Joe, drum of Q-16....? Next you'll be wanting to try one of those F2 ProChargers on one of your small blocks....

Blessings......Ron .

Abbottracingheads · Post by **Abbottracingheads** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:10 am

I have talked to Brad at VP and the oxygenate is MTBE which is found in pump gas. He said it was not alcohol.

Dodge Freak · Post by **Dodge Freak** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:55 am

I thought MTBE was not being used any more in pump gasoline. It was harming the ground water.

David Redszus · Post by **David Redszus** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:17 am

Dodge Freak wrote:I thought MTBE was not being used any more in pump gasoline. It was harming the ground water.

MTBE has been eliminated from pump gas but is still used in some race gas. It is a very good additive and does not normally damage polymers, does not absorb water like alcohols, has high octane, evaporates and ignites easily. Good Stuff.

MTBE did not damage the water of Santa Clara countyCA,\; leaking storage tanks did. Instead of using better storage tanks, CA and the EPA banned its use. It is now used extensively in Europe.

Ron C. · Post by **Ron C.** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:34 am

I'm certainly not a chemist, so have no idea if in production the physical properties change enough to negate the influence of it's ingredients. So I'll make no comments due to lack of knowledge.

"MTBE is manufactured via the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene. Methanol is derived from natural gas, and isobutylene is made from crude oil or natural gas, "

Blessings.............Ron.

Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

VP Q16 eating rubber? Shelf life?

VP Q16 eating rubber? Shelf life?

Q-16 racing gas