It's the pumps. It's always the pumps. They can never be too small or too powerful, or, as they say, too rich or too thin. Usually they are fat and noisy or small and pitiful in their output. When they are fat and noisy and only come in one size as they crawled out of bilges on boats or escaped from agricultural spray systems. When they were small, dedicated units their output couldn't cover high horsepower applications.

The pump pictured above changes this forever.

Before we show you how we do this you need to know a bit about water injection's history and about RB Racing's history using water injection.

Art and Science 1998

The blue rail of this BMW K1200RS/GT/LT Turbo Plenum is a port water injection system with four nozzles. Water Injection is the best way to make power when you are dealing with forced induction systems. In this case we are running a turbo on a 11.5:1 high compression bike and doubling the horsepower with reliability. There is really nothing new about this...We've been doing it for nearly 30 years but people were doing it way, way, before we ever came on the scene.

The red rail is the secondary fuel injectors. You end up with eight fuel injectors and four water injection nozzles on a 1200cc motorcycle. More holes than Swiss cheeze. Hard anodized inlet plenum.

12 O’Clock High: Six Decades Earlier

Sir Harry Ricardo and the High Speed Aero Engine. Incredibly complex, turbo-supercharged, radial and V-12 engines that had to take off with a full bomb load in conditions that were never ideal. You might think you put the pedal to the metal but, for the WWII fighter and bomber crews, death was always part of equation...It wasn’t a game and if you couldn’t squeeze out the last bit of horsepower you were dead. It was in this environment that water alcohol injection technology was refined. Wright Cyclone engine pictured above.

Nothing has changed except the passage of time. The pioneering research was done by people like Sir Harry Ricardo, the researchers at NACA in Langley Field and all the aero engine designers of the period entering the Second World War. Give credit where it’s due and don’t think the sun only started rising yesterday. Rolls Royce Merlin engine pictured above.

For an interesting read you can download a PDF from NACA dated 15 August 1942. It still applies today. A second NACA PDF also validates the use of water injection.

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

Colorful 3D ribbon graphs, literature full of mumbo jumbo, and electronic controls full of potentiometers and blinking lights some 60 years later is nothing but a new box to hide a heritage born in the skies over Europe. People want you to believe that they invented water...well, people spend billions of dollars to buy brand name designer water in trendy plastic bottles that end up in the ocean and land fills, so anything is possible in today’s gadget-filled world. It’s a brave new world but to paraphrase a popular political phrase..."It’s the water Stupid!". If you want your high output turbo or supercharged motor to avoid engine destroying pre-ignition and detonation you are going to have to employ water injection and the way it has to be done was set in stone a long, long, time ago.

Pictured above is a schematic of a WWII aero engine water/methanol regulator...designed over 60 years ago!

Monster Marine Diesels

Engines bigger than your house and they use water injection to reduce emissions! Diesel engines obviously can derive some benefit from cooling the combustion process. This is really big industrial stuff so don't think about adapting anything. The company is Wartsila. If you're a diesel junkie these things are the pyramids.

Sex Boost Rock & Roll...The Formula 1 Era

It's 1987 and in your dreams you have your FOCA pass and a long-legged, high cheekboned bird of paradise has her tongue in your ear and her hand in your Nomex on the biggest yacht in Monaco's harbor. The shrimp cocktails and the fine wines flow and you've just qualified on the front row with your 800 hp turbocharged F1 missile. All abs and no flab, not a love handle or a stretch mark in sight, and your eyes focus like a Peregrine Falcon in a 200 mph dive. Wake up fool! You're wearing glasses, baggy shirts are covering your love handles and you're seeking status and approval from other idiots and you sure aren't in Monaco.

Time for us to reflect on the big boys, what was, learn a few things, and then slink back to our pitiful existence. Monday to Friday trying to pay the bills and seeking meaning through our toys.

Renault started it all in 1977. They always start it all. First with turbos, first with pneumatic valves, first to use water injection, first with a lot of things. Heavy thinkers, great engineers, Ecole Polytechnique. Think R5 Turbo. In 1983 the F1 Renault showed up with a 12 liter water tank, an electric pump and pressure regulator and about 600 hp from 90 cubic inches. By 1986 the power had been increased to 870hp but the water injection was gone as the fuels had improved.

In 1983 Ferrari also claimed to be the first to use water injection. With the cooperation of their fuel supplier Agip they managed to suspend water in the fuel in microscopic emulsified drops in a ratio of 90% gasoline and 10% water. They won the constructors championship. Like Renault they dropped water injection when heavier fuel elements (toluene) came into use.

