F40 fuel bladders vs. alu tanks.

Merits for and against already covered here:-

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/f40-fire-in-odawara-kanagawa-prefecture-japan.641540/

 

There are European aluminium tanks available too
As long as the cars insurance company is happy with the swap as that can be the biggest drawback for some people. You also need to change the balance pipe across the fuel tanks, its around 24 hours to do a pair of tanks plus the cost of the tanks. The capacity is slightly small due to the tank size and being made from thicker material, a slight weight gain but i don't think it has ever been recorded.
Jordan

Edit: Dito to above post.

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Half the charm of running a race car for the road is to run it with race spec bladders. I never understood any good reason to do otherwise.

 

Completely agree. I am about to replace my racing tanks. The difference in cost (fitted and VAT inc) between them and metal alternatives is around 3K. The saving over 10 years isn't against worth it for me to go metal. Will keep my F40 as nature intended

 

I will need to get my tanks replaced sometimes next year and I will not go for a metal alternative. I have been told that prices for race tanks have significantly raised compared to 10 years ago (and I remember it was not cheap then!). Can I ask you where you are getting your tanks from?

 

https://www.atlltd.com/industries/motorsport/fuel-cells/popular-fuel-cells/ferrari-f40-road-fuel-cell-set-110l-total

however, what we discovered is that they have changed the outgoing nozzles on the passenger side, which means your original pipe joining the 2 tanks will have to be reworked slightly to accommodate this.

 

Many thanks for sharing this. I Will ask them for a quotation.

 

they are about $12.5 k

 

Premier Fuel Systems Ltd. in the UK also have the F40 tanks listed, I've fitted many of their tanks to various competition cars. (But no F40 yet.)

https://www.premier-fuel-systems.com/gallery/ferrari-f40/

 

Thanks, all inputs are welcome!

 

My neighbor crashed his Enzo some years back and it burned to the ground. My guess is the impact pushed the motor into the aluminum tanks and caused a fire.

I wonder if you could run some sort of racing fuel cell in the F40?

Ray

 

look, its simple. if you want oem quality bladders, ATL makes tanks for F40's, and they are what ferrari uses, except they put a horsey stamp on it.
they are aviation grade and guaranteed not to fail for at least 10 years.

if you want rigid tanks, there are some vetted companies in the uk and the usa that make the alu tanks- joe sackey can probably help you with that.

I would not try to reinvent this particular part for your f40. you might save a buck, but if/when you car burns up, and the insurance company asks when you last changed the tanks and with what.... be prepared to suffer the consequences.

 

Per my post here https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147887001/ note that I have no affiliation, just being a resource and sharing their existence, owners are always advised to do their own due-diligence and act accordingly.

 

my

When I purchased my F40 in 2011 it had new Premier tanks. They were awful. The car stank of fuel. They had been installed by a Ferrari dealer too. Perhaps they're better made today. Personally I wouldn't install them in my car if they were free. I had replaced them with ATL tanks. The difference in build quality was shocking. ATL were substantially better made. For 10 years they've been superb. And in as few weeks, a new set of ATL are being installed.

 

I work at UK Specialist and we only fit the tanks we have made in collaboration with another motorsport manufacturer as have tweaked the design over the years and now have batches made so no waiting for construction but they are FIA Approved. Down side to this is they sit on the shelf but we normally get through 3-5 sets a year. However the benefit of the ability to have a tank change with no notice can be good if the car is used often. Normally we would also do a full set of fuel pipes as well as also had them all re manufactured as a set from the factory is £££ considering its standard Aeroquip fittings and although braided hoses you cannot judge the quality of the hose itself so fresh tanks with bad lines can happen also.
I think as long as they are FIA approved and are fitted correctly by people who have done them you shouldn't have an issue!
I think if someone really wanted to reduce fire risk somehow incorporating the inline filters within the tanks that reduces potential leak points by 8 as the fuel line doesn't secure directly into the fuel filter there is a double dash fuel fitting or alternatively changing the filter housings to incorporate male ends ?

 

More options on the aluminium ones:

https://www.infinitous.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7235221-Ferrari-F40-Aluminium-Alloy-Fuel-Tanks-with-Fitting-Kit.html

 

Fitted GTO Engineering ally tanks from bladders. Bladders can be easily swapped back in. ATL can leak, bladders are FIA approved 5 years I think if you’re racing your F40. Ally tanks are a popular option for us in Australia.