Fuel starvation solutions?

[TheBreeze]

Originally Posted by adc

It was very nice to meet you, loved your front brake ducts.
I refill the tank after each session and haven't run into any issues.

Good to meet you too Andrei! Reach out to drroc , the scoops were his handiwork.

[adc]

Originally Posted by TheBreeze

Good to meet you too Andrei! Reach out to drroc , the scoops were his handiwork.

Roger that!

[Alexander13.]

So I got to the point of needing to sort this out and without any further information available after researching. This is all trial and error based on the previous BMW's I've had.

Started off with the fuel pump and making it a return system and able to cop AN fittings. Luckily the pressure side is an EFI 5/16 fitting but needed a little bit of fiddling and fitted. With the pressure side sorted, needed a return from the surge. Drilled a hole and a dremel to make the back flat to suit a -8 bulk head.

Full the fuel lines are Speedflow -6AN/-8AN teflon. No more plastic line. The tank is in the spare cavity in the boot, little taller than the space so modifying the removable floor. 2.8l surge tank with twin Walbro 460 pump to hand the constant 6bar pressure to a turbosmart 2000 regulator. Feeding a -6AN all the way into the factory high pressure fuel pump line at the engine using a male 5/16 -6AN fitting.

As this is all trail and error everything I have done can be moved back to standard within 5 minutes as I left the OEM plastic line in and haven't cut anything other than a few holes in the body and the return in the fuel pump hanger.

Testing is next weekend so hopefully it will help with the surge.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Alexander13.

So I got to the point of needing to sort this out and without any further information available after researching. This is all trial and error based on the previous BMW's I've had.

Started off with the fuel pump and making it a return system and able to cop AN fittings. Luckily the pressure side is an EFI 5/16 fitting but needed a little bit of fiddling and fitted. With the pressure side sorted, needed a return from the surge. Drilled a hole and a dremel to make the back flat to suit a -8 bulk head.

Full the fuel lines are Speedflow -6AN/-8AN teflon. No more plastic line. The tank is in the spare cavity in the boot, little taller than the space so modifying the removable floor. 2.8l surge tank with twin Walbro 460 pump to hand the constant 6bar pressure to a turbosmart 2000 regulator. Feeding a -6AN all the way into the factory high pressure fuel pump line at the engine using a male 5/16 -6AN fitting.

As this is all trail and error everything I have done can be moved back to standard within 5 minutes as I left the OEM plastic line in and haven't cut anything other than a few holes in the body and the return in the fuel pump hanger.

Testing is next weekend so hopefully it will help with the surge.

Wow. Keep us posted

[Alexander13.]

After a weekend of abuse in the car. The fuel system has helped! No more surge on a long right hander! stocked that it wasn't a waste of money and helped

[Wanted_M]

Nice work on the surge tank system, I encountered similar issues on my last car which was a heavily modified dual pulley SC 2014 S4. I know its not an M but what was happening under brutal launches at track or full throttle run with less than a 1/4 tank equaled limp mode. What we found was that the basket will go empty as all the fuel swashes back/side causing basket to drain faster than it can fill up thus LPFP loosing suction then dropping supply pressure which then lowers rail pressure and BAM CEL/limp mode. The first time this happened I went straight home and changed my undies as it was a violent transition lol. LPFP would drop well below 3 bars, no bueno. After Walbro addition 6.8 bars all day even under heavy throttle. Log your LPFP and that would tell you a story.

The results of limp mode was the car would sputter like crazy and I couldn't go above 25mph. I'd pull over, shut the car off, restart and all clear. After weeks of logging/duplicating the issue and lots of research I called Steve @ Fuel-It and he designed a Walbro 525 pump with the SS bracket like on the 335I design piggybacked onto stock basket, I added a Hydramat and all fuel starvation issues went away running E45. Others on the Audi forum used a Walbro 450 to dump fuel into the basket and it worked.

Here's what the set up with Hydramat installed, worked like a champ. if I encounter issues with my CS at the track, I'm doing the same set up again. Just my .02 cents.

[Alexander13.]

Agree, the Fuel it kits seem to be the way to go and I'm sure as these cars become cheaper more people will get into using them for what they are intended for. Until then its make do with what we know!

[SYT_Shadow]

Any updates on this solution?

[dvq]

It's really weird how some of us have fuel starvation and not others. I haven't experienced any starvation at all and I'm on AR-1s at the track. I'm not incredibly fast but I'm not slow either. I have on two occasions sputtered back to the fuel station on fumes going up the hill at Laguna with the needle on empty. I was just so focused I never saw the low fuel chime until all power was cut -- full power until that very last bit. I finally got hot towed back in due to being on empty and since then I just fill up after every second session.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by dvq

It's really weird how some of us have fuel starvation and not others. I haven't experienced any starvation at all and I'm on AR-1s at the track. I'm not incredibly fast but I'm not slow either. I have on two occasions sputtered back to the fuel station on fumes going up the hill at Laguna with the needle on empty. I was just so focused I never saw the low fuel chime until all power was cut -- full power until that very last bit. I finally got hot towed back in due to being on empty and since then I just fill up after every second session.

It is 100% related to how hard you're driving.

For example: I will fuel starve at around 1/3 of a tank, however James Clay (Bimmerworld pro driver) will fuel starve my car anytime he's under half a tank. Even at a hair under half a tank. Same car, two different drivers.

