Octane Booster's. Worth it?

GR8RALLY · #1 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 05:43 PM

396 stroker, 10:5:1 compression,Vic heads,Carb. Will be using 93 octane gas, just wonder if boosters help. If so, in what way. I understand that it will not increase HP, but it will "decrease" the chance of denotation. Bottom line, will it help or am I wasting my money?

Thanks.

jrichard · #2 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 05:54 PM

that's exactly what hi-octane fuel is supposed to do- prevent detonation in high-compression engines. octane actually makes the fuel burn SLOWER instead of exploding. Since detonation (exploding fuel) can destroy engines, it's almost always best to run slightly higher octane numbers than your engine is designed for, especially if your timing is advanced, as in most hi-po engines. besides, what's a few cents per tank to save your engine? do boosters work? yes. and they certainly don't hurt anything. I never use ANYTHING but 93 in my cars and motorcycles.

jrichard · #3 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 05:57 PM

and one more thing. I read in Hot Rod magazine that some 76 stations are going to start providing 100 octane fuel. woo-hoo....too bad I've never seen a 76 station in Texas...

GR8RALLY · #4 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 06:12 PM

So lets say I use 106 octane booster every time I fill up. No harm. Right? So I do agree its not going to harm anything, but do you "Cobra" owners use the stuff with the similar engine configuration. Thanks again.

GR8RALLY · #5 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 06:13 PM

Hope I can find a 76 here on Long Island NY!!!!

jrichard · #6 (**permalink**) 05-26-2002, 06:26 PM

no harm. most of my experience is with racebikes, but yes, I use octane boost in my cobras as well as the bikes. my Elegant Cobra has a modified 460- bored, big cam, Edelbrock 750, 560hp, etc... and it loves a tank of 93+octane boost. btw, you are going to love your SPF. Superformance manufactures a fantastic car. Stiff, tight cornering, superior steering/handling and feedback. it's a four-wheeled motorcycle. I love mine.

427sharpe · #7 (**permalink**) 05-29-2002, 12:27 PM

A properly tuned motor with 10.5:1 shouldn't have a detonation problem with 93 octane pump gas. Octane Booster will be a mind game, nothing more. Remember that most octane boosters claim a 'point' increase. A point is 1/4 of an octane rating. So, 104+ Octane boost claims a large can will raise 10 gallons of gas 5 'points' (read the can). If you run a 10 gallon tank, a $7 can of 104+ has given your 93 octane pump gas an astounding rating of.....94.25. If your tank is 20 gallons, you end up with 93.625. If you are paying 1.50 for 93 octane and add the 104+, than you paid 2.20 for 10 gallons of 94.25 or $1.85 for 20 @ 93.625? I don't really think this is a good value. SAAC did a recent study on 'Race' gas versus pump and found NO DIFFERENCE in lap times or engine reliability. A worthy note...NASCAR runs a 93 octane blend from Unocal...and gets 750 HP from 358 cid! The answer lies in TUNING, not octane!

GR8RALLY · #8 (**permalink**) 05-29-2002, 07:09 PM

Thanks 427sharpe. I won a case of Prestone 106 Octane Booster at a local auto parts store I go to. It looks pretty in my garage on the shelf! HaHa, REAL MANLY and HARDCORE RACING! But really, thought the octane might help more than what you described. There's a Sunco gas station around the corner that sells 94 octane gas, so I'll just go there for my gas.As for the Prestone, well, I'll just keep them clean for SHOW! :-) Rodney

Bob In Ct · #9 (**permalink**) 06-06-2002, 04:39 PM

Hey GR:
The octane rating of a gasoline has nothing to do with the power it provides. Octane rating is a measure of the fuels ability to resist detonation due to heat and pressure, nothing more. Gasoline engines actually burn the fuel/air mixture rather than explode it. The spark sets off a relatively slow burn of the mixture. That's one of the reasons ignition timing is advanced as the RPMs are increased. If you are not experiencing knock you do not need to increase the octane.

Stop watching all those snake oil adds on TV which promise more power and better mileage!

Bob

GR8RALLY · #10 (**permalink**) 06-06-2002, 07:06 PM

Will do Bob, thanks for the input! Rodney

bmalone · #11 (**permalink**) 06-06-2002, 07:17 PM

427sharpe:

Agree with you about the value of octane boosters, but thought NASCAR motors run 14:1 or so compression. I would think 93 octane is inadequate to support that CR.

Bill

millennium200 · #12 (**permalink**) 06-06-2002, 08:51 PM

I had a chance to try octane boost on a 3500 mile trip across the country. When the better brands of octane boost were added, they gave my 514 big block two to four miles per gallon more mileage at cursing speeds of 85 to 90 mph than without. I got 10.5 mpg without the boost and 12.5 to 14.8 with. This little bit of difference was all that kept me from walking across part of New Mexico.