Porsche and, later on, Honda showed up and cleaned house to the point where turbos were banned. Honda relied on a mixture of 84% toluene and 16% heptane and ran up to 58 psi of boost to achieve up to 1000 hp. Honda did not use water injection.

Don’t Drink the Purple Cool-Aid

Turbo gurus, blindly following false prophets, preach the doctrine of "You Can’t Run Them Too Rich" and demand that you slay the infidel detonation by richening things ad infinitum. They should have read Sir Harry’s Book, The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine, but as they say, those who do not know history are destined to repeat the same mistakes. Sir Harry Ricardo proved once and for all that you can richen things up to a point but, beyond this, detonation is going to rear it’s head no matter how much fuel you throw at it and, in fact, the extra fuel may increase the tendency to detonate! Going rich beyond the well-defined 12.5:1 boost maximum power air fuel ratio is going to cost you power.

Studies in the early part of the Second World War proved conclusively that as you add water you can lean out your overly rich mixtures as you raise your boost pressures. As Sir Harry Ricardo stated..."By the introduction of water...the fuel/air ratio could be reduced once again; in fact, with water injection, no appreciable advantage was found from the use of an over-rich fuel/air mixture". So much for those whose perspective begins with their birth date.

I Don’t Want To Learn...Just Give Me The Answers!

1. Maximum Torque occurs at a 13.2:1 Air Fuel Ratio.
2. Transitional Fueling and Maximum Boost Air Fuel Ratios are about 12.5:1.
3. Water Injection is most efficient with a 50/50 water alcohol (or methanol) mixture.
4. Methanol, as an additive, is not a practical choice as it is prone to pre-ignition in higher than 50/50 percentages, is not safe to handle, and is not readily available. It's a good choice, but not necessarily the most practical one when you need some in a hurry. Methanol is usually found where racing fuels are sold.
5. Denatured (ethanol) alcohol, typically 95% pure, is available in paint, hardware, and Home Depot type stores in gallon containers for about $10.00. Expensive but available everywhere. Isopropyl alcohol can be used but it is often 30% or more water by content.
6. Water Injection allows ignition timing to be more aggressive or closer to stock. In other words boost does not automatically mean retard your timing.
7. Excessive amounts of ignition retard will cause a loss of power and overheating.
8. Water to Fuel ratios should be based on weight and not volume.
9 . Water weighs 8.33 lb per gallon.
10. Alcohol weighs 6.63 lb per gallon.
11. Air weighs .080645 lb per cubic foot. It takes about 150 cubic feet of air per 100 horsepower. It takes about 12 lb of air per 100 horsepower.
12. Water or Water / Alcohol to Fuel Ratios are between 12.5% to 25%. This means Air to Fluid Ratios are between 11.1:1 and 10.0:1 with water injection.
13. Maximum water delivery should be in higher load low to mid rpm ranges tapering somewhat at peak rpms where load is less.
14. Atomization of the water mixture is directly related to it effectiveness. Finer droplets cool the inlet charge better and with less mass they navigate the inlet plenum easier for more equal water distribution.
15. Don’t flow water through an intercooler.
16. Atomized water, just like fuel , does not like to make turns thus making accurate distribution something to think about. This is why port fuel injection is the norm. Water is a fluid just like your fuel. Multiple nozzles, equally spaced in the plenum, although it complicates things, is a superior design.
17. The introduction of water will allow higher boost pressures to be run without detonation. Higher pressures will increase torque. It’s always about torque.
18. Racing high octane gasoline should be used for all forms of competition and for higher than normal boost levels. Water injection as well as charge cooling should be used with racing gas. 91/92 Octane pump gas simply will not cut it. Water spray cooling of the intercooler is a good idea.
19. Fuel Injectors operate in the 1 Millisecond range and are not capable of long term usage for H20 as they will corrode or rust shut in a very short period of time. Unless a solenoid can open as fast as a fuel injector it should not be used to "pulse" water injection events as flow is not directly related to "duty cycle".
20. Varying voltage to water injection pumps or using similar schemes is a recipe for disaster. You have to eliminate the variables, not increase them.
21. Fuel Injection pumps cannot be used for water injection. Water is conductive. Gasoline is not. Water will corrode an efi pump shut in a very short period of time.
22. Water injection has a cooling effect on the engine head, valves, and cylinder. Exhaust temperatures (EGT) are largely unaffected at recommended water / fuel ratios.
23. The cooling of potential hot spots in the combustion chamber defeats pre-ignition, the most destructive form of uncontrolled or unplanned combustion.
24. Higher static compression ratios will require a higher percentage of water or water / alcohol.
25. No, water does not burn. We are not combusting the hydrogen in the H2O.
26. At around 13.2:1 or fuel air ratios of .75, EGT’s will peak.
27. People will try to selectively edit their way to get you to use water injection by stating "One can basically double the power output of an engine using water/methanol" and "It was used effectively in Formula 1 before being banned for adding too much power". This is pure bunk. Water or water/alcohol/methanol does not make power...superchargers and turbochargers make power. The cooling effect of the water injection only allows you to run higher boost pressures and leaner mixtures without engine damage. The increased density or higher pressure ratio is what makes the power, not the water. The last time we checked water wasn't a very good fuel.
28. Ferrari suspended water in their fuel during their 1980’s Formula1 period. We don’t recommend that you try this...although Acetone will mix with water.