This is like E9X M3s overheating on track issue. They don't overheat until you're running hard on slicks etc, then you run into a wall with the stock cooling system.
It's been done before, someone who thought the overheating was not an issue while running hard with RE71 etc switches to a slick and overheats the next session.

[Alexander13.]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Any updates on this solution?

It solved all the fuel issues and got down to the fuel reserve light as I called it a day. Safe to say, it ain't the best design but it sure works.

[sc_tr0jan_m3]

I've been looking at this for my e46 m3 track car so I can run under a half tank and not carry extra weight. Once I dip underneath a half tank I can immediately trigger starvation after right hand turns.

On NT01's or AR1's I regularly see 1.3g's which causes chaos with gas sloshing around. For now I do the cheap fix of just filling up after 2 sessions.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by sc_tr0jan_m3

I've been looking at this for my e46 m3 track car so I can run under a half tank and not carry extra weight. Once I dip underneath a half tank I can immediately trigger starvation after right hand turns.

On NT01's or AR1's I regularly see 1.3g's which causes chaos with gas sloshing around. For now I do the cheap fix of just filling up after 2 sessions.

For the E46 there are well established solutions, like the Bimmerworld kit.

For the F8X this is the first thread where someone -Alexander- solves fuel starvation in the F8X

[sc_tr0jan_m3]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

For the E46 there are well established solutions, like the Bimmerworld kit.

For the F8X this is the first thread where someone -Alexander- solves fuel starvation in the F8X

Yah the BW kit is good but I've always like a true surge tank more. I'm sure for the F80 you could whip something up with a radium system and solve the problem for good!

[E92inSG]

any updates from anyone who has found a PnP solution?

[tsk94]

I didn't have fuel starvation issues when I first tracked the car - still getting used to the car, building up speed, etc. I could run the car down to the fuel light would come on.
Fast forward to the end of last season, being more comfortable with the car and really pushing, I can't run the car below half a tank without risk of fuel starve. Had a nasty one last season where it was approximately ~1/4 to 1/3 tank and it starved mid-corner, cut power completely, and totally upset the car. Ended up going off track as a result as the back end came out and had a big moment. Luckily this occurred in an area that had good runoff. Since then we're diligent in keeping it above half tank so this won't happen again and potentially in a spot that could end you up in a wall...
Never experienced an issue as long as it's above half tank. Hoping for a nice solution to become available like there is for E36/46's.

[sly1types]

Originally Posted by tsk94

I didn't have fuel starvation issues when I first tracked the car - still getting used to the car, building up speed, etc. I could run the car down to the fuel light would come on.
Fast forward to the end of last season, being more comfortable with the car and really pushing, I can't run the car below half a tank without risk of fuel starve. Had a nasty one last season where it was approximately ~1/4 to 1/3 tank and it starved mid-corner, cut power completely, and totally upset the car. Ended up going off track as a result as the back end came out and had a big moment. Luckily this occurred in an area that had good runoff. Since then we're diligent in keeping it above half tank so this won't happen again and potentially in a spot that could end you up in a wall...
Never experienced an issue as long as it's above half tank. Hoping for a nice solution to become available like there is for E36/46's.

Someone needs to Call Fuel-it or one of the big BMW fueling companies and have them design something...until then i start every session with a full tank.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by tsk94

I didn't have fuel starvation issues when I first tracked the car - still getting used to the car, building up speed, etc. I could run the car down to the fuel light would come on.
Fast forward to the end of last season, being more comfortable with the car and really pushing, I can't run the car below half a tank without risk of fuel starve. Had a nasty one last season where it was approximately ~1/4 to 1/3 tank and it starved mid-corner, cut power completely, and totally upset the car. Ended up going off track as a result as the back end came out and had a big moment. Luckily this occurred in an area that had good runoff. Since then we're diligent in keeping it above half tank so this won't happen again and potentially in a spot that could end you up in a wall...
Never experienced an issue as long as it's above half tank. Hoping for a nice solution to become available like there is for E36/46's.

This is exactly it, the issue is pace related so not everyone has it.

Bimmerworld should be selling their kit already, so it looks like the dark days of fuel starvation in F8xs are over

[sly1types]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

This is exactly it, the issue is pace related so not everyone has it.

Bimmerworld should be selling their kit already, so it looks like the dark days of fuel starvation in F8xs are over

That’s great to hear, but I don’t see it on their site.

Any info on it or what it exactly it does?

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

This is exactly it, the issue is pace related so not everyone has it.

Bimmerworld should be selling their kit already, so it looks like the dark days of fuel starvation in F8xs are over

Is it listed on the site yet, or am I blind?

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by sly1types

That’s great to hear, but I don’t see it on their site.

Any info on it or what it exactly it does?

Originally Posted by tsk94

Is it listed on the site yet, or am I blind?

We have not been able to test it yet. Damn GTS with the factory cage that covers the fuel pump area.
But anyway, if it isn't listed yet it should be soon. And it's not a crazy expensive solution either.

We've been pushing the topic since 2019 and finally, light at the end of the tunnel guys!!

[adc]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

We have not been able to test it yet. Damn GTS with the factory cage that covers the fuel pump area.
But anyway, if it isn't listed yet it should be soon. And it's not a crazy expensive solution either.

We've been pushing the topic since 2019 and finally, light at the end of the tunnel guys!!

Hey if you guys need a cage free sedan on slicks for testing, I volunteer.

Just don’t expect to get the gadget back afterwards.