Holley Fuel Cell Buyer’s Guide: What You Need To Know

A Day of Tanks

Conventional fuel tanks normally get the job done for weekend cruisers and mildly modified street machines, but those who are looking to get serious about performance will likely reach a point where it makes sense to make the switch to a fuel cell. Although sanctioning bodies across many different motorsport disciplines mandate the use of fuel cells in certain classes, there are benefits that go beyond simply complying with a rule set.

“For the grassroots guy, it often actually comes down to packaging,” says Holley Performance project engineer Junnior Rodriguez. “People want to add aero, or maybe they’re converting to all-wheel drive and they need room for their differential. Getting rid of the factory fuel tank will free up a significant amount of room under the car.”

In many cases, there’s also simply no need for fuel storage capacity of 20 gallons or more. “Others are looking to reduce weight wherever they can and moving down to a 10-gallon fuel cell, for example, can help. The average weight of fuel per gallon is about six pounds, so it quickly starts to add up. That’s especially true for drag racing – if the car is only being driven a quarter-mile at a time, some teams can get away with using a three-gallon fuel cell throughout an entire day of racing.”

Since most factory fuel tanks on carbureted and early EFI vehicles weren’t baffled, stepping up to a fuel cell can also help resolve potential issues with inconsistent fuel pressure and fuel starvation. And let’s not forget about the potential safety benefits, either.

“Typically, a factory fuel tank is open to the elements,” Rodriguez points out. “Whereas, with a fuel cell, you can mount it inside the trunk or in the cabin. And that means it’s much less likely to be punctured by foreign debris if there’s an incident.”

But with the range of fuel cell options and supporting hardware that Holley Performance offers, it can be tricky to pinpoint what makes the most sense for a given application. Here we’ll get some insight from the experts about what builders should take into consideration when selecting a fuel cell and the accessories that go along with it. Read the rest of this article here.