Is There Water on Mars?

What the heck does this have to do with your short term ego power trip? Not much, or a lot, depending on your perspective. Well, 820 million dollars of your money and a couple of robots crashing onto the Red Planet may give us some answers...Maybe we were all Martians from the get go, our DNA is red, and our destiny is to squirt water into our internal combustion engines so we can zip around our planet at an accelerated rate, destroy the ecosystem, increase global warming, and face the same fate as our Martian parent. History repeats itself.

Silence in a dead, ever expanding, universe. Let them pay the bills later on. Neocons and hot rodders have something in common.

Water has always been the key. No water, no us... No us, no turbos. No water, no broken parts... Broken parts, no money. No money, no honey, no honey no love. It always comes full circle and if you want the honey and you accept the fact that water is why you are here, well, you might as well use it to your advantage to achieve your goals as temporary and as crazy as they may be. Like Scott Carpenter said on the launch pad..."Light this Candle!". Pied au plancher.

You can always rationalize this by claiming water injection lowers emissions. The curvature of the earth at Bonneville.

Running Water Injection since 1980

Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, BMW, Hondas, Kawasakis, Triumphs etc....all our race bikes have run water injection since the early 1980's. The thermal loads, even with intercooling and racing gasoline are too high and without water injection you simply can't run mile after mile on the long course at Bonneville without some additional form of charge cooling. Running 22 psi of boost between the two mile and four mile markers day after day and no engine failures. Mike Geokan's famous #226 Blue Bike and his new Bonneville Bullet use RSR Water Injection.

Nearly 30 years of water injection and turbos. We have been in the high performance business since the late 1970's.

Plastic: Nylon 6, Nylon 11, 12 tubing or their plastic push-on fittings are rated for these temperatures. Push-On fittings. Dirt cheap.

Rubber: There are two pressures involved: Reservoir to pump (low) and pump to solenoid and nozzles (high). For the low pressure side of things oem rubber vacuum and windshield washer hose and push on fittings will work well. We use either 7/32" or 1/4" depending on the pump we use. Hose barbs and clamps.

For the high pressure side of things we use 1/4" fuel injection hose as it has a burst pressure of 900 psi (SAE 30R9). It is flexible, abrasion resistant, and is rated at 275 Deg F. For these reasons we use 1/4" efi hose on the pressure side of all our motorcycle systems.It is stupidly expensive, however.

Stainless Option: For you neat freaks you can use 1/4 stainless steel tubing and special anti-vibration fittings. The stainless tubing is rated from -423F to 1500F and is rated at pressures of 3500 psi. You will need a hand tubing bender and a flaring tool. Cut the tubing to length. Bend the tubing. Insert the rubber seals over the tubing. Flare the end of the tubing. Tighten the capture nut. Since stainless tubing is not flexible, use 1/4" efi hose between flexure points like between the engine and the firewall. The fittings can be rotated as the inner rubber sleeve provides the seal.

You can also use braided steel teflon. Some people have an endless fascination with braided stainless steel.

The one quart reservoir is typically employed on motorcycles where space is at a premium and where gas tanks only hold 3 to 5 gallons of gas. It can be mounted in a number of places and is held in place by two mounting bolts. Weatherpack level sensor standard on all RSR systems.

The two quart and gallon reservoirs are typically used in automotive applications. They can be bolted into place where space permits. This allows free use of the windshield washer reservoir which is typically hijacked for H2O systems. Weatherpack level sensor standard on all RSR systems.

A technical point about the delivery of the water is that we do not attempt to modulate, pulse or otherwise try to modify the flow of the water through the nozzles. In the labor intensive systems, where we used actual fuel injectors, the response time of the injectors was around 1.6 milliseconds (0.0016 seconds) before linear flow could be predicted. By using actual fuel injectors we could precisely pulse the water flow with controllability down to a fraction of a millisecond. It was a very short term solution. It was absolute in its control, but it was far from practical.

