The most dangerous racing crashes are ones that involve fire, and in the early days of racing fiery crashes were all too common. Years ago cars that were little more than modified production models were raced on road courses, dirt tracks, and drag strips, and in an accident their steel tanks could easily rupture and spill gasoline, often with unfortunate consequences. Thankfully, today many forms of racing require fuel to be contained in fuel cells, which are designed to resist puncturing and spilling gas when impacted.
While fuel cell construction varies according to brand, the most common type holds the fuel in a flexible bladder, which can be made of reinforced rubber, or specialized coated fabric, depending on model and manufacturer. The bladder is housed in a steel, aluminum, carbon fiber or fiberglass container. Foam baffling inside the bladder prevents fuel slosh and helps the bladder hold its shape. A fill plate, with openings for the fuel fill, vent, fuel outlet, and fuel return, is attached to the bladder and the fuel cell housing.
Fuel cells provide more than safety. With a fuel cell you're not a slave to a standard-size fuel reservoir. If you're drag racing you only need enough fuel to cover the quarter mile, so you can save weight and space with a cell that only holds a few gallons. But if you're endurance racing you can increase your fuel capacity so you don't need to make as many pit stops. In addition to capacity variation, fuel cells are also available in different shapes so you can get the one that works best for the space in your vehicle. Fuel cells are available for in-tank and external fuel pumps, and for return-style and returnless fuel systems, and they can be configured for direct fill or fill through the body.
But if your idea of performance has nothing to do with the race track, but rather the ability to cover a lot of miles without stopping, we've got you covered. We offer high capacity fuel tanks made from military-grade polymer that can extend your driving range by as much as 500 miles. These tanks are available for most popular Jeeps and trucks, and come in designs that replace mid-ship or after axle mounted factory tanks, as supplemental bed-mounted auxiliary and transfer tanks, and even tanks that install in place of the spare tire. The polymer construction allows our tanks to be configured for space in ways not possible with a steel tank, and unlike steel they won't corrode, delaminate or crack at the welds.
In addition to the above, you'll find many more fuel tank related products to improve your vehicle on our digital shelves. If you're looking for a stock replacement tank and tired of dealing with rust and leaks, we have tough, high-density, cross-linking polyethylene replacement tanks that won't rust or crack and have no welds or seams to leak. You can protect your vulnerable fuel tank when venturing off-road with our rugged, diamond plate steel fuel tank covers. Plus we have fuel surge tanks to prevent fuel starvation, fuel cell mounting kits, and fuel caps, as well as all the necessary fittings, adapters, seals and braided steel line to plumb the tank into your fuel system. |