Jamo · #13 (**permalink**) 06-06-2002, 10:56 PM

Watch what you buy--some of that stuff (Outlaw) stinks--I mean actually stinks!

fia#09 · #14 (**permalink**) 09-15-2002, 05:31 AM

Before building my motor, I researched this. Spoke to the owner of one of the companies that produces the stuff, asked for any dyno tests, and chemical explanation of exactly how much "boost" you get. No credible documentation. The boost is a minimal amount. My 1200 Sportster pinged on everything except sunoco 94, and even a stale batch of that. That had a 9:1 CR, but a poor combustion chamber design. Pete at ERA said stay at or below 10:1, and 9.5:1 with cast iron heads, and I concluded exactly that. Smokey Yunick said there is no way to hear detonation at the end of a straightaway, so stay well away from the problem. Check out the HP formulas for detuning a race engine and you will find that lowering the CR only reduces the HP by a minor amount. New cam, etc. technology is a much better way to build HP. Having said that, if an engine is pinging lightly the stuff will usually overcome that , but it stinks, is messy, voids warrenties, and is diminishing returns dollarwise. I carry it and use it in my tow vehicle when towing, but generally not in the Cobra.

Mr.Fixit · #15 (**permalink**) 09-16-2002, 09:01 AM

Spend the money on some leaded race gas to mix in with the 92 octane instead of octane booster, it will buy you a greater increase in burn stability than the booster for the same cash.

Anthony · #16 (**permalink**) 09-16-2002, 06:51 PM

lower octane fuel actually gives off slightly more energy (heat) when burned compared to high octane fuel. However, higher octane fuel allows you to run a higher compression, which allows to engine to run at a higher efficiency, that is extract more heat, and convert it to mechanical energy, and therefore produce more power to the wheels.

Basically, you want to run the lowest octane you can run safely. You make the most power, and it costs the least.

agro1 · #17 (**permalink**) 09-18-2002, 09:17 AM

Locations in southern California where they (76) PUMP 100 octane.

http://www.osbornauto.com/racing/100locations.htm

Stuff works great if you are running over 10:5.1 compression.

agro1 · #18 (**permalink**) 09-18-2002, 09:22 AM

Listings by state:

http://www.76.com/cgi-bin/b2cpt01/scripts/mapQuery.jsp

cobrashoch · #19 (**permalink**) 09-22-2002, 09:41 AM

I'm going to put a spin on this from another direction. There is a old hot rod addage that says something to the effect, that if you get any improvement what-so-ever by switching fuels you probably have pre-ignition of some sort. Guys typicaly think that pre-ignition is pinging and/or burning a hole in pistons. It's that, but more to. If you get better milage or just get a bit more power by tuning that's pre-ignition. Pre-ignition is insidious, that is, you may have it but don't know it. That and the fact that most engines will tolerate some amounts of it makes it a hidden problem. I feel that that octane boosters are band-aids to the real problem. Since it is possible to get huge horsepower numbers on pump gas I suggest that a better way to do things is to tune your engine for the fuel that you want to use. It IS time consuming though. I have found that about 80% of the time pre-ignition is a problem with carburetor'd engines to. I don't mean this to be a war of carbs vs fi as I am a carb guy. But those are the facts I have seen. In any rate, using either method, proper tuning in most cases will get you more power to!
cobrashock

A Snake · #20 (**permalink**) 09-22-2002, 03:01 PM

Thought it might be interesting to share this:

Leaded vs unleaded same octane for both. Believe it or not, the unleaded makes just a tiny bit more HP on the dyno.

While I was trying to figure out what my engine liked to drink, I tried several "octane boosters" including one reputed to be the best by the racers. That one was Moroso.

I never did succeed in doing anything but making a mess. The car was hard to start when warm....just like any FE with compression. Octane booster didn't help. What did work was Turbo Blue racing fuel. And this took a little time to clear things out. After a tank of it and a redo on the timing and a fresh set of plugs, the engine ran like a top with it. It started quick, idled right and made lots of power.

When I got back to the Northwest, there was no Turbo Blue to be had, so I started once again to run pump supreme. 92-93 octane. Surprise surprise. I just backed of the timing a couple of degrees and it worked fine. A little harder to start, but not too bad overall.

What I think I learned is that screwing around with the boosters had me so screwed up on my tuning that nothing would have worked.

Long story short....gave up on the boosters long ago.....with 11:1 CR.

Mr. Fixit is on by me. I'd agree with adding a portion of racing fuel to each fill up. I'd suggest about 4:1 or 4 gal pump gas to 1 gal racing fuel. Much less and I don't personally think you'd notice it. That's pretty diluted as it is.