Trying to pulse non-efi solenoids is crazy as they have very slow response times, typically around 10-15 milliseconds, or about six times slower than a fuel injector, making the delivery of water a very "notchy" proposition. Figure it out yourself. At 6000 rpm there is 10 milliseconds per revolution and each four stroke cycle takes two revolutions or 20 milliseconds. If the solenoid takes 10 milliseconds to open and a good portion of that is non-linear then water delivery via duty cycle variation is a bit non-linear and problematic. No one tells you this. The knobs they give you are very comforting however.

Another control strategy is frequency, or voltage modulation of the pump itself. This is not a wise move and brings an unpredictability to the situation.

It is better to treat the water flow as a constant flow (CIS) to pull the maximum heat out of the inlet tract without "missing" inlet events.

The best strategy is to size the nozzles to provide the correct peak flow of water at the highest load and then to taper it back to a figure of 12 to 15% of the liquid mass entering the engine at peak rpm. Use the calculator we provide to do your planning. This way you will know what is happening beforehand and not twiddling some potentiometer and not knowing what is happening downstream.

RSR Bubble-Tight Viton Solenoids

A 12VDc bubble-tight, normally closed, solenoid with a filter is placed between the water pump close to the water injection nozzle(s). Multiple solenoids can be used in a staged system i.e. in systems where the water spray is to be activated at different pressure points. 1/8" BSPT. A separate solenoid can also be used to activate water spray for an intercooler if a RSR "Pro-L" pump is employed.

The solenoid insures there is no possibility of water flowing to the nozzles unless boost is present. It also prevents either vacuum or boost from causing either water drainage from the lines, or boost backflow though the system. The solenoid is normally closed and activates under the user defined onset of water injection triggered by the 03-1059 pressure activated switch.

Many systems do not use a solenoid at all or use less expensive plastic ones. A solenoid should be part of any system that uses a Shurflo or similar diaphragm pump that does not have internal backflow protection. Not plastic. Solid brass. Filtered at inlet.

All RSR Water Injection Systems have a manual disarm switch that can deactivate the system.

Check Valves...+/- 20% Problems

Check valves to be effective to prevent a vacuum siphoning need to have greater than 15 psi (1 Bar) cracking pressure. A 15 to 20 psi check valve will knock exactly that much off of your system pressure which is hurting the atomization which becomes finer at higher pressures. One thing people do not think about is, if you employ multiple check valves and multiple nozzles you are going to be dealing with two unplanned for inconsistencies. First, some of the valves are going to leak. They always do. Secondly, they never crack at the same pressure and will easily "crack" at +/- 20% of the advertised value i.e., in some situations, some will open and some won't.

We don't use them. Too many problems. Our RSR Pumps are, in effect, check valves as will not flow when they are not in operation. One solenoid located between the pump and the nozzles is a better solution for keeping the line ready for the next injection event.

Upstream, Downstream, and Orientation

Nozzle placement is most often decided by the architecture of the application. They can be installed in a Boost Only area such as in the plenum or plenum runners before the throttle body, or in a Vacuum-Boost area in the inlet tract behind the throttle body or air metering throttle valve (butterfly).

If you have a mass sensing systems of some type, you can't inject water before the sensing element as this will drive the hot wire or sensing element crazy. In this case you will have to place your nozzle downstream of the butterfly in a vacuum-boost area.

If the nozzles are "upstream" they will never see a vacuum signal.

A Bubble Tight RSR Solenoid will prevent any unwanted flow through the nozzles. Place the solenoid near the nozzles and any "siphoning" will stop. A solenoid will not cut flow like a check valve will and by employing a solenoid for the nozzles and another solenoid for intercooler spray you have a system than cannot leak down and one that will activate in a predictable manner.

All RSR pumps are essentially a check valve for the system and unless activated no water flow can take place.

30 Amp Relays

There is a logic behind how the RSR Water Injection is hooked up and how it gets it's power, which requires two relays. You want to be sure the water is not activated when the engine is not running and only activated under pre-defined boost levels. We provide diagrams how to hook this up (see bootom of this page) so you do not have any problems. A goes to B, and B goes to C, etc. Do it by the numbers.

Digital Turbo Dashboard

3 Bar display with 30 leds 30"Hg to 30 PSI (3 Bar). First ten l.e.d.s are green and represent the 1.0 Bar Pressure range. The second ten l.e.d.s are orange and represent the 2.0 Bar Pressure range. The last ten l.e.d.s are red and represent the 3.0 Bar Pressure range. A three digit "Bar" digital read out (0.00 to 3.00) is directly below the 30 l.e.d.s.

