Snow Performance WMI Stage 2 Review!

[ZyroXZ2]

Welp, it looks like @Stormlasher is correct: I tested 80% methanol per LAP3's official recommendation, and while the midrange pull is the same, the pull above 5K RPM is harder. Of course, someone might say, "if they programmed for 80% methanol, that's what you have to run", but I had hoped they programmed for 50/50 and were just recommending 80% to play it "safe".

Sadly, I have my disagreements with this much methanol ratio in terms of safety (many of you know, all it takes is for things to go wrong just once), and the lifespan of components facing a higher concentration of spray over the years, but it definitely performs better. It also confirms my suspicion that LAP3 is more focused on using WMI as supplemental fuel than cooling/octane boosting. Water itself is the ultimate cooling and octane boosting factor, methanol is really just there to manage combustibility of the mixture. The only reason one would tune for 80% methanol is because more fuel is needed in the combustion chamber. This would inadvertently confirm other vendors stating the stock fueling system can't keep up.

Having said that, I will be finalizing my review soon as I've gone nearly 1000 miles on the WMI system, now.

EDIT: Meant 5K RPMs, ughhh, I think typos get worse with age...

 

[General_Vodka]

Tork did confirm that there is a limitation in the fuel system. (check valve I believe) and yes other venders are trying to get around that limitation by useing meth as fuel. Honestly I think that process can be a lot better. Just get another check valve lol.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

Tork did confirm that there is a limitation in the fuel system. (check valve I believe) and yes other venders are trying to get around that limitation by useing meth as fuel. Honestly I think that process can be a lot better. Just get another check valve lol.

Yea, I think I have to put the check valve somewhere up front after all. I don't like the idea of that initial start being a bit of a burst, but I'm definitely siphoning out the line. When I switched to the #6, there was not a drop in the tube under the hood when I took the other nozzle off, so I know it's getting vacuumed out, or at least what's above the pump is. There might have been plenty of fluid still in the line under the interior panels, but I do know that there's a lot of tube between the solenoid and the nozzle which means there's plenty to get vacuumed out

 

[Tonkabob]

Tork did confirm that there is a limitation in the fuel system. (check valve I believe) and yes other venders are trying to get around that limitation by useing meth as fuel. Honestly I think that process can be a lot better. Just get another check valve lol.

I think that was a theory that hasn't been fully proven out yet.
Looking like we have high pressure issues rather than low pressure.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

I think that was a theory that hasn't been fully proven out yet.
Looking like we have high pressure issues rather than low pressure.

Well shit, I just realized he was talking about the fuel line check valve, not my WMI not having a check valve, lmfao

 

[Stormlasher]

Well shit, I just realized he was talking about the fuel line check valve, not my WMI not having a check valve, lmfao

I’m going to move mine upfront and also your concerns on the methanol made me do more research but I’m not worried at all anymore because the flashpoint of 100% meth is like 890 degrees or something close while gass is like 400-500. So ye asking as the line dosent touch the exhaust it’s fine.

 

[Tonkabob]

I’m going to move mine upfront and also your concerns on the methanol made me do more research but I’m not worried at all anymore because the flashpoint of 100% meth is like 890 degrees or something close while gass is like 400-500. So ye asking as the line dosent touch the exhaust it’s fine.

Flash point of pure Meth is 54 degrees, auto ignition is 890. But gas flash is negative 50 so much less flamable.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

I’m going to move mine upfront and also your concerns on the methanol made me do more research but I’m not worried at all anymore because the flashpoint of 100% meth is like 890 degrees or something close while gass is like 400-500. So ye asking as the line dosent touch the exhaust it’s fine.

Pure methanol's flash point is super low, like 60 degrees, dude... You're mixing up ignition temp with flammable temp, lol

EDIT: Nm, posted after you is the flash point of 54 degrees, haha

 

[ZyroXZ2]

FINAL REVIEW UPDATE:

After plenty of playing around, I can finally give my final thoughts on the Snow Performance WMI kit. One thing I noticed that has me concerned is that the inside of the reservoir's plastic after methanol has drained past it looks "dried out", and now that I've moved to 80% methanol, I do have concerns about degradation of the plastic. Most manufacturers warn using above 50/50 even on their reservoirs, and while Snow says their kits are 100% methanol resistant, the key word is "resistant". Snow even recommends 50/50, so LAP3's tuning for 80% may result in a shortened lifespan of most WMI kits.

