In this Episode of Racing Insiders Podcast, Kate and Steve discuss Carb Spacers, Fuel Pressure, and Triangle of Blocks. This weeks questions include: crank case event systems, tire pyrometers, fuel pressure gauges, carb spacers, oils, fuel options, sealed engines, and more!

Steve and Kate also talked about current events this week. They found humor in the Anheuser Busch drama, stock market drops, Alex's wheel destruction, Steve's need for a fidget toy, Knoxville racing turmoil, and a new Netflix show Kate discovered - "Cunk on Earth". It's a must watch for sure!

Is there any validity to the KEPCO crank case event system on a 602? Seems like snake oil to me?

It works. It's actually really incredibly old technology. I mean, this is stuff that dates back to gosh, the 1960s drag racing. So yeah, it does have an effect. Is it, you know, going to be the difference between winning and losing a race? Probably not. It's not something I'm a fan of I know you sell it. I'm not a fan of it. Because basically, it pulls a vacuum in the engine. And anytime you're pulling a vacuum, especially in a crate engine, where it doesn't have seals designed to not suck dirt into the engine, then you're going to have an issue there at some point. But will it make a difference? Yeah. I mean, it can be worth worth a little bit of power. I mean, again, probably not the difference between winning and losing. It's not legal in a lot of the dirt late model stuff that we do. Not on the East Coast. So you know, IMCA country, where, you know, guys are basically buying new motors running them until they leaked down horribly, and then offer them to the next guy. Yeah, but definitely not snake oil.

If you have any advice, I think I might look into tire pyrometer. Do you use one? And I think my air gauge is in good shape?

Um, yeah, I did years ago. I mean, pyrometer was something I always used to use. Nowadays, just because of the way the chassis manufacturers are, and like where they tell you to run stuff, it's kind of almost all figured out - to a point. Well, except that, you know, one thing I was, I've learned here recently is that, you know, as soon as you come off the track, hit the tires with the pyrometer to find out what your tire temps are. And if you see that those hotter temperatures in a certain area, I can tell you a lot about your setup. Especially if you're at a racetrack that builds like a ton of heat in the tire. It'd be something I'd have in the inventory. It can tell you about your setup or your driving style. We used to use it all the time from inside to outside. So especially right front, is there enough camber for this track? Is it too much? You know, and that kind of thing. But again, for the most part, like most people are just running the factory setups on the right front. Yeah, I think it's still an advantage. I think, to be able to have one and use one. Well, I mean, obviously, you have to, even with the best tools, you have to know how to use them or not just how to use that- but how to interpret that data to make it work.

Do y'all run a fuel pressure gauge in the car or near the motor?

We run one in the car. So yeah, I mean right on the dashboard. I would certainly have one of those - one like at the carburetor honestly tells you nothing because you're not looking at it when you're racing so you'd be amazed at the amount of problems that get solved by having a fuel pressure gauge that you can actually looking at on the racetrack. Generally somebody's like talking about "oh you know the car it was car was doing this corner in the corner but this coming off the corner". My first question is what was your fuel pressure? You'd be amazed the people can't answer that but you know the next time they go out there they'll look at it. So yeah, that's important to know. So ya know, I would always I've always run one. The three gauges that are important to me is water temperature, oil pressure and and fuel pressure. Oil temperature, like on a crate motor, like don't even bother on that gauge. Get a water pressure gauge at that point. We've talked about water pressure gauge, you know, the thing is your whole you get a hole in your radiator water temperature gauge isn't going to tell the story. I have personally blown up eight crate engines in my crate racing experience. And not one time did one blow up where I was looking at the oil temperature going, oh my god, this thing might blow up because the old temperature so high. You know, it was always absolute parts failure. So to recap, water pressure gauge water pressure. Yes. Very important to me. Oil pressure - I mean, that's just you're just looking at it going, man, this thing's fucked. The fuel pressure is very important because that tells you a lot about you know what the car is doing. off the corner down the straightaway going into the corner and that helps solve issues if you got a carburetor guy that you're talking to. That tachometer - I mean, usually a recall tach and you'd like to kind of see what's going on.

What's the best 4 hole carb spacer for 604?

Probably that HVH five eighths is the best. I've run across like in just a general deal. I mean, if you're using like, When are 600 center section carburetors then. I, I mean, it's like a beast, crap frickin hamburger. It works best.

What's your opinion of 10W30 Driven oil?

I mean, it works. Me personally, I've never been a big fan. I, you know, years and years ago, when we like doing a bunch of oil testing. I mean, I've tested the driven, and yet, great dyno results on day one. And then day two, with the same all your power numbers drop, you pour fresh oil in it, and you got better numbers. So not a big fan, myself. Of course, I don't want to bash anybody's product. But, you know, I am friends with people who are actual oil experts who make their own oil. And having talked to them, it's not something that I ever recommend. But does it work? Yes. Is it oil? Yes. Will protect the engine. Yes. All right. Another way to put it is if you're, if you're willing and ready to spend $20 A quart for oil? Yeah, we can probably put you into something that, I can put you in some better, way better.

What's the best carb spacer for 602? Running E85?

