SEMA 2017: Aeromotive Brushless Fuel Pumps

To support the demands of today’s 1,000-plus-horsepower street cars, particularly those burning E85 (which requires 30 percent more flow), Aeromotive released its new line of efficient and durable brushless fuel pumps.

Since the release of its vaunted A1000 pump, the Aeromotive name has been synonymous with fuel system development for high-performance vehicles. In response to the swelling numbers of high-performance vehicles pushing the four-digit horsepower range, especially those running ethanol-enhanced fuels, Aeromotive is releasing a new line of brushless fuel pumps that offer higher levels of performance and efficiency.

“Five years ago a 1,000-horse street car was fairly unheard of. They were kind of a unicorn,” Bub Miller, Director of Motorsports at Aeromotive, told us. “Ten years ago they were non-existent. Today you can mail-order 1,000 horsepower and install it in a weekend. It’s getting that easy to make this much power.”

Supporting that kind of power with enough fuel volume and fuel can be a challenge however, which is why Aeromotive transferred what it learned about spur-gear fuel pumps in Pro Mod to its Brushless Fuel Pump Series.

At the SEMA show we watched the new pumps demonstrated on this stand. At around 40 psi the pump chugged out a leisurely 4.9 gallons per minute while only drawing 9 amps. Cranking up the pressure to 110 psi only cut the volume back to 4.3 gpm and kicked the draw up to a just shy of 20 amps.

“What we wanted was a single pump that could handle that volume and be pulse modulated for an on-demand type of system,” Bub said. “The roller-vane style pump really doesn’t like to be pulse modulated because of the starting and stopping, it hurts the rotor.”

The modulation is necessary to tame these pumps ample flow during low-demand situations like idling or cruising. Likewise, those roller-vane style pumps, that Aeromotive will continue to offer for less demanding environs, don’t hold up well under sustained pressures over 70 psi, which can lead to premature failure. Conversely, these new brushless pumps take on big pressure with aplomb. They are also lighter and more efficient, not to mention more durable.

“They are like margarita mixer. They just don’t care. Just jam some ice in there and get it done. Let’s party,” Bub joked in reference to the rugged performance of the brushless pumps. “…We shut this pump off after 2,600 hours of testing and she was still going.”

The result of all that testing is a quartet of new brushless pumps available in in-line and in-tank versions, the latter of which is also available as part of Aeromotive’s complete 6-, 15- or 20-gallon fuel cells.

Lots of engineering went to designing these brushless pumps that will fit into the same packaging as Aeromotive’s storied vane-rotor pumps. The new Gearpumps are lighter, more efficient, and durable, offering thrice the lifespan of the traditional pumps.

“The trick was keeping it in the same package so we could retrofit it into our existing fuel cells,” he added.

That packaging means you can easily upgrade your existing pump to one of the new brushless A1000 (2 gallons per minute), Eliminator (3 gallons per minute), or the aforementioned Gearpumps. (3.5 or 5 gallon per minute). These pumps will be available starting on December 1, so if you are interested in learning more, visit the Aeromotive site here.

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About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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