Other than that, though, the kit has been working phenomenally. The VC-50 controller may be a gauge, and that may pose a small bit of an installation hurdle inside the car, but it's UI is pretty useful for making on-the-fly adjustments and monitoring how much the system is injecting. Being a boost gauge is an added bonus. However, the fact that the vacuum line has to be slipped over the vacuum line coming out of the controller and ziptied over it is a little janky, to say the least (and I told their tech team that, too!). Basically, you have one hose slipped over the other hose. Why the controller doesn't just have an external fitting is beyond me. The pump itself is rather massive (deceptively so), so keep that in mind if you're going to install this system, and while the 3qt reservoir seems small, it would only really pose an issue under constant WOT conditions (track, drag strip). If you're just giving people a run for their money every now and then, or merging onto the freeway spectacularly, the 3qts will at least last you a whole tank of fuel.

As for how well the car takes WMI, I do want to prepare some of you for the potential "surge" of power you get. When the WMI comes on, the car essentially gets a "boost" in power. Since the small turbos mean early boost, a quick stab of 1/2 throttle to make a maneuver might put you in the 10-12 psi ballpark and up surprising you more than you wanted. This could be dangerous if you were simply trying to get around a car in city traffic, so just be prepared for a much sharper ramp up than without WMI.

I do recommend WMI over an intercooler at this current time simply because the WMI kit weighs overall less and in the case of a trunk mount, mostly added to the back of the car passed the rear axles. It does have more complexity to it, and thus more things that could go wrong compared to an intercooler, but it has more power-making potential than just an intercooler as well.

 

[Tonkabob]

Did you get any measures, slip or dragy to see how much WMI added or how much better 80% was over 50% Meth?

 

[ZyroXZ2]

Did you get any measures, slip or dragy to see how much WMI added or how much better 80% was over 50% Meth?

The dragstrip is about 1.5 hours from me, so I haven't scheduled time to go there, yet. However, the fact that I can feel a difference at the upper RPMs between 50% and 80% tells me its significant enough to notice. I do also have to note that the methanol percentage itself isn't going to be what makes the difference: it's whatever mix the car is tuned for. If it was tuned for 50%, and I went 80%, I'd lose power. If it was tuned for 80%, and I went 50%, I'd lose power. LAP3 recommends 80%, and I guess they really meant it, lol

 

[Tonkabob]

The dragstrip is about 1.5 hours from me, so I haven't scheduled time to go there, yet. However, the fact that I can feel a difference at the upper RPMs between 50% and 80% tells me its significant enough to notice. I do also have to note that the methanol percentage itself isn't going to be what makes the difference: it's whatever mix the car is tuned for. If it was tuned for 50%, and I went 80%, I'd lose power. If it was tuned for 80%, and I went 50%, I'd lose power. LAP3 recommends 80%, and I guess they really meant it, lol

I don't think the tunes are that precise. They basically only contol boost, timing and afr with lap3 and boost and afr with jb4.
Tork told me a while back that gdi cars don't respond well to 50/50 wmi and do best with 100%. I'm sure lap is going 80% to get most the benefits with more saftey than 100%.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

I don't think the tunes are that precise. They basically only contol boost, timing and afr with lap3 and boost and afr with jb4.
Tork told me a while back that gdi cars don't respond well to 50/50 wmi and do best with 100%. I'm sure lap is going 80% to get most the benefits with more saftey than 100%.

They should be relatively precise: the AFR adjustment has a lot to do with the intended mix.

 

[Tonkabob]

They should be relatively precise: the AFR adjustment has a lot to do with the intended mix.

And what kind of gas is it tuned for then? E0, E10, E30? Ethanol volume would impact the target AFR as much or more than 50/50 vs 80/20 WMI mix. I'm guessing E0 as they don't have Ethanol in Korea.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

And what kind of gas is it tuned for then? E0, E10, E30? Ethanol volume would impact the target AFR as much or more than 50/50 vs 80/20 WMI mix. I'm guessing E0 as they don't have Ethanol in Korea.

