is octane booster a good thing to run in car regularly
07-08-2003, 05:42 PM
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is octane booster a good thing to run in car regularly i was wondering if putting octane booster in car would be a good idea the engine i put in my car has 40k miles on it, with new plugs and wires but i would like to keep it running at peak performance, i am using mobil one 5 30 oil with prolong.
07-08-2003, 11:24 PM
#2
Re: is octane booster a good thing to run in car regularly I'd skip the prolong. Mobile 1 is great stuff, I'd not add anything. If Mobile's engineers thought it needed it, they would have added it. Just my thoughts....
As for octane boost. Sunoco tested almost all major brands at a dose of 2 bottles on 10 gallons of gas. The best they saw was 2 points of octane increase. They decided that it was worth it to make 100 octane unleaded (since they only got 95 octane gas with 10 gallons of 93 and 2 bottles of additive). So, they don't work all that well and if the car is mostly stock (or you are not seeing knock retard), there is no reason to add octane. Octane does not equal horsepower....the thermal energy in a gallon of 89 octane and 100 octane is nearly identical (so much so as to be not signifigant in most cases). However, running lots of octane booster will turn your plugs red in color. It looks kinda strange if you pull the plugs after running a heavy dose of booster. Makes me wonder where else it is leaving deposits....So, if you are not knock limited, I'd not bother with it, save money for parts....
Good luck!
As for octane boost. Sunoco tested almost all major brands at a dose of 2 bottles on 10 gallons of gas. The best they saw was 2 points of octane increase. They decided that it was worth it to make 100 octane unleaded (since they only got 95 octane gas with 10 gallons of 93 and 2 bottles of additive). So, they don't work all that well and if the car is mostly stock (or you are not seeing knock retard), there is no reason to add octane. Octane does not equal horsepower....the thermal energy in a gallon of 89 octane and 100 octane is nearly identical (so much so as to be not signifigant in most cases). However, running lots of octane booster will turn your plugs red in color. It looks kinda strange if you pull the plugs after running a heavy dose of booster. Makes me wonder where else it is leaving deposits....So, if you are not knock limited, I'd not bother with it, save money for parts....
Good luck!
07-09-2003, 09:47 AM
#3
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Re: is octane booster a good thing to run in car regularly Unless you see knock, Octane booster is not a power adder. Alos, octane boost move you up 2 points. So, if you are at 93, two points is 93.2, not 95. If you want to make Octane booster, use 1 gallon of Toluene or Xylene with 5 gallons of gas. Add a couple of ounces of Marvel mystery oil or transmission fluid to keep the seal from drying out.
Look up the Rocket Fuel FAQ for exact information.
Look up the Rocket Fuel FAQ for exact information.
07-09-2003, 10:20 AM
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Re: is octane booster a good thing to run in car regularly Before you mix the Xylene or Toluene, read this:
http://www.idavette.net/hib/fuel/page2.htm
After reading that, I will NEVER mix my fuel. Its much easier and cheaper to get some unleaded 100 octane.
The bottles you can buy at parts stores are a joke including the NOS brand.
From NOS site:
Thats 2-7 points.... WOW... 
Like J-rod said, a point is very small. 2 points and 93 octane would mean 93.2. 7 points and 93 octane would mean 93.7. Big deal! You'd be better off taking a 5 gallon gas can and buying some unleaded racing fuel.
10 gallons of 93 plus 5 gallons of 100=95.3
$15 @$3/gallon for 100 octane 5 gallons
$15 @$1.50 for 93 octane 10 gallons
total=$30
15 gallons of 93 plus NOS octane booster=93.7
(7 points if you're lucky)
$12 booster
$22.50 @$1.50 for 93 octane 15 gallons
total=$34.50
Mixing Xylene or touluene would be even more.
http://www.idavette.net/hib/fuel/page2.htm
After reading that, I will NEVER mix my fuel. Its much easier and cheaper to get some unleaded 100 octane.
The bottles you can buy at parts stores are a joke including the NOS brand.
From NOS site:
NOS Octane Booster America's Best Octane Booster!
Boost the octane rating of the unleaded gas you are using by 2-7 points, no kidding! NOS® offers three potent octane boosters available either for street, off-road or race that will effectively cure any engine "knocks" or "pings" that you may be experiencing.
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLin.../OctBoost.html
Boost the octane rating of the unleaded gas you are using by 2-7 points, no kidding! NOS® offers three potent octane boosters available either for street, off-road or race that will effectively cure any engine "knocks" or "pings" that you may be experiencing.
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLin.../OctBoost.html
Like J-rod said, a point is very small. 2 points and 93 octane would mean 93.2. 7 points and 93 octane would mean 93.7. Big deal! You'd be better off taking a 5 gallon gas can and buying some unleaded racing fuel.10 gallons of 93 plus 5 gallons of 100=95.3
$15 @$3/gallon for 100 octane 5 gallons
$15 @$1.50 for 93 octane 10 gallons
total=$30
15 gallons of 93 plus NOS octane booster=93.7
(7 points if you're lucky)
$12 booster
$22.50 @$1.50 for 93 octane 15 gallons
total=$34.50
Mixing Xylene or touluene would be even more.
In addition to handling, mixing, calibration, drivability and performance problems associated with DIY race gas, it has a lousy business model, too. A late-model Corvette with a medium-boost, aftermarket supercharger kit at the drag races on a warm day might need 97.2-oct. to keep the engine out of detonation. Toluene, used as a blending component, is 103.5-oct. To make 10-gal. of 97.2-oct., DIY race gas (1:1, 91-oct. unleaded and toluene) costs $42.80. Do it with 91 and 100 unleaded gasolines, you mix 3:7 for $32.05. Because a 1:1 mix of toluene and pump gas costs you performance and throttle response due to slow burn speed; not only is DIY race gas a lot more expensive, but it won’t perform as well, either.
