March 2023 – MaxTorque Performance

By BRIAN WAGNER MARCH 21, 2023

You can buy a car off the showroom floor from General Motors, Ford, and Dodge that make a ton of horsepower via forced induction, but what if you want more? Well, one of the first things you’ll need to do is address the fuel system, and there’s a simple way to do that with a fuel pump voltage booster. We talk with Chris Johnson from JMS to learn more about fuel pump voltage boosters.

It’s almost criminal how easy it is to crank up the horsepower on a boosted modern muscle car with a pully change and a few other modifications. The problem is the OEM fuel system isn’t designed to handle the additional horsepower as it sits, but that’s where the fuel pump voltage booster comes in. A fuel pump voltage booster increases the amount of voltage provided to the fuel pump, therefore, allowing it to spin faster, and keep up with the increased demands of the fuel system.

Chris Johnson from JMS explains how one of these fuel pump voltage boosters works.

“These boosters, like our FuelMax unit, can increase the voltage from 14.4 volts up to 22 volts. The normal single or dual pump setup can increase fuel volume by over 50 percent with that voltage booster alone, without having to buy an entire fuel system. The majority of the uses are with the stock fuel pumps, so the owner doesn’t need to put a bigger pump in the car to achieve their horsepower goals.”

A fuel pump voltage booster is actually a pretty simple modification to install on a boosted vehicle. You don’t have to cut the vehicle up or make any big changes to its structure. The fuel pump voltage booster system just needs to be wired into the OEM system and it’s triggered by a Hobbs switch when it sees boost.

“Spinning the pump harder isn’t an issue because it isn’t happening all the time. If you’re not in boost, the voltage booster isn’t going to be activated to spin the pump harder than it normally would. It only turns on when you program it to. The pump is also in fuel in the stock location inside the tank, so it’s being cooled by that fuel. It’s an on-demand system. It’s pedal activated and is regulated, so it activates almost like a secondary fuel pump,” Johnson explains.

JMS has worked hard to make the FuelMax a user-friendly unit.

“The FuelMax uses OE style connectors because nobody wants to take an expensive car and start cutting wires. The simplicity of taking it out of the box and plugging it in is a big advantage. The normal person at home could install this at home, they just need some basic skills. The FuelMax can also be mounted just about anywhere in the vehicle, so that adds a lot of convenience. These units are available for the Hellcat, Challenger, TRX truck, Mustang, and Camaro,” Johnson states.

You can pick up a plug-and-play FuelMax EZ for the GT350 and GT500 Mustangs. These units will support up to 1,000 horsepower with a single fuel pump, and up to 1,300 horsepower on a dual fuel pump system. These will work with either a 12-volt or 16-volt system too.

If you want to learn more about fuel pump voltage boosters and see what JMS has to offer you can visit the company’s website right here.

By TODD SILVEY JANUARY 30, 2023

The ring gap topic is critical to engine performance and longevity. Nickolaus DiBlasi, global product manager at Race Winning Brands, explains many points based on the top compression ring and its gap specifications.

Arguably one of the most opinionated assembly processes when whipping up your next racing engine project is ring gap, and most to the point, the top compression ring. Race Winning Brands and their company, Wiseco Pistons, is known for its vast array of motorsport pistons, but many racers rely on their related piston rings with success, as well.

What Exactly Is Ring Gap?

“The top ring sees the most heat,” DiBlasi points out. “With that in mind, the smaller the gap, the less opportunity there is for combustion chamber pressure to make its way past the first ring. The greater contact the top ring has with the cylinder wall, the better heat transfers to the cylinder and onto the water jackets.”

Not Too Tight

The theory of minimum possible piston ring gap has limits, especially when you factor the thermal expansion of materials onto the overall gap theories. As the block, piston, and rings all heat up, they change dimensions ever so slightly and at different rates. DiBlasi takes it down to the molecular level.

“Since the top ring will see most of the heat, they expand quite a bit,” DiBlasi says. “The gap you create in the top ring is to accommodate the maximum expansion you anticipate the top ring requiring.

If the top ring is gapped too small, when it expands, the ends will run into themselves. This added force introduces even more heat, and the rings expand further. Once that happens, catastrophic failure will occur rapidly, as it is a continuous cycle of more heat, more outward pressure, and with nowhere for the ring to expand.

Piston ring gap theory is critical to ensure that the top ring is not bypassing compression, but not expanding so much that the ends run into each other. — Nickolaus DiBlasi, Wiseco

Read The Manufacturers Specifications

The best way to prevent this kind of runaway destruction is to pay attention to the information provided with your new Wiseco pistons and rings. DiBlasi adds, “We have outlined our recommendations that are included with pistons. These are also available in our catalogs and website.”

Setting ring gaps can be a slow process, but with experience, you can get a feel for what each ring will need and get closer to the finished spec quicker. Remember only to file one end of the ring and avoid damaging any coating the rings may have.

Ring manufacturers know their individual ring materials and their expansion properties down to the molecular level; they understand their exact expansion rates to factor into a specific gap. Following their individual gap specifications are the best bet for a ring gap that is just the right size.

Month: March 2023

Why You Need A Fuel Pump Voltage Booster

Top Ring Gap Theories Explained By Wiseco Pistons