This is why they separate the WMI tunes from the "octane" tunes... However, the ECU has precise control over the injectors, so in theory, it's easier for the ECU to self-adjust to reach the target AFR to account for ethanol than it is to account for a specific flow of methanol from an external source. As an example, if the O2 sensors indicate running too rich, and the car pulls fuel, its target AFR may remain out of reach since methanol has a different energy per unit volume thus meaning the amount it pulled does not equate to the amount of methanol that would need to be decreased even though it has achieved its intended O2 sensor values. In a case like that, it may be that less methanol in the mix is needed. It's all chemistry equations, and now that we've massively improved our automotive technology, the balance is just that much more precise or your result is making less power than you want. Fortunately, our safety factors have also improved and it's pretty hard to blow an engine apart without a heavy dose of stupidity

 

[Tonkabob]

I was more saying you dont know what the target afr is unless you know what the fuel is. I know how the o2 sensor and ecu hit a target afr but the ecu doesnt know what the taget should be unless it knows what the fuel is.
Stoich for Gas 14:1 ethanol 9:1, methanol 6:1. If the tuning difference between 50 or 80% meth ( a fraction of the total fuel) is important so is 0 or 30% ethanol just as important.

 

[ZyroXZ2]

I was more saying you dont know what the target afr is unless you know what the fuel is. I know how the o2 sensor and ecu hit a target afr but the ecu doesnt know what the taget should be unless it knows what the fuel is.
Stoich for Gas 14:1 ethanol 9:1, methanol 6:1. If the tuning difference between 50 or 80% meth ( a fraction of the total fuel) is important so is 0 or 30% ethanol just as important.

While you're getting into things that LAP3 has locked away for a reason, you did forget that the nozzle (and thus, flow rate) affect how much of a fraction of the total fuel in the chamber this is. There is clearly a tangible difference between 50% and 80%, but WHY requires seeing the tables and how they're targeting AFR based on their expected flow rate and mixture provided by the WMI system. But to say there should be no difference is why I mentioned modern precision above.

For all I know, this also may have to do with igniting the mixture and spark strength. Perhaps 50/50 doesn't do well in the Lambda II engine simply because the factory coils and electrical system can't generate a spark strong enough for a larger spark plug gap and thus a greater ability to completely combust with "so much" water in the mix. *shrug* This is the whole thing I mentioned about cars having 1000s upon 1000s of engineering time from the factory versus us doing aftermarket, hahaha! I simply can't test what I think it could be, at least not without great risk to the vehicle

 

[turboAWD]

I do recommend WMI over an intercooler at this current time simply because the WMI kit weighs overall less and in the case of a trunk mount, mostly added to the back of the car passed the rear axles. It does have more complexity to it, and thus more things that could go wrong compared to an intercooler, but it has more power-making potential than just an intercooler as well.

It seems pretty obvious that WMI makes more power than an intercooler, but - WMI also needs ongoing maintenance (re-filling, mixing, etc), whereas an intercooler is a "once and done" mod. Plus, very little that can go badly wrong - I'm guessing that if methanol leaks, it's not going to be great on your car's metal/plastic bits..

 

[ZyroXZ2]

It seems pretty obvious that WMI makes more power than an intercooler, but - WMI also needs ongoing maintenance (re-filling, mixing, etc), whereas an intercooler is a "once and done" mod. Plus, very little that can go badly wrong - I'm guessing that if methanol leaks, it's not going to be great on your car's metal/plastic bits..

Yea, I alluded to that, but the performance-per-dollar is significantly higher. There IS the on-going cost of methanol, though that'll take years to have an overall impact on costs unless equipped with a lead foot. That, and honestly: WMI has come a long way. I wouldn't have considered "alky injection" 15 years ago on my roots blower equipped car, but since then they've made great strides in reliability and injection control. That doesn't mean nothing can go wrong (and since I'm at 80%, I think something will, sooner rather than later), but the increased power is absolutely insane and makes it all worth it.

 

[General_Vodka]

I don't think the tunes are that precise. They basically only contol boost, timing and afr with lap3 and boost and afr with jb4.
Tork told me a while back that gdi cars don't respond well to 50/50 wmi and do best with 100%. I'm sure lap is going 80% to get most the benefits with more saftey than 100%.

What's the cooling benifet with no water? I know the meth cools IATs down a bit but water is the main component. It's just extra fuel at that point. I mean it will give crazy power if tuned for 100% meth but if something fails it's 100 times more dangerous compared to 50/50. Your engine is dependent on it and if the pump fails and you run dry.... Most likely you will run lean A/F ratio and nobody wants to run lean AF. Where is torks WMI kit? Oh well I guess I will just get 2 tanks of nos from Harry's for now lol.