Can a Turbo Corvette Run on Moonshine?

Today is a science episode we've been trying to do for a LONG time! We were able to get our hands on some moonshine, so we might as well try to run it in Ruby!



Our 2025 Sponsors:

[CleetusM]

Everyone keep Greg Biffle’s moonshine operation on the down low please 😂😂😂

[Nick.Keane]

the missing piece of the puzzle here is water.

Moonshine is 80-90% alcohol, and the rest is water. at 96%, alcohol and water form an azeotrophic mixture(meaning they cannot be further out a very high tech laboratory). so most shine sits around 160-180 proof. wherein, race enthanol has 0% water.

so you are battling the water in the fuel(which we know from water injection systems actual does raise the absolute octane of the fuel) which lowers BTU density by volume. You were on the right track by dialing the amount of shine you are injecting and you could have poured some serious timing to it and gotten a ton of power(and fuel usage. lol) if you have enough injector.


Science is fun!

Source: work in the spirits industry, and have an organic chem. degree

[SlickMacDaddy]

Thank you for getting a bigger dyno screen. We appreciate George not trying to break a leg running over to film the badassery dyno numbers.

[JodyWillis-gmmp]

16:44"don't ask me I had moonshine"Perfect T-shirt For Jackstand

[PrinceofWalesisland]

Moonshine is ethanol, if you double or triple distill it under vacuum you can get it up to 95% After it reaches 95% you have to mechanically separate the water from the ethanol. Judging by the bubbles I would say you're around 70-80%. You can get a cheap hydrometer to see the Ethanol to water ratio. I can get you some 100% ethanol if you really want to see what it can do! I use a mechanical sieve to get it from 95% to 100%. It won't be 100% ethanol the instant it gets exposed to air because it will pull water from the air, but it will be close if you burn it fast. The reason it needed more fuel is because the water content. It's probably single run and 20%+ water!

[lectricfence]

Poor Ruby is gonna have a heck of a hangover.

[GARNERS_GAMING]

Dont be surprised when Ruby can't make a straight pass at the track on the next run. The ole girl gonna be hungover/ still a little drunk after that dyno session 😂😂😂

[ethanwaples]

Look at the huge smile on Mr. Sam’s face after it started on the moonshine! Absolutely giddy!

[axeltorres]

16:44 "Don’t ask me I had moonshine" Perfect T-Shirt for Jackstand

[EmazingGuitar]

Big W for George coming in clutch with the Swans on the second channel!

[alpham]

My grandad rebuilt the carb on my gokart as a kid to run on it. It 100% takes more fuel to run properly but sits in between 93 and E85 energy wise. But like Sam said back in the day it was the only option for a "race gas" for the most part if you could even afford to run it and not sell it instead. It's also way easier "and cheaper" to tune a carb to run on it as opposed to EFI. My Granddad produced and ran shine in Alabama during prohibition and did about 20 years in prison for it. After he got out he said ok back to business and fired the still back up and sold it till the day he died. RIP, I will see you soon Grandpa.

[kylehollenbeck]

The fact that James was hardly phased by that moonshine tells me all I need to know about how he parties 😂

[RuToClose]

Looks like your secret source of moonshine(Gregg Biffle) needs to send a few gallons for further testing.

[wyattslunecka]

You can purchase 200 proof ethanol for laboratory use in larger 5 gallon quantities. We use it at my job for lab testing. This will ensure there is 0 water in the ethanol since it needs to go through a molecular sieve (similar to a filter to separate the smaller water molecules from the larger ethanol ones). Moonshine will not have this equipment anywhere in the process. To reiterate other comments I read ethanol and water form an azeotrope which is essentially a different molecule so simple distillation will not remove it, there will still be 5% water minimum. Great content love to see it.

[drew]

I could listen to Mr. Sam’s stories for hours!! Please please please make some sort of podcast or video and just let him ramble on about his life and the things he’s done. It would be AMAZING!

[quickcat]

I love how shiny Ruby is, massive respect to Mr Sam

[paulmcghee]

As a true Appalachian American who was raised in Cocke County Tennessee, smack dab in the middle of moonshine country, I 100% approve this educational video!

[trahan]

"I feel much more confident after that sip." Ermm.. Cleetus.. That's why its called liquid courage lol

[Hotsauce_]

Love hearing Sam reminisce about some of his past experiences. Would love to hear more about his dad making moonshine and if he was a bootlegger, or if he just made it for himself and close friends.

[jeremyfortune]

Ain’t the first time Ol George and JT had that Carolina swamp water hahaha I can tell and Ol doc CLEET testing the moonshine for science is epic