3.5 gallons!? How much fuel do you use on a 5-mile pass? I was thinking that I should go with at least 5 gallons. I want my fuel "tank" to be as small as possible. I want to ditch the stock tank because it is huge and it sticks out under the car and is not mounted on center. It may also interfere with the parachute attachment. ( that's a whole different thread)
How much fuel on a 5 mile pass?
Well, this is my take... it all depends...........
Kidding aside, it depends on how long you idle the engine on line, how much power you make, & how far/long you run at WOT. We already have some idea of the distance, 5 miles, even though you won't be a maximum power the moment you leave the push truck. A simple (I mean basic as other factors can change this) formula for what you need is (BSFC x HP) divided 6.1 for gasoline. This will get you GPH (gallons of fuel per hour) then divide by 60 to get GPM (you guessed it, gallons per minute). Keep in mind that the faster you are the less time on course, the average run at Bonneville is 60 to 90 seconds for 5 miles.
So lets start with BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) with racing gas. A real good N/A motor can be at .40 or better, for my calcs I use .50 for N/A race motors, .55-.60 for blown gas & .60-.65 turbo gas. So, lets use your 700 hp turbo engine. (.60 x 700 hp) = 420 divided by 6.1 = 68.85 GPH. Now 68.85 divided by 60 = 1.147 or 1.147 gallons per minute. Not much fuel used so not much need for a 5+ gallon tank, unless it makes you feel good.....
Again, this is just a estimate as other factors contribute to how much fuel is used during a run.