Dale Earnhardt Jr crash and burn today...

[CharlieLed]

I don't know if any of you saw the race today where Dale Earnhardt Jr hit the wall which caused the gas filler neck to dislodge resulting in a fairly spectacular fire,...but, the conversation with the crew chief afterwards was even more interesting. They had just swapped out the fuel cell this week because Sunoco had changed their mixture to include Ethynol...this mixture was causing the composite fuel cell to delaminate. The actual cause of the fire was not due to the delamination, it was due to the impact, BUT....
I have been looking at custom fuel cells and had not given much thought to fuel additives causing problems with the composite used in building the tank...this really raises a red flag for me. Anybody else had any experience with composite gas tanks coming apart?

[oldchevyseller]

i have heard the same comments on some sites ,about additives, some eat the foam and it clogs the pump and lines ,and others mess with the material it is formed from some wont use composite tanks ,all things are not figured out in the design room ,real world is what finds out these things 3. What kind of additives can I run in a fuel cell?

Answer: Most fuel additives are ok to run in your fuel cell if they are not left in the cell for extended periods of time. If left in the cell for a long period of time, the additives can seperate from the fuel and attack the bladder. If you are going to use additives, use them only when necessary and refill your cell with regular fuel before storing.

http://www.fuelsafe.com/FAQ.htm

[k9racer]

I had a problem years ago when I was a lot dumber. I used a nasty additive called propoline[sp] oxide mixed with the fuel.It works likes nitrous oxide but hard to find by track tech. If you did not run the carb dry and drain the tank every thing would rust or clog up. I found out later that it was a cancer cause product. Fuel cells are also built just for achol or gas, always vent properly.I have been told that Enthol is a corrosive and does attract water.