| water Methanol Injection Install towing Truck
Injecting a mixture of water and methanol into the intake of your diesel engine can reap multiple benefits. There is an intercooling effect that creates a denser charge of air. This cooler air has a higher positive pressure ratio and allows for more fuel to be burned without increasing combustion temperatures. The addition of methanol in the fluid acts as an additional fuel for more power.
This is not new science; the injection of water and methanol was actually first evaluated in the '30s and was prominently used on supercharged and turbocharged aircraft during WWII (in 1942, the German Luftwaffe increased the horsepower of the Focke-Wulf 190D-9 fighter plane from 1,776 horsepower to 2,240 horsepower by injecting a 50/50 mix of water and methanol, the American P-51s soon followed).
| The Stage 3 Boost Cooler Diesel kit from Snow Performance will increase horsepower and torque, while simultaneously reducing exhaust gas temperature.
The water/methanol blend was subsequently used in the automotive arena many times, such as Turbo Corvair, Formula 1 racing briefly, World Rally Racing, diesel tractor/sled pulling and quarter-mile drag racing, and more, and has found a useful home in the performance diesel market.
Snow Performance recently introduced the new Boost Cooler Diesel kit that promises to give more than a 100 lb-ft of torque increase, a 50hp boost, and more than 200-degree Fahrenheit decrease in exhaust gas temperature (EGT)-plus better fuel economy. The reduced EGT is important because that allows you to use full power for longer periods of time, such as towing a load up a long grade. Or maybe you just want to impress your buddies on Dyno Day. Even better, these benefits are had with a fluid (water and methanol) that typically costs less than $1 a gallon.
| Snow Performance supplies a water/methanol tank, but you can use the OEM windshield washer reservoir, if you choose. Due to the limited amount of room available, we chose to use the existing bottle. To do that, you have to install a bulkhead fitting in the bottom of the bottle and seal it.
The Stage-3 Diesel kit from Snow Performance features a new Digital Variable Controller with a 2-D map programmed into its microprocessor that takes both boost and exhaust gas temperature into account in regulating injection. The result is smooth power at all engine loads with no combustion quench, resulting in a true hands-off system.
The controller is dash-mounted and includes LED read-outs for boost, exhaust gas temperature, and pump output for full visibility. This feature means you don't necessarily need boost or EGT gauges. An in-cab on/off switch allows you to deactivate the unit. Snow Performance recommends turning the unit off 5 minutes before you turn the engine off to prevent pooling in the intake.
Priced at $769, the Stage-3 Diesel kit includes a 220-psi high-volume pump, new 2-D mapped digital variable controller that puts just the right injection quantity in during all conditions, specially designed 2-stage nozzles, and all the necessary parts to install on a diesel for an easy installation.
We spent a day installing the kit on an '04 Dodge with a manual transmission and took the time to do before and after testing. It is important to note that our baseline tests on the truck were conducted with a Pacific Performance Engineering (PPE) "towing" program installed, and it remained on the truck for all tests.
The bottom line is that the kit does everything the manufacturer claims. We saw horsepower and torque increases as promised and saw no reliability issues. The way we look at it, water/methanol injection is probably the kind of modification you'd make after already installing a program, an exhaust system, and maybe a new turbo. Or if you tow a lot and live in a particularly hilly area, this could be just the thing you need to keep everything under control.
Test 1 Baseline (PPE Towing calibration with no water/methanol injection) RPM Torque HP 1,{{{300}}} 279.13 69.45 1,400 370.40 99.24 1,500 445.95 127.25 1,{{{600}}} 548.40 167.15 1,700 650.92 210.82 1,800 693.01 237.66 1,{{{900}}} 698.65 252.92 2,000 686.49 261.17 2,{{{100}}} 669.{{{57}}} 267.84 2,{{{200}}} 643.09 269.{{{62}}} 2,300 643.44 281.65 2,400 647.85 296.12 2,500 652.51 310.45 2,600 644.30 318.95 2,700 647.24 332.56 2,800 643.33 342.99 2,900 634.16 350.21 3,000 599.66 342.88 3,100 528.38 312.25 3,200 458.61 279.78
Test 2 (PPE Towing calibration, with one 375ml/min, and one 625ml/min injector) RPM Torque HP 1,300 136.35 33.88 1,400 291.58 77.56 1,500 376.46 107.45 1,600 467.97 163.89 1,700 581.41 188.08 1,800 678.58 232.38 1,900 694.32 251.42 2,000 700.29 266.88 2,100 724.17 290.28 2,200 723.79 303.62 2,300 730.01 319.96 2,400 727.39 331.{{{90}}} 2,500 746.93 356.20 2,600 741.98 367.51 2,700 743.20 381.82 2,800 743.61 396.33 2,900 732.89 {{{405}}}.52 3,000 696.52 397.49 3,100 616.24 364.42 3,200 554.97 338.50 3,300 500.99 313.53 3,400 602.53 389.49 3,500 560.14 373.65 3,600 525.65 360.09 3,700 491.44 345.65
Test 3 (PPE Towing calibration, with two 625ml/min injectors) RPM Torque HP 1,300 194.97 48.33 1,400 295.27 78.64 1,500 406.30 116.53 1,600 506.44 154.03 1,700 615.72 199.17 1,800 708.63 242.75 1,900 755.21 272.84 2,000 754.81 287.46 2,100 796.92 318.41 2,200 758.06 317.65 2,300 783.97 343.16 2,400 790.30 360.86 2,500 789.15 376.00 2,600 775.09 383.58 2,700 776.44 398.86 2,800 767.43 409.04 2,900 755.67 417.14 3,000 713.26 407.98 3,100 640.61 378.10 3,200 574.51 350.20 3,300 507.67 317.14
