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Water methanol injection sprays a fine mist of water and alcohol into the engine's intake. It drops intake charge temperature sharply and raises the effective octane of the fuel, so the engine can run more boost and more ignition timing without knocking, and the mist cleans carbon deposits as it goes. On our own BMW 335d test car the kit alone was worth 35.3bhp and 76Nm on the dyno before any mapping, and with a file written around it the car finished at 385.9bhp and 793.1Nm.
Measured on our Mustang AWD rolling road in Maidstone. Wheel figures, drivetrain loss added for the flywheel numbers.What is water methanol injection?
Water methanol injection is a system that injects a fine mist of alcohol & water into the intake of your engine.
What does water methanol injection do?
The mist of alcohol and water being injected into the engine will dramatically lower intake temps, meaning it’ll make a lot more power. It also raises the octane content of the fuel, making the engine less likely to knock & meaning you can run even more boost, and even more timing. On top of all of this, it dissolves carbon build up & actually cleans the engine whilst doing it!
Why does my car need it?
By far the easiest question to answer – It’s a mod that gives you more power, more torque, and actually extends the lifespan of your engine, promoting cleaner & more efficient running!
What sort of results can I expect?
Let’s look at a real world example & the gains on offer;
So, our test car. It’s a 2006 BMW 335D, a clean well maintained example with no running issues. It’s done 140,000 miles, so a fair comparison to most other 335D’s currently available on the used market. The car has no aftermarket parts on the engine, or transmission.
First, we installed the JFA Stage 3 gearbox software to the car, raising the torque limiters on the box to aid making power and offer a much more responsive drive. Gearbox software needs around 50-100 miles of nice easy driving, with lots of coasting to get the box to re-adapt correctly, so we sent our customer home to run the box in.
Next, we installed the meth injection kit. We used a Devilsown DVC-30 universal kit, with the 2.5 gallon sumped race tank – it’s a great kit to install, offers a really good range between refills & looks good! We wired the controller into the glove box – this way it can be tucked up out of sight for a ‘Stealth’ install. Finally, at the engine end we drilled two holes into the EGR valve. One for the methanol injection nozzle, and one for the boost feed to the controller. With the engine cover back on, it even looks like a stock motor.
Photos of the install can be found at the bottom of this page.
We then took the car for a quick run around the block to confirm the kit was operating correctly, and loaded it up onto the dyno. After a few little tweaks to the controllers start & end points, we felt we had the controller dialled in the best it could be. We then disconnected the meth kit, and ran the car with no meth, and with the meth system activated.
The results speak for themselves – a massive gain of 35.3BHP & 76.0Nm! So we’re now making 335.1BHP & 684.0Nm and we haven’t even tuned the car yet!
We then set about tuning the car, and managed to hit 385.9BHP & 793.1Nm – on an otherwise stock car! A gain of 86.1BHP & 185.1Nm! This is the same sort of gain you’d expect to see from removing the DPF & fitting a bigger intercooler kit…however the methanol injection made the same power whilst keeping the car totally road legal!
We decided to test the car again with the meth kit disabled to see how much of the extra power was being developed by the meth kit. This time round the car ran 352.9BHP & 724.92Nm – Impressive numbers but it shows the meth kit was worth 33.0BHP & 68.2Nm & it reduced intake temps to a level where we could tune the car significantly stronger!
So how often will I have to refill?
With regards the consumption & the refilling? We managed to use half a tank of meth (around a gallon) in a half day session on the dyno, and around an hour of road testing…so realistically the kit won’t even use that much meth. 25 litres of ready made Devilsown Brew comes in around £45.00, and the car won’t be using any all the time you’re driving around normally – the kit only cuts in when the car is under hard acceleration.
Summary
Stage 2 power levels, a longer engine lifespan and all for less than £600? What’s not to like! Water Methanol injection kits are shaping up to become the single must have mod for diesel engines. We’re able to get huge amounts of power from these cars, with even more possible when tuned.
Book A Water Meth Install Today!
Photos from the build
5 photos in our Maidstone workshop. Tap any to enlarge.
Questions we get asked
How much power does water methanol injection add?
On our 335d test car, 35.3bhp and 76Nm from fitting and dialling in the kit with no change to the engine map. Once we wrote a file that took advantage of it, the car made 385.9bhp and 793.1Nm, up 86.1bhp and 185.1Nm on where it started. Your car's gain depends on how heat-limited it was to begin with.
Is water methanol injection safe for the engine?
Set up correctly, yes, and it is safer than chasing the same power on boost and timing alone because it lowers combustion temperature. It has to be tuned with the kit fitted and the controller start and end points dialled in, and the map must handle the kit running out of fluid.
What happens if the tank runs empty?
That is the risk with a badly set up system, and it is why the map matters. A properly written file backs the car off to a safe standard-style calibration if the system stops delivering, so an empty tank costs you the extra power and nothing else.
What mixture do you use?
A water and methanol mix rather than either on its own. The water does the cooling and the methanol raises the octane and stops the mix freezing. Screenwash is not a substitute; it contains detergents and dyes that do not belong in an intake.
Which kit do you fit?
We used a DevilsOwn DVC-30 with a 2.5 gallon sumped race tank on the 335d, with the controller hidden in the glovebox and the nozzle plumbed into the EGR housing so the engine bay still looks standard. We will advise the right kit and tank size for your car and how you use it.
Does it replace a DPF delete or a bigger intercooler?
On our 335d it made the same sort of gain as removing the DPF and fitting a larger intercooler, but legally and without touching the emissions equipment. That is the main reason we like it on modern diesels.
