Often when we drive ourvehicles on the public roads, we only make useof about a quarter, or atcertain times, slightly more than half of our vehicle’s potential. Even when one puts the pedal to the metal, it is often a split-second a air. For that split-second, the electronic brain puts its other connected mechanical siblings to hard work; pushing that which is the very limits of full usage capacity, drawing copious amounts of air, loads of fuel.

That works  ne on outright, straight overtakes. However, it is rather different when it comes to a situation when the said vehicle is negotiating a high speed bend. Gravitational forces take over and create a di erent environment for liquids and gases to work in. Previously, we had discussed the bene ts of installing an oil ba e plate (or the dry sump) in the oil pan of vehicles. Vehicles negotiating high speed corners have to deal with sloshing oil that accumulates on either side of the oil pan, therefore causing the oil pickup to fail in the essential aspect of circulating crucial engine oil throughout the system.

High speed corners in particular, tend to slosh liquid matter; engine oil, fuel, coolant to either banks of their con nes, causing a slowdown or failure on that relevant part for the matter. This could also be said about the fuel system of a vehicle. Like any other liquid contained in the car, fuel is also suspectible to the extreme lateral G forces that the said vehicle is subjected to. The result from a sustained, high-G, high speed bend? Fuel starvation.

This is especially true for high-powered vehicles, such as turbocharged power plants that rely on a lot of air and fuel to derive their insane powers. Fuel is a critical component in the cylinder. A lack of fuel or disruption to the process causes fuel starvation, which in turn can have serious consequences. A casual instance is a wheeze or a choke; an engine stutter. However in more serious scenarios, an engine meltdown is a likely scenario, especially in a highly-tuned engine, or motors that are sensitive to slight A/F (air/fuel) changes.

The fuel surge tank does exactly what it says; well- it surges fuel! Fuel surge tanks are used to ensure a constant and steady supply of fuel into the car’s fuel system; namely, the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, fuel rails and  nally, the fuel injectors. It is designed to prevent fuel starvation in vehicles that have no ba es in their fuel tank system. Based on engine requirements and how it responses, fuel  ow is not exactly pinpoint-quick when it comes to sudden throttle activity. To make matters worse, throw all that inability to  ow fuel into the system when the vehicle is in a fast, long sweeping corner…

Fuel  rst gets pressurised by the stock fuel pump, which is low pressure in nature. The fuel surge tank is the next destination to which the fuel  ows into. The fuel surge tank then does the accelerating work of pushing fuel towards the fuel pressure regulator, ensuring that the later part of the fuel system if properly fed its required quantity without over-pressuring the entire system. Excess fuel is channelled back to the fuel surge tank, until it reaches it maximum capacity. The excess fuel is then channelled back into the main fuel tank.

Depending on the engine’s demands, the important thing is to  nd the right size. Fuel surge tanks work best when they have adequate volume and can be properly fed by the low pressure fuel pump. This however, can be properly balanced if the fuel pump is a high-pressured pump, ensuring a full- edged fuel system that can feed the thirstiest of tuned engines.