There are two four digit Type K Thermocouple displays which can be used to monitor two egts or any other temperatures like charge cooling etc. Celsius and Fahrenheit selectable by pushing blue and red buttons simultaneously. Last digit displays "C" or "F" in bright green.

Two l.e.d. display lights for water injection: Red l.e.d. for warning of low fluid level; Blue l.e.d. for water injection pump activation. Three button control for the display functions: Blue: high recall; White: display dimming function; Red: reset of high recall. Simple, logical. Bonneville race quality.

This is the most sophisticated microprocessor based dash for turbocharger and supercharger use. Display is only approximately 6" wide by 2.5" tall. A total of 45 leds and three buttons. Buttons are high force, easily activated, even wearing gloves. Hard anodized and machined from billet enclosure. Water resistant but not submersible.

Complete RSR Water Injection Systems & Options

There is one pump system. Each is a complete system with one nozzle of choice. Additional nozzles or staged solenoids for secondary nozzles are optional. Reservoirs are available if required.

03-1050	RSR "Pro-440" Pump Assembly: 220 psi, 440 ccm pump; AC power supply; two 30 amp relays, adjustable Hobbs pressure switch (.5 to 150 psi); one bubble tight solenoid with filter; wiring; hose and fittings pump to solenoid and solenoid to nozzle; master on-off switch (arm/disarm system); installation and wiring instructions. One 4mm Nozzle of choice.	$595.00
03-1058	One (1) 30 Amp Relay, incl female connector and contacts	$14.95
03-1059	Hobbs Boost Pressure Activated Switch,Normally Open (.5 to 150 psi), Shipped set @ 4psi activation.	$49.50
03-1062	Hose Kit Reservoir to Pump, 7/32" Rubber Hose Low Pressure, 6 feet	$9.95
03-1070	L.E.D. Turbo Dash: Billet enclosure. 3 Bar sensor remote mounted. Display has two (2) 5 Digit EGT displays (0-1999 Degrees F, switchable to Celsius) , 3 digit BAR Display, Water Injection Activation LED (Blue), Low Water Level LED (Red), 30 LED 3 Bar Boost Display, Two Type K Thermocouples, Three Buttons: High memory recall, Dimming function, Reset.	$795.00
03-1064	Push On Connector: 3-way 4mm nylon tube.	$9.95
03-1064	Brass Tee, 3-way, EFI Hose 1/4" barb.	$9.95
03-1076	SX Water Pressure Regulator (40 to 150 psi).	$149.95
03-1083	One Quart Reservoir with Float Level Sensor. Wiring and Weatherpack connector. 90 degree 1/4 NPT x 1/4"Barb exit.	$69.50
03-1084	Two Quart Reservoir with Float Level Sensor. Wiring and Weatherpack connector. 90 degree 1/4 NPT x 1/4"Barb exit.	$79.50
03-1085	One Gallon Reservoir with Float Level Sensor. Wiring and Weatherpack connector. 90 degree 1/4 NPT x 1/4"Barb exit.	$89.50
03-1071	1/4" BSPP female Weld Fitting. 6061 Aluminum. 5/8" pilot hole.	$9.95
03-1072	1/4" BSPP female Weld Fitting. Stainless Steel. 5/8" pilot hole.	$19.95
03-1074	1/4" NPT Tap (1/4"EFI Hose Barb Nozzles).	$24.95
03-1075	1/4" BSPP Tap (4mm Push On Nozzles).	$24.95
03-1076	Bubble Tight Solenoid Assembly: Includes inlet filter, 6mm inlet push on fitting, 4mm exit push on fitting, wiring and Weatherpack connector. 1/8"pipe ports.	$79.50
03-1077	1/4" EFI Hose Option (Solenoid to Nozzle) per foot.	$9.95
03-1078	L.E.D. assembly for Low Fluid Warning (red) and Pump Activation (blue).	$29.50

DIY

With probably 100 individuals and half as many greedy capitalists pushing water into engines it's pretty easy to check around and put together a DIY Water Injection system for under well under $200.00. A water pump from Northern Tool and a bunch of parts from McMaster Carr and you can be a DIY Water Injection expert. Check around. All the information is easy to come by.

Power Up

RB Racing simply can't use the generic Shurflo systems as they just aren't suited for the applications and racing that we do. We tend to avoid compromise and push the envelope. It's really a pain in the ass to get all the details worked out, especially when you are working with 200 mph motorcycles that have little or no space to work with. Not everyone needs this level of sophistication and expense. We do. Whatever you decide to do, roll your own, or buy something, sooner or later you have to find out what she'll do. Power that thing up and stand on it.

RSR Water Injection Calculator