It depends on the engine and the fuel.
For example we know that methanol fueled engines can give more power 'at the wheels' than pump petrol. They also use far more fuel than a standard petrol engine.
So in a standard power, standard flow, standard revs test as the research indicated, the methanol fuel would perform worse than a petrol fuel.
If you altered the fuel system, you could get more power from running methanol.
But in karting you often have control of the fuel system. If you had an engine that could use the power of methanol you could wind open the main jet to double your usual fuel flow. So it is rumoured that various people have experimented with adding methanol but increasing the fuel flow. eg, have a container of methanol, wind the jet out, do a couple of really hot laps, then switch back to normal fuel and wind the jet in. The problem isn't in making the system work, it lies in no-one noticing you have all that extra plumbing.
Another method that works is to cool the air on its way into the engine. Hence the blue book specifically forbids you to pack the noise box with dry ice or to fit a cyclone device; the temperature in the middle of a cyclone drops.
Another thing to note is that octane boosters do work, but all they do is to delay pre-detonation (pinking). To have an effect on your kart you have to be in the pre-detonation zone which is only acheivable by altering the ignition and/or the compression. (Methanol has an octane rating of 114 for example, but burns cooler than petrol)
There are other additives that alter the power that can be extracted from the fuel, often described as oxygen enhancers.(nitrous oxide is one) They work because a karter can modify the fuel and ignition systems, even if the modification is turning the mixture screw.
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What's in fuel? by 'RoadRat' (19 Sep 2008 @ 11:36)
