[quaso]

Has anyone used alcohol injection on a cobra with forced induction? I currently have a 99 cobra with the Kenne Bell 1.7L non intercooled kit. With summer coming on, I am concerned with detonation issues even though my car is running a safe 11.5 A/F ratio and the timing is set around 15 degrees. To add the KB intercooler would cost around $2200.00. This is my daily driver and I don't go to the track. Most of the companies I have spoken to claim that this product suppresses detonation so well it is like having a full tank of race gas at all times. You can order with a on the fly adjustable alcohol flow control "pump speed" dial mounted in your car or pay more for a variable speed controller that automatically varies the pump speed as boost increases. For anyone not that familiar with alcohol injection like I was, here are some FAQ's: How does it work? By injecting a fine spray of alcohol into the inlet air stream of the engine you will both dramatically cool the charge air and raise the effective octane of the fuel. Both help eliminate detonation, especially those under boost with today's lower octane gas. How much HP can I gain? That depends on the application...but it is common to see a 20-30% increase in HP from theboost and/or timing you will be able to run. Is alcohol injection hard to use? A good system will be fully automatic after it is installed. It should know when to spray and when to stop and also offer tunability and monitoring of the system parameters. Can alcohol injection damage my motor? No, as long as the injection system is working properly, it can only do good things. It will tend to keep your plugs, valves, and combustion chambers very clean, since the alcohol will dissolve most buildup. The damage from ignoring detonation is a blown head gasket, broken piston or worse. What if it stops working? Only a few higher-end injection systems offer a failsafe device to sense line pressure and not at high boost unless the system is functioning properly. What kind of alcohol do I use? Pure denatured alcohol. It is sold as a solvent in gallon cans and is available at any large home improvement store. Another method I have looked at is water injection, but putting water, even a fine spray into my intake does not set well with me. The cost for alcohol injection is a fourth of the cost for an intercooing unit. Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.