Pinks All Out - Lights, Cameras...Action!

Remember: Lean is mean. A full tank of the good stuff (we're using VP Racing Fuel's Motorsport 109E) or an adjustment or two on our XFI tune would've probably made the difference between detonating and not detonating and averting the disaster that led to our two weeks of thrash madness prior to PINKS All Out.

Race fuel's much-ballyhooed high-octane rating refers to a fuel company's rating for the level at which the fuel resists detonation. Most enthusiasts are familiar with pump octane numbers, which are the numbers on the yellow decal on the gas pump at local stations. The figure represents the average of the fuel's Motor Octane Numbers and Research Octane Numbers.

The MON test method most accurately simulates racing conditions. We found out the hard way that the 91-octane gas in our project car's tank was fine for the cruising and light-boost blasts we made around town, but it was nowhere near capable of handling the Novi's higher boost range (above 15 psi). Detonation (aka "pinging") is to blame for destroying the 'Stang's engine.

Putting it in simple terms, the phenomenon is basically a super violent combustion explosion inside a cylinder. The explosion can cause great damage to an engine.

The race gas we're using is a direct descendant of VP's MS 109 unleaded specialty race fuel. We went with it after speaking with VP's Jay Farnsworth about the problem we had with California's premium blend. Motorsport 109E is oxygenated with ethanol and 50-state legal-including those that restrict the use of MTBE in fuels. We decided on a 54-gallon drum to ensure we'll have a sufficient amount for future dyno testing and street/strip action.

Jay recommended MS 109E based on our intent to run high boost in the revamped stroker, and the fuel's compliance with the high-flow cats and wideband oxygen sensor in the coupe's JBA exhaust system.

MS 109E's MON is 99, and it has a 0.805 specific gravity ratio, which is the ratio between the fuel's mass and the mass of an equal volume of distilled water at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the highest for all of VP's oxygenated unleaded race fuels. Race gas also has a higher cooling effect than the pump fuel we buy for predominately street-oriented Mustangs. Cooling effect is another property of fuel that wards off detonation.

According to Jay, the key to selecting the best racing gasoline for an application is going with one that's best suited for the engine, not necessarily whatever fuel has the highest octane. While increasing the octane certainly does produce more horsepower, mainly because spark advance (timing) can be increased, using too-high a grade will slow the fuel's burn rate and cause a noticeable loss of power.

The bottom line? Be sure to pay strict attention to your engine's fuel needs, especially when power adders are used. It makes no difference whether a 'Stang is built for street driving or hard-core racing, having good gas in the tank can make or-as we learned the hard way-break an engine's performance-and a wallet.

Once the engine and drivetrain were back in our coupe, we bolted the Dynapack dyno pods to the car's axles, and dialed in a proper big-boost/wide-open-throttle air/fuel ratio (11.7 at 17 psi of boost), with a lot more confidence because we're using the right fuel for the job.

Please see the dyno chart on the last page for detailed performance information.

Right before we loaded the coupe into the trailer, we plugged our laptop into its XFI braintrust. Josh Deeds of Deeds Performance in Chatsworth, California, created a good, safe tune (11.7 air/fuel at WOT) for our new bullet. With air/fuel being optimum, we put another turn on the blower belt for maximum tightness and let the Novi rip to the tune of 668 rwhp and 650 lb-ft of torque at 17 psi of boost.

Our project car was joined by a host of classic ('60s and '70s), Fox, SN-95, New Edge, and S197 Mustangs at PINKS All Out: Las Vegas.

Racers brought their best in mild and ridiculously wild engine combinations and put everything on the line in their effort to make it to the Top 16. Paul Coroneos' nitrous-injected, 11-second, V-10-powered '97 coupe-a former six-cylinder 'Stang-is one example of Mustang over-the-topness we found while cruising through the pits.

"We like to see Mustangs show up for PINKS All Out," says Casting Director Nate Pritchett. "The Fox-body 'Stangs really are the most popular musclecar of current times and represent an accurate example of our market. There's just more of 'em out there."

While a Bowtie boy ultimately ended up winning the event, we really enjoyed seeing a pair of (Ford-powered) Foxes make it to the Top 16.