BMW FUEL CELL SIZE

Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought that all IT cars have to run the same capacity (in the fuel cells)as in their stock tanks? Which makes perfectly good sense to me unless some car has some very high capacity that I don't know about.
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I think you are missing something, as you suggest. I don't believe there is any rule that limits fuel cell capacity. Specifically, the 2nd paragraph of section 19 says:

"There is no restriction of fuel cell capacity or dimensions of the fuel cell,
except where otherwise specified. The installation of more than one cell
is permitted."

I can find no "otherwise specified" that applies to IT.

For those people running fuel cells in the passenger seat area, how do you get around the bulkhead rule:

"There must be a metal bulkhead between the driver/passenger
compartment and the compartment containing the fuel cell."

Does this just mean that it has to be in a metal box? I don't think that a box qualifies as a bulkhead.
EDIT: bulkhead definition from GCR: "A partition separating compartments."
 
"There is no restriction of fuel cell capacity or dimensions of the fuel cell,
except where otherwise specified. The installation of more than one cell
is permitted."
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be aware that some enduros do limit size in the supps.


Does this just mean that it has to be in a metal box?
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yes
 
I'm amazed that no one would limit how much fuel any IT car could carry in it's fuel cell!!! This makes no sense at all. IMO your fuel cell should be able to carry as much fuel as the stock tank it replaced period, end of discussion. How the hell did this one slip by the ITAC & CRB? :D

Dan
 
The GCR was written for Club Racing events, which are historically sprints. The average person installing a cell is likely to go smaller rather than bigger. Should the rule require NOT LESS THAN the stock volume? Silly stuff.

K
 
Just a thought. What if you had a car that requires a lot of ballast. Would you be better off running a larger than stock cell full of fuel in the trunk or lead in the front seat footwell?

Fuel = Ballast :o
 
I think you are missing something, as you suggest. I don't believe there is any rule that limits fuel cell capacity. Specifically, the 2nd paragraph of section 19 says:

"There is no restriction of fuel cell capacity or dimensions of the fuel cell,
except where otherwise specified. The installation of more than one cell
is permitted."

I can find no "otherwise specified" that applies to IT.

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Uh, the spec line would be 'otherwise specified'.
 
Just a thought. What if you had a car that requires a lot of ballast. Would you be better off running a larger than stock cell full of fuel in the trunk or lead in the front seat footwell?

Fuel = Ballast :o [/b]
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Depends where your car is heavy John. Don't forget we can run ballast up to the end of the front passanger door in 07.
 
Looking through the 2007 ITCS for the ITR classified E36 noticed that the whole "cell in the trunk no larger than stock" is not there. Not sure what to think about that?
 
I do not understand the confusion about the fuel cell rule. It seems very straight forward to me, but perhaps that is because I have been racing long enough to see the rule implemented.
1 Any IT car can run a fuel cell. One spot on the cells perimiter must be within 12 " of the stock location.
2 There is no limit to the size of the fuel cell.
3 The fuel cell must have a metal bulkhead between it and the passenger compartment.

Additionally, because the stock BMW tank is a saddle tank placed under the rear seat that wraps around the drive shaft it is allowed to place a fuel cell in the trunk. If this option is chosen it can be no larger than the stock tank and does not have to meet the 12" rule. I expect the size limit for the alternate location was to limit the use of a tank (fuel) as additional ballast.

The confusion for 2007 is that the exception remains for ITS BMW's and is not repeated for ITR. I believe it should be apllied to the ITR car as well. I wish the ITAC to take action to allow trunk mounted fuel cells in ITR.
 
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