Fuel Additive / Higher Octane Fuel....?

[niphilli]

Just wondering what you guys use, and what is safe/ best to use.

I keep reading posts about people mixing 50/50 with normal & high octane. Where do you guys get this? The only thing I have found around me are octane boosters (STP, Outlaw....) and leaded gas that is high octane.

I only use Amoco 93 octane in my car, but even with that gas my car still gets "slight" knock from time to time around 3900 RPMs (ATAP data logs). Going to dyno for a baseline in a couple of weeks and would like to find some good fuel to make sure I dont have any KR.

TIA,
-Nick

[02ZO6]

There is Sunoco 100 if you really want to spend theh money. Don't expect real gains using higher octane fuel or additives.

[niphilli]

Originally posted by 02ZO6
There is Sunoco 100 if you really want to spend theh money. Don't expect real gains using higher octane fuel or additives.

I have seen that before but they do not sell it where I live. I have heard of gains of as much as 5 RWHP in a Z06.

It is no big deal, I was really just curious to see if this would eliminate the KR I am seeing .

[Paradigm]

I've used 3 brands

1. 108 Octane booster with MMT - works well but eventually renders the O2's inoperative.

2. Klotz - works well but the company is painful to deal with

3. Torco Fuel Accelerator - works EXCELLENT and has no issues

link http://www.torcoracefuels.com/torcoenter.htm

[SMFCPACFP]

Don't waste your money. Higher octane gasoline than what is required in your car will give you zero performance gains, will not make your car run better, run longer, etc.

Gasoline is composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Octane is gasoline composed of 8 carbon atoms per molecule. The octane rating, traditionally, was a measure of what percentage of gasoline is composed of octane molecules. 90 octane gas is composed of 90% octane gasoline molecules and 10% heptane gasoline molecules and other additives. There are several ways to measure octane,and additives that can be put in gasoline which is why you can have gas with an octane rating of over 100.

Octane, amongst the gasoline molecules (heptane, octane, nenane, decane) has the desirable characteristic that it can be compressed quite a lot before it spontaneously combusts. It also burns slower. A 4 cycle car engine doesn't count on spontaneous combustion. Instead it assumes that combustion will occur when the spark plug fires. If the gasoline combusts before the spark plug fires (beginning of power stroke), the engine will not make maximum power and can be damaged

The compression ratio of the engine determines the amount of octane you need in gasoline. The higher the compression ratio, the higher the octane percentage.

Here is the key thing. Your car's performance is a function of how many BTU's of energy it can process in a given period of time. Does higher octane gasoline possess more BTU's per gallon than lower octane gasoline - emphatically NO (octane and heptane have the SAME BTU rating)!! Thus using gasoline with more octane than required to control pre detonation, gives no added value, and may cause unburned gasses to pass directly to the catalytic converter unburned, shortening its life. As far as I know neither of the two molecules of gasoline used in the gasoline you buy has superior cleaning ability.

If you want really high energy fuel, try nitroglycerine.

[dsinned]

Just schedule your dyno session early morning when OAT is still relatively cold. Then, it should not matter that you have just 93 octane in the tank. Also, watch your coolant temp just before the dyno pull. It helps to run your AC just prior so the cooling fans pull air through the radiator and the shop places a large size industrial, high CFM blower in front of your car.

[niphilli]

Thanks for all of the good info guys!

[Z06 Tom]

Originally posted by Paradigm
I've used 3 brands

1. 108 Octane booster with MMT - works well but eventually renders the O2's inoperative.

2. Klotz - works well but the company is painful to deal with

3. Torco Fuel Accelerator - works EXCELLENT and has no issues

link http://www.torcoracefuels.com/torcoenter.htm

I use the Torco also. Good stuff.

[MSiska]

I used Sunoco 100 before going to a dyno session. Made the same rwhp as with 93 octane. Waste of money and our Z06's shouldn't need it.

[Don Benson]

Originally posted by MSiska
I used Sunoco 100 before going to a dyno session. Made the same rwhp as with 93 octane. Waste of money and our Z06's shouldn't need it.

Mike,

Kind of what I thought too. I was going to experiment, but you just help me save some money. I'll buy your cheesesteak next time.

Don

[Z06 Tom]

Originally posted by MSiska
I used Sunoco 100 before going to a dyno session. Made the same rwhp as with 93 octane. Waste of money and our Z06's shouldn't need it.

It will help if you are getting any knock though. Can't hurt on a FI engine.

[NYCHASM]

Originally posted by Z06 Tom
It will help if you are getting any knock though. Can't hurt on a FI engine.

You are correct Tom, "can't hurt". However, our (stock) engines DO NOT require very high octane fuel and any issues you are getting from the gasoline you use is probably not fuel related. If you have problems with pre-ignition (knocking) and you are using a quality gasoline with the octane number required, you probably should look at a problem in the engine itself...bad knock sensor, improper ignition timing, etc.

I agree wholeheartedly with SMFCPACFP's dissertation. He is absolutely correct regarding higher octane fuel not enhancing performance one iota. Using a fuel with a higher octane number than required in a stock engine is simply a waste of money. There are no gains to be had, period.

So save your money, Don!! There are way more important bongs, err... things, to spend it on.

Charlie

[Don Benson]

Originally posted by NYCHASM
You are correct Tom, "can't hurt". However, our (stock) engines DO NOT require very high octane fuel and any issues you are getting from the gasoline you use is probably not fuel related. If you have problems with pre-ignition (knocking) and you are using a quality gasoline with the octane number required, you probably should look at a problem in the engine itself...bad knock sensor, improper ignition timing, etc.

I agree wholeheartedly with SMFCPACFP's dissertation. He is absolutely correct regarding higher octane fuel not enhancing performance one iota. Using a fuel with a higher octane number than required in a stock engine is simply a waste of money. There are no gains to be had, period.

So save your money, Don!! There are way more important bongs, err... things, to spend it on.

Charlie

Charlie,

Thanks for your support. But seriously, there is one other variable you neglected here and that is whether or not the gas you are using is "truly" the octane it is suppose to be. There are many unscrupulous dealers who could be selling a lower octance product than what is listed on the pump, or worse yet, it came from the refinery as a "poor" product. This does happen.

Don

[DJWorm]

The only advantage to higher octane fuel is "Peace of Mind" if you track or Auto X the car in hot weather. This allows you to drive the car rather than worry about knock.

However there are other advantages to running fuels such as Sunoco GT100 or Sunoco Plus (104) unleaded. They are double refined, have a (better than street pump gas) racing additive package, are chemically oxygenated with a higher vol% O2 (different from RFG) and thus burn faster and have higher BTU's.

www.racegas.com

I do recommend GT100 for track and AutoX applications.

However they will not give any decernable advantage on the street.

There are distributors in Virginia:
Danco in Richmond
World Wide Racing Fuels in New Canton
www.worldwideracingfuels.com

[Manteuffel]

Originally posted by SMFCPACFP
Don't waste your money.

.
.
.
.

If you want really high energy fuel, try nitroglycerine.

Nitroglycerine sounds like a very good alternative to me. Any 'nitro' fueling stations around?

G.