Do returnless fuel systems have a place on race engines?

[Chris Wilson]

I see quite a few modern EFI cars with a returnless fuel supply, just the other month I put a new pump and regulator in the tank of a friends BMW Z4 3.0 S I was wondering if the simplicity and weight saving meant they had any place on a race engine, and if they can be used in a boosted set up, ie, can fuel pressure rise in conjunction with manifold pressure? I am assuming these have become popular on road cars due to cost saving? Thanks.

[F6R]

All of the NA stuff we have been doing for the last few years, including a couple of V8 supercars have been returnless. We run the regs at the back of the car and they are not referenced to manifold pressure, ie fuel pressure is essentially static.

There are many benefits - overall simplicity, less plumbing, less weight, less cost. In the touring cars we use Goodwrench 910 hose which is in the region of $150/m for dash 6 so it all add's up, especially when you take into account the spares and lifing requirements of that category.

Boosted applications are a little trickier if you want to reference fuel pressure to the manifold so probably best left 'traditional'