The best one I found, I mean, today is going to be that HVH with the center divider in it - looks like an open spacer. But it's got a center divider that rounds off the frickin Dual Plane square apart. And every time I've tested that thing versus, you know, like an open or a four hole, it's about four to five horsepower.

We only have 89 non ethanol here and 91 octane high test at the pump, with 10% ethanol on the high test within 300 miles from my location. What would you choose or give me ideas on some alternative fuel or additives I can use. 

If you're able to tune around it and you can make sure that the 10% is actually consistently 10% - That's what I would use 100%. Because that ethanol is worth a little bit of power. I know I've had a conversation about with like Al Walters and you know, for some of his guys really were running pump gas, one of his suggestions was to get yourself an empty 55 gallon drum, but you using the pump gas at the pump- test at the pump but then get that much gas and make yourself your own barrel and that you know is tested well because in your carburetor is going to be set up with you know, once you set up your carburetor. Anytime you add ethanol, it's an oxygenator. So, yeah, so if you can get away with that and you know, you need to test your where you can test at the pump, there's water testers, there's probably a couple different kinds now, like water test is like the easiest thing to use. If you tested at the pump, and it tests right, it actually tests you know 10% consistently then do like she said, Get a 55 gallon drum fill that shit up and then use it with that, but you also have to like to map carburetor around that net, that 10% range. Now as soon as you get something that's 15% you would have to retune the carburetor if you get something that's 5% you got to retune the carburetor because 5% Either direction from 10 is like huge. The reason there has to be a 55 gallon drum, you're just gonna go to the station each week and get fuel- the reality is you're getting different fuel every week or two that can be a nightmare to try to go to a racetrack and then all you're doing is just messing around with your carburetor. It's not what you went there for, you went there to race and have fun. You didn't go there to work on your carburetor all night. Yeah, and if that's not I mean if you can't do that then and 89 non ethanol is your only option then that's going to be the most consistent but I would still check to make sure it's got no ethanol in it. Because, do we really trust what gas stations say? Or the government? No way. Because I mean, if they're cutting it with ethanol, yeah.

What oil would you recommend for 602 I've been using VR 120 50 For the longest time.

Yeah, I mean, it works fine. I mean, again, it's something that's gonna protect the engine. It's not, you know, anything that's a horrible oil, I would never say it was. Like, if you're looking for actual, you know all out like max power you can produce with one which again probably isn't difference between winning and losing a race - then I always go with the Daytona 1 first, Klotz and then Schaeffer's. We have two different ones, we can go with a 540. That's a full synthetic, or to save a little bit of money goes to 1540, which is a semi synthetic, and we've got the then we have the Klotz, and we have the Schaeffer's 1040. And then the Schaeffer's at 1030. Yeah, so pretty much any oil that we sell at crateinsider.com. You know, it's all stuff we tested. That's the best three that I've found. Absolutely. Including the one you're speaking about. But again, is it the difference between winning and losing. No, probably not. Yeah, you know, engine still alive. It's running.

Good or bad to run 15W40 oil in a 602?

I mean, you can you can run it, it's gonna work. Yeah, it's not gonna hurt anything by any means. Well, I mean, we sell the 15W40. The Daytona 1 15W40. It's a great oil, or it wouldn't we wouldn't have it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's a lighter weight than the, the 20W50. I never recommend a 50 weight in a Crate. Just puts too much pressure on the on the valves. We're dealing with stock bearing clearances. you know, so we're not dealing with race bearing clearances, okay, but does not mean to a point it depends on you know, if you're dealing with one out of the box, then you're dealing with stock bearing clearances. I mean, again, the reason we rebuild new motor motors out of the box is because, you know,  we had come one come true the other day, it had, you know, essentially half 1000s bearing clearance. How's that gonna work with your 50 weight oil? You know, things gonna burn up instantly. And you're probably in the garage while you're warming it up. You know, the 1030 it might, it might actually burn up when you're on the racetrack. But it's still gonna burn up. 

Are there differences between FastTrack sealed engines and Crate Racin' USA sealed engines?

Typically, there shouldn't be because crate USA and fast track are essentially on the same rules. I mean, there used to be a difference years and years ago. Gosh, I'm saying and it hasn't been this way for a while. I'm gonna say seven years ago maybe. And the only difference was we went through a national piston ring shortage, which we're actually going through right now wit 602s, and crate racing USA, you know, to keep people racing decided to allow an aftermarket piston ring. And once that was resolved by General Motors, they gave about a three year burn off on that. And then you know, obviously because you know, within three years the average guy is gonna be rebuilding the motor. And once that happen, then they went back to you know, GM rings only. Fast Track never did that. Apparently they didn't give a shit whether he made a race or not. I have no idea. But they never did that. So that was the difference back in the day. Right now. No, there should be zero difference. And same with Rush.

Whatever happened to the Joe Gibbs oil, still have a tube of the grease that we run in the hubs of our late model.

That's called Driven now. From Joe Gibbs to Driven. Yeah, I think it was sold and like sold again. And now it is Driven Oil is now owned, I believe by